1. Organizer
The Artells Media Awards (the "Contest") are organized by Individual Entrepreneur Marina Abramova, Varkhani, 7th Street N7, Adigeni Municipality, Georgia (Identification No. 322783653) ("the Organizer"). Contact: team@artellsmedia.com.
2. Participation
The Contest runs in monthly rounds with an annual final. Participation is open to registered users aged 18+. Entry is free within the account's limit (2 per round; PRO: 10). Rating other entries earns bonus entries (the current rate is shown on the contest page). Once the included entries are used, extra entries can be bought ($10 each, a pack of 5 at −20%); bought entries are prepared immediately and are non-refundable once used, and neither purchases nor PRO ever affect judging (Section 4). No purchase is necessary to enter or to win, and buying entries or PRO never improves the chance of placing: an extra entry is a service that lets you show more work, not a ticket in a draw. By entering you accept these Terms and the Privacy Policy.
3. Entries
You may enter only photographs you created and hold the rights to. Every recognisable person in an entry must have given valid consent (model release). The Awards are a photography contest: AI-generated images are not eligible. (Digital and AI-assisted art is welcome elsewhere on the platform, presented as art.) Entries pass automated and human moderation before appearing in the gallery; entries may be declined with a stated reason.
4. Judging and criteria
Entries are assessed on composition, light, concept, technical execution and consistency with the round's theme. Rounds are judged by community vote together with an editorial jury; a jury rating carries five times the weight of a community rating, and ranking uses a smoothed average so a handful of votes cannot outrank a well-voted entry. Places are never shared: where two entries have the same smoothed score, the entry with more ratings ranks higher, and if that is also equal, the entry submitted earlier. Places are determined solely by these ratings and this tie-break, with no element of chance involved; the Awards are a contest of skill, not a lottery or prize draw. Judging is blind: voters are not shown authors' names. Neither PRO status nor any purchase affects scores, rankings or placements in any way. Round results (places 1–3, Creator of the Month, Editors' Pick) and the annual title (Creator of the Year) are final editorial decisions.
5. Rights to Entries
The author retains full copyright. By entering, the author grants the Organiser a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display the entry in the Contest gallery, announce and promote results (including on the magazines' websites and social media), and show winning entries on public verification pages together with the author's name. This license lasts as long as the result remains published; takedown may be requested in writing.
6. Prizes
Round winners receive real editorial prizes as announced on the Awards page. First place: the cover of Artells and a printed publication. Second place: the cover of Artego and placement on the magazines' social media. Third place: a cover of Figgi, Quadro or Marika, chosen by the winner. Places 4 to 10: placement on the magazines' social media. Placed entries and the Editors' Pick also receive digital badges, public verification pages and Artist Score.
When a round closes, every placed participant receives the results by email and in their account. Each of the top three also receives a personal prize code by email, valid for 7 days and tied to the Front Cover option of the magazine they won. The button in that email opens the submission form with the cover chosen and the code applied; the winner uploads the full-resolution winning work (one photo is sufficient) and submits it. No payment is due, the monthly submission limits do not apply, and the editors then place the cover in an issue under the relevant magazine's Publication Agreement. A prize code not used within 7 days expires, and the cover prize lapses with it.
Prizes are non-cash and cannot be exchanged for money; any taxes on prizes are the winner's responsibility. Award certificates are optional paid documents (PDF), ordered from the account and generated from the recorded result; a certificate never changes a result. Non-winning participation confers no claims.
7. Fair Play
Vote manipulation (fake accounts, vote trading, automation) leads to removal from the round and may lead to account suspension. The Organizer may void results affected by manipulation.
8. General
The Organizer may adjust round schedules and prizes prospectively; changes never apply to closed rounds. These Terms are governed by the laws of Georgia. Mandatory consumer protections of your country of residence remain unaffected.