Prix Photo Sept

Regulations of the Sept Swiss Photojournalism Prize

Article 1
The company Sept.ch SA, headquartered in Villars-sur-Glâne (Switzerland), created the Swiss photojournalism competition in 2017 to support photographers who love to tell stories. The first prize is 750 francs. The second is 500 francs and the third is 300 francs. The awarded project(s) will be published on sept.info and in Sept mook.

Article 2
This competition is open to any photographer. Participation is free. Only one entry per person is allowed, under penalty of nullity. Only participants who have provided their complete contact details will be considered. All participants authorize Sept.ch SA to verify their identity, residence, and professional status. It is specified that participants must not be subject to any exclusivity obligation nor have transferred the management of their rights on the presented project to a third party.

Article 3
To participate in the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition, each candidate must present an original project that tells a story through images.

The application file must include the following elements:
- a signed motivation letter of one page maximum explaining the reasons for entering the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition;
- a selection of 20 captioned images;
- a journalistic narrative accompanying the images of at least one page;
- the candidate's complete contact details;
- a short biography.

Technical data:
- free photographic technique;
- images in JPG 300 dpi high quality or any other HD format (45 cm long edge) gathered in a folder named after the series;
- file naming according to the series order with the photographer's name "1_John_Doe.jpg", "2_John_Doe.jpg", "3_John_Doe.jpg", etc.;
- texts in word doc or docx format;
- all files are compressed into a single zip file named after the photographer.

Applications are open and the application file must be sent no later than August 31, 2025 to the following address: [email protected]

Article 4
By participating in the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition, each candidate commits and guarantees to Sept.ch SA:
- to have obtained all necessary authorizations for the use and publication of their photographic and written narrative;
- to own all material and intellectual property rights on their narrative and not be subject to any obligations towards third parties regarding these rights;
- that they are the author of the entire project;
- that their project is exclusive.

Article 5
Any participant in the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition authorizes Sept.ch SA, if they win one of the prizes, to publish their photographic and written narrative on the sept.info site, in Sept mook, and/or in the form of a public exhibition. This authorization is granted to Sept.ch SA free of charge and non-exclusively, worldwide and for an unlimited period.

Article 6
The winning project(s) will be selected by a jury composed of seven people, including two members of the editorial team of Sept.ch SA. For information purposes, and without binding the jury members, candidates are informed that the criteria appreciated by the jury include:
- the quality of the images and writing;
- the public interest of the subject;
- the originality of the subject and its treatment;
- the relevance of the journalistic content.

Sept.ch SA reserves the right to modify, interrupt, delete, or postpone the competition at any time, without notice, particularly depending on the quality of the proposed projects and its editorial needs, without incurring any liability.

Article 7
Sept.ch SA reserves the right to replace, add, or remove one or more jury members.

Article 8
The winner(s) will be notified directly by the management of Sept.ch SA.
Sept.ch SA will assist the winner(s) in the final drafting of their narrative accompanying their images for publication on sept.info and in Sept mook. The winner(s) commit through their motivation letter to respect Sept.ch SA's correction system and to make the requested corrections within the given deadlines.

Article 9
Sept.ch SA will present the prize(s) to the winner(s) during the Sept support evening, usually in the fall of each year. It is specified that the allocation of this (these) amount(s) is not transferable and cannot be contested in any way nor exchanged or replaced for any reason.

Article 10
Participants in the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition authorize Sept.ch SA to communicate their name on any media (television or radio broadcasts, promotional actions, press reports, websites, social networks, etc.) without restriction or reservation and without conferring any right to remuneration or any other advantage other than the award of the prize(s), within the framework of the publication of the winner(s). This is expressly accepted by participants by entering this competition.

Article 11
These regulations are exclusively subject to Swiss law. Any dispute arising from or related to these regulations will be submitted to the jurisdiction of the court of the domicile or headquarters of Sept.ch SA. Sept.ch SA reserves the right to exclude any participant who does not comply with these regulations.

Article 12
Any participant in the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition accepts the terms of these regulations. Failure to comply with the participation conditions stated in these regulations will result in the nullity of the participation.

Questions and submission of files: [email protected]

Previous Editions' Winners

2017: The winners of the first Sept Swiss photojournalism competition received their distinction on Monday, June 12, 2017, in front of an audience of about a hundred people, including three Fribourg State Councilors, gathered for the Fribourg government presidency evening organized by Sept in Villars-sur-Glâne. On the theme of the Secret Garden, the 2017 edition crowned Arunà Canevascini (first prize) and Omar Cartulano (second prize).

2018: The second edition of the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition, on the theme Close to Home, ended with a significant increase in participation compared to the previous year. The winners are: Elsa Guillet (first prize), Maxime Genoud (second prize), and Fred Liverdon (third prize).

2019: For its third edition, the Sept Swiss photojournalism competition recorded a record participation with about twenty submissions. On the theme What is There to See?, the 2019 edition crowned Svetlana Holzner (first prize) and Sophie Woeldgen (second prize).

2020: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition was canceled.

2021: For its first edition, the Sept Swiss photojournalism Prize chose to reward Gabriel Monnet (first prize) for his narrative titled "92%" and Théophile Bloudanis for "Men Were There". The jury was impressed by their nuanced and sensitive photographic storytelling.

2022: For its second edition, the Sept Swiss photojournalism Prize chose to reward Paloma Laudet ("Harraga") and Shervine Nafissi ("Writing with Noora") who share the encouragement prize. No first prize this year.

2023: For its third edition, the Sept Swiss photojournalism Prize chose to reward Manel Santiso (first prize) for his narrative titled "Dreams Also Travel" and Laura Voeffray ("Crossed Views") who receives the encouragement prize.

2024: No winner.