Photo Festival

What are we looking for?
The Global Forum on Nicotine invites artists to submit photos which showcase interpretations of the phrase: tobacco harm reduction.
Tobacco harm reduction (THR) gives people who smoke, who either cannot or do not want to stop using nicotine, the choice to switch to a range of safer nicotine containing products (such as vapes, nicotine pouches, heated tobacco products, snus). THR follows the same principles of harm reduction as in the use of illicit substances, and infectious diseases such as HIV and viral hepatitis. Advances in recent decades have made the delivery of nicotine with significantly reduced harm compared to combustible cigarettes a reality. To learn more about THR see this short briefing paper: "What is tobacco harm reduction?"
GFN Photo Festival submissions must be aligned with the tobacco harm reduction theme. You could submit documentary-style photos that show people using safer nicotine products as a part of their daily lives, or create more artistic interpretations of what tobacco harm reduction means to you.
Submission Guidelines
- Submissions must centre around the theme of tobacco harm reduction.
- Submitted photos should be original works created by the entrants. Plagiarism and unauthorised use of copyrighted material will result in disqualification.
- You may enter as many images as you wish.
- Both published and unpublished work are accepted.
- We do not accept any images with logos or any watermarks on the images.
- There are no restrictions on the date of the photograph.
- Images should be high-resolution and in tiff, png, or jpg.
- Use of photo editing software is permissible.
- Images created by artificial intelligence (AI) are not permitted.
- The use of artificial intelligence to retouch images is only permitted to the extent of 15% of the total image.
- RAW files may be requested to prove the authenticity and eligibility of the photograph.
Submission Process
All entries must be submitted by 14 May 2025. Fill out the online submission form.
- Include a link to your photo on a cloud based file sharing site (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc).
- Provide all necessary information, including a title for your photo.
For inquiries and further information please contact photos@gfn.events.
Selection & Awards
- A panel of experts in tobacco harm reduction, public health, and photo industry professionals will review the submissions.
- Photos will be judged based on creativity, originality and theme interpretation.
- The prize will comprise a trophy and 500 USD in cash. The award will be presented at a reception, on Friday 20 June, at the conference venue. The second and third placed photos will each receive a certificate from the organisers.
- Selected photos will be displayed onsite at the Global Forum on Nicotine 2025 event and promoted through various channels.