RULES OF THE 81st PEÑALARA MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
1-PARTICIPATION. This Contest is open to the general public wishing to take part. Members of the jury, the organizers of the Contest, and members of the Board of Directors of the R.S.E.A. Peñalara are excluded from participation.
2-THEME. The mountain, its environment, mountaineering, climbing, and all activities practiced in the mountains.
3-PHOTOGRAPHS. Each participant may submit a maximum of 3 photographs, taken with a reflex camera, mirrorless camera, compact camera, or mobile device. Images taken with a drone will not be accepted for the contest.
4-SUBMISSION. Photographs must be sent within the period indicated in these Rules to the email address concursoscultura@rseapenalara.org in one or several emails, with the subject line “81st Peñalara Photography Contest”. Photographs submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.
The submission must include:
- Author’s full name
- Postal address, email, and phone number
- Social media handles and website, if any
- List of the titles of the submitted works
- Indication of the place and date of each shot
- Camera model, lens, and parameters used
- For each work, a brief explanatory text or any relevant information about it (maximum 60 words).
Photographs must be submitted exclusively in JPEG format, with a size of 1920 pixels on the longer side (the organization will not resize photographs to the required format). They must not have frames, captions, or watermarks, and must be named only with the title, not with the author’s name, pseudonym, or any identifying words.
The “stitching” technique—joining several photographs into one using image-editing software—will not be accepted, regardless of whether the software is used in-camera or on a computer.
A panoramic format from a single image is accepted for photos taken with a camera; a panoramic format composed of more than one image is only accepted for photos taken with a mobile phone.
During image processing, standard digital development adjustments (white balance, exposure, levels, contrast, saturation, sharpening, vignette removal) are permitted, as well as dust removal and moderate cropping. Alterations or manipulations of the image or parts of it that result in the photograph depicting a reality different from the one photographed, or incorporating new elements not present in the original shot, will not be accepted.
The organization of the Contest will request from the award-winning authors a copy of the primary (RAW) files for review and analysis, which must be sent within a maximum of 20 days from the date of the notification of the Contest results. Failure to provide them will result in disqualification. The jury may request any information or clarification it deems necessary regarding the images.
The photo submission period will run from September 17 until 11:59 p.m.* on November 14, 2025 (both dates inclusive).
*Madrid time (Spain)
5-EXHIBITION. The R.S.E.A. Peñalara reserves the right to hold an exhibition of the finalist photographs printed on photographic paper at its headquarters, located at C/ Aduana 17, ground floor, Madrid.
6-AWARDS. The three best photographs chosen by the jury will receive awards and may be published in the Peñalara Magazine and on the Society’s communication and dissemination channels, including social media, image platforms, press releases, newsletters, etc.
The prizes will be as follows:
First prize: 500 euros and diploma
Second prize: 200 euros and diploma
Third prize: 100 euros and diploma
Those classified from 4th to 10th place will receive an Honorable Mention (diploma).
No participant may receive more than one prize.
7-COLLABORATIONS. Robisa, the leading distributor of audiovisual equipment and collaborator of the Contest, will award the first-place winner with a Peak Design Outdoor Backpack 25L, and the second-place winner with a Peak Design Slide Lite strap.
Ediciones La Librería will present each finalist attending the award ceremony with a 2026 calendar.
8-JURY. The jury will consist of representatives of the Board of Directors of R.S.E.A. Peñalara, collaborating members of the alpine society, and professional experts in the field of photography and image. Its decision will be final and, if necessary, it will resolve any incident that may arise. The jury will evaluate the works submitted individually and anonymously.
9-AWARD CEREMONY. The ceremony will take place on the date set in the 2026 R.S.E.A. Peñalara Activity Calendar (available on the club’s website), at the Society’s headquarters, C/ Aduana 17, ground floor, Madrid.
10-SUBMITTED WORKS. The R.S.E.A. PEÑALARA reserves the right to publish and exhibit the works submitted to the contest through any media outlet or communication channel of the Society, on a non-profit basis and for cultural, editorial, advertising, and promotional purposes (catalogues, annual reports, calendars, posters, postcards, greetings, etc.), always crediting the author and any information provided by them. For these purposes, the authors grant free reproduction and publication rights to the Society. Peñalara Society will not sell the photographs submitted to the contest; authors will retain their Intellectual Property rights according to current legislation and will be responsible for complying with legal provisions regarding said law and the right to one’s own image. Authors guarantee that the dissemination and reproduction of their work under these rules will not infringe any third-party rights.
11-THE RULES. The mere act of participating in this Contest implies knowledge, compliance, and full acceptance of its Rules and of the jury’s final decision.
Any deficiency or error in the works or the information referred to in Point 4 of these Rules may result in disqualification and annulment of the contestant.
Unforeseen circumstances, doubts, or cases not expressly covered in these Rules will be resolved by the Jury, and its decision will be final.
12-DATA PROTECTION. The personal data provided by participants will be processed in accordance with the provisions of the Organic Law on the Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights (Organic Law 3/2018, of December 5). Participants may exercise their rights of access, rectification, deletion, restriction of processing, and data portability, as established by the applicable regulations at any given time, or withdraw their consent. To exercise these rights, they may contact the email address rseapenalara@rseapenalara.org, including the following information: the participant’s full name, address for notifications, a copy of their ID, passport, or other identification document, and a clear statement of the request. Participants are also informed of their right to file a complaint with the Spanish Data Protection Agency.
Data Controller:
Real Sociedad Española de Alpinismo Peñalara CIF G78583473
Address: C/ Aduana, 17, ground floor (Madrid)
Contact: rseapenalara@rseapenalara.org
The legal basis for processing participants’ data is their consent, granted through their participation in this contest. The data will be kept for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes of the processing.
Refusal to provide personal data, or the submission of inaccurate or incomplete data, may result in the inability to participate in the Contest. Participants are responsible for the accuracy of the information provided and must inform R.S.E.A. Peñalara of any changes.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE RULES HERE: RULES OF THE 81st PEÑALARA MOUNTAIN PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST
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