1. Organizer and Nature of the Award

1.1. The AH Magazine Artist Award (the “Award”) is organised BISTRY GmbH, publisher of AH Magazine, also known as Artistic Hub Magazine, with its registered seat in Cham, Switzerland (“AH Magazine”, “we”, “us”, “our”).

1.2. The Award is a skill-based editorial competition held four times per calendar year. Winners are selected solely on the basis of merit and editorial judgment. Chance plays no role in the selection process.

1.3. By submitting an entry, completing payment, and accepting these Terms, the entrant agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

1.4. These Terms apply to the current Award cycle and to future Award cycles unless AH Magazine publishes cycle-specific terms that expressly state otherwise.

1.5. If there is any inconsistency between the public Award page and these Terms, these Terms shall prevail, unless the specific Award page expressly states otherwise.

 

2. Eligibility

2.1. Participation is open worldwide to natural persons who are 18 years of age or older. Participation is void where prohibited by applicable law.

2.2. Entries are accepted in the following categories:

• Photography

• Painting

• Design

 

2.3. Each entrant must submit in their own name or under an artist name they are authorised to use. AH Magazine may request proof of identity or eligibility at any stage.

2.4. Persons directly involved in the administration or judging of the Award, and their immediate family or household members, are not eligible to enter.

2.5. By entering, the entrant confirms that all information submitted is complete, accurate, and truthful.

 

3. Entry Period and Submission Process

3.1. The opening date, closing date, and any Early Bird deadline for each Award cycle are published on the Award page and/or entry form. All deadlines refer to Central European Time (CET or CEST, as applicable).

3.2. Entries must be submitted exclusively through the official online application form and completed checkout flow. Entries submitted by email, direct message, post, or any other channel will not be considered.

3.3. Each paid entry may include up to five works.

3.4. Each entry should be submitted in the single category that best fits the work or project.

3.5. The entrant must provide a complete, active, and accessible download link for the submitted files. Accepted transfer methods may include Dropbox, SwissTransfer, and WeTransfer, or any other method expressly accepted by AH Magazine on the entry form.

3.6. The download link must remain active and accessible without additional approval until the selection process for that Award cycle has been completed. AH Magazine is not responsible for reviewing files that become unavailable, expire, are password-protected without a valid password, or require additional access approval.

3.7. Incomplete, late, duplicated, corrupted, illegible, inaccessible, or otherwise non-compliant entries may be rejected at AH Magazine’s sole discretion and without refund.

3.8. A submission is valid only once both the application form and the corresponding payment have been successfully received.

 

4. Entry Fee and Payment

4.1. The standard entry fee is CHF 25 per entry. Where expressly offered, an Early Bird entry fee of CHF 20 may apply during the period stated on the Award page or form.

4.2. The entry fee is a non-refundable submission and administrative processing fee. It does not guarantee selection, shortlisting, publication, feedback, or any contact from AH Magazine.

4.3. Any failed payment, reversed payment, disputed charge, chargeback, or unauthorised payment reversal may render the entry invalid.

4.4. If AH Magazine cancels an entire Award cycle before judging has been completed, AH Magazine may, at its sole discretion, either transfer valid paid entries to the next Award cycle or refund the entry fee.

 

5. Originality, Rights, and Entrant Warranties

5.1. The entrant warrants that they are the original creator of each submitted work, or that they hold all rights, permissions, and authority necessary to enter, license, and publish the submitted material under these Terms.

5.2. The entrant warrants that the submitted works and any accompanying texts, titles, statements, captions, biographies, and other materials do not infringe any copyright, neighbouring right, trade mark, design right, privacy right, publicity right, contractual right, moral right, or any other right of any third party.

5.3. Where submitted works contain identifiable persons, private property, interiors, artworks, designs, or any third-party material, the entrant warrants that all necessary permissions, licences, clearances, releases, and consents have been obtained.

5.4. For photographic entries, the entrant warrants that all necessary model releases, property releases, and usage permissions have been secured where applicable.

5.5. Works created entirely by generative AI tools are not eligible. Limited AI-assisted editing or post-production may be permitted only where the entrant remains the human author of the work and holds all rights necessary for the uses contemplated by these Terms. AH Magazine may request clarification regarding the creative process and may reject any entry where authorship, originality, or rights clearance is not sufficiently clear.

5.6. Plagiarised, misleading, unlawful, defamatory, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise inappropriate content is not eligible.

5.7. The entrant bears sole responsibility for the accuracy of all submitted information and for the legality of all submitted materials.

 

6. Judging and Selection

6.1. All eligible entries are reviewed by the editorial board of AH Magazine.

6.2. Entries are evaluated on the basis of:

• artistic quality

• originality of approach

• visual strength

• relevance within the contemporary context of art and design

 

6.3. Selection is based on editorial judgment and artistic merit and is inherently subjective.

6.4. The decisions of the editorial board are final and binding. AH Magazine is under no obligation to provide scoring, rankings, comments, or individual feedback.

6.5. AH Magazine may reject any entry that does not meet its editorial, artistic, technical, legal, or ethical standards.

6.6. AH Magazine reserves the right not to award all prizes, to award fewer prizes than originally announced, or to leave any prize position vacant if the entries received do not meet the required standard.

6.7. Unless otherwise announced for a specific cycle, the prize structure applies across the full pool of eligible entries and is not awarded separately within each category.

6.8. AH Magazine aims to announce results approximately three weeks after the close of submissions, but may extend this period where reasonably necessary.

6.9. Only selected artists will be contacted individually. AH Magazine has no obligation to notify non-selected entrants individually.

 

7. Awards

7.1. The First Prize will be awarded to one artist and consists of:

a) a 2-page feature in the next available print issue of AH Magazine;
b) a 4-page feature in the digital edition of the next available issue of AH Magazine, in English and German; and
c) an editorial interview published on the AH Magazine online platform in English, German, and Serbian.

7.2. The Second Prize will be awarded to two artists and consists of:

a) a 4-page feature in the digital edition of the next available issue of AH Magazine, in English and German; and
b) an editorial interview published on the AH Magazine online platform in English, German, and Serbian.

7.3. The Third Prize will be awarded to three artists and consists of:

a) an editorial interview published on the AH Magazine online platform in English, German, and Serbian.

7.4. Awarded artists may also be presented through AH Magazine’s social media and promotional channels in connection with the Award.

7.5. All prizes are non-cash, non-transferable, non-exchangeable, and not redeemable for money, credits, alternative services, or future publication rights.

7.6. Unless AH Magazine expressly states otherwise in writing, prizes do not include complimentary print copies, subscriptions, shipping, insurance, cash reimbursements, or any other items not expressly described in these Terms.

7.7. The timing of publication, issue selection, interview format, text length, translations, image selection, image count, page planning, layout, sequencing, headlines, captions, and final editorial presentation remain at the sole editorial discretion of AH Magazine.

7.8. If a published prize element becomes impossible, impracticable, or commercially unreasonable to deliver for reasons outside AH Magazine’s reasonable control, or because of changes in production planning, distribution, partnerships, or editorial scheduling, AH Magazine may substitute an editorial opportunity of equal or greater editorial value at its sole discretion.

7.9. The Award does not create any obligation of future publication, representation, agency, sponsorship, employment, or ongoing editorial relationship between the entrant and AH Magazine.

7.10. AH Magazine reserves the right to extend the submission deadline or adjust the publication schedule if necessary for editorial, production, or technical reasons.

 

8. Winner Confirmation and Editorial Production

8.1. Selected artists must respond to AH Magazine’s notification email within seven calendar days unless a different deadline is stated in the notification.

8.2. Selected artists may be required to provide, within the requested deadline, high-resolution image files, captions, work details, biographies, statements, links, credit information, and any other materials reasonably requested for production, rights clearance, fact-checking, or publication.

8.3. AH Magazine may edit, proofread, shorten, translate, retitle, crop, resize, sequence, and otherwise adapt materials in good faith to meet its editorial, stylistic, technical, and design standards.

8.4. AH Magazine may, where appropriate, invite a selected artist to review factual details before publication. However, final editorial decisions, including wording, structure, translations, layout, headlines, and publication timing, remain exclusively with AH Magazine.

8.5. If a selected artist fails to respond in time, fails to provide required materials, fails to verify rights, supplies materials that do not meet technical or legal requirements, or otherwise fails to cooperate in a timely manner, AH Magazine may withdraw the award, select an alternate entrant, or leave the prize vacant.

 

9. Copyright and Licence

9.1. Copyright and moral rights in the submitted works remain with the entrant.

9.2. By submitting an entry, the entrant grants AH Magazine a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence for the duration necessary to receive, store, review, judge, internally circulate, administer, and archive the entry for Award-related purposes.

9.3. If an entrant is shortlisted, selected, or awarded, the entrant grants AH Magazine a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence, with the right to sublicense strictly as needed to printers, digital platform partners, hosting providers, distributors, translators, designers, production vendors, and other service providers, to:

a) reproduce, publish, display, distribute, communicate to the public, archive, and promote the submitted works and related materials;
b) translate, format, crop, resize, sequence, and otherwise adapt the submitted materials for editorial, technical, and layout purposes;
c) use excerpts, thumbnails, previews, titles, captions, biographies, statements, and interview materials in connection with the Award and AH Magazine across print, digital, online, newsletter, social media, press, and promotional channels.

9.4. For awarded artists, the licence under Clause 9.3 includes publication in print, digital, and online formats of AH Magazine, including multilingual versions where applicable.

9.5. AH Magazine will credit the artist where reasonably practicable and in accordance with editorial design and space constraints.

9.6. For non-selected entrants, AH Magazine will not publish submitted works outside internal administration, judging, compliance, and archival purposes unless the entrant is separately contacted and gives additional permission.

 

10. Publicity, Credits, and Use of Name

10.1. By entering, the entrant agrees that, if selected, shortlisted, or awarded, AH Magazine may publish and refer to the entrant’s name, artist name, country, biography excerpts, interview excerpts, award status, and images of the submitted works in connection with the Award and its promotion.

10.2. AH Magazine may announce winners publicly on its website, social media channels, newsletters, and partner channels.

10.3. Credits will be presented in accordance with the information supplied by the entrant, subject to editorial style, available space, and production constraints.

 

11. Withdrawal, Disqualification, and Revocation

11.1. An entrant may withdraw their entry before the submission deadline by written notice to AH Magazine. The entry fee remains non-refundable.

11.2. AH Magazine may disqualify any entry at any stage, before or after selection, if:

a) the entry is incomplete, inaccurate, inaccessible, or submitted in bad faith;
b) the entrant is ineligible or cannot verify eligibility;
c) the submitted materials breach these Terms or any applicable law;
d) rights ownership, permissions, or releases are missing, unclear, or disputed;
e) the entry includes plagiarism, unauthorised third-party material, or works created entirely by generative AI;
f) the entrant attempts to manipulate the process, interfere with judging, harass staff, abuse the platform, or otherwise act improperly.

11.3. If disqualification or rights-related issues arise after a winner has been announced, AH Magazine may revoke the award, decline publication, remove online materials where reasonably practicable, and either select an alternate entrant or leave the relevant prize position vacant.

11.4. AH Magazine may suspend, postpone, cancel, or modify any Award cycle if required by technical issues, legal or regulatory concerns, fraud, low participation, insufficient quality of entries, operational difficulties, force majeure, or any other circumstances that materially affect the fairness, feasibility, or integrity of the Award.

 

12. Technical and Operational Matters

12.1. AH Magazine is not responsible for failed uploads, broken or expired transfer links, spam filtering, internet outages, browser incompatibility, platform downtime, corrupted files, file-format issues, or other technical problems arising from the entrant’s device, network, software, service provider, or chosen file-transfer platform.

12.2. AH Magazine may rely on third-party service providers for forms, payments, hosting, file transfer, printing, distribution, translation, and digital publication. AH Magazine is not liable for the acts or omissions of such third parties beyond the limits imposed by mandatory law.

12.3. Minor variations in print production, paper, trimming, colour reproduction, pagination, digital rendering, formatting, platform display, and mobile display may occur and do not constitute a defect or basis for complaint.

12.4. Distribution channels, sales points, platform availability, paywall models, subscription access, and hospitality placements may change over time at AH Magazine’s sole discretion.

 

13. Data Protection

13.1. Personal data submitted in connection with the Award may be processed by AH Magazine for the purposes of administration, judging, payment processing, communication, rights verification, publication, promotion, record-keeping, compliance, and the operation of future Award cycles.

13.2. Personal data may be shared with trusted service providers and partners where reasonably necessary for the above purposes, including payment processors, webform providers, hosting providers, designers, translators, printers, distributors, platform partners, and legal or professional advisers.

13.3. If an entrant is selected or awarded, AH Magazine may publish personal and professional information reasonably connected to the Award, such as name, artist name, country, biography, work details, interview materials, and images of the submitted works.

13.4. AH Magazine processes personal data in accordance with applicable law and its Privacy Policy, including the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection, where applicable.

 

14. Liability and Indemnity

14.1. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, AH Magazine shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, punitive, or economic loss, including loss of opportunity, loss of reputation, loss of sales, or loss of profits, arising out of or in connection with the Award, participation, non-selection, disqualification, delay, cancellation, publication scheduling, or third-party platform issues.

14.2. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law.

14.3. The entrant shall indemnify and hold harmless AH Magazine, its owners, directors, editors, employees, contractors, translators, designers, distributors, partners, and service providers from and against any third-party claims, damages, losses, liabilities, penalties, settlements, judgments, and reasonable costs and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of or related to:

a) a breach of these Terms;
b) any allegation that the submitted materials infringe third-party rights;
c) missing or defective permissions, releases, or consents;
d) false, misleading, or incomplete information supplied by the entrant;
e) unlawful or improper conduct by the entrant in connection with the Award.

 

15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

15.1. These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or the Award shall be governed by Swiss law, excluding conflict-of-laws rules, subject to any mandatory consumer protection provisions that cannot be waived by law.

15.2. Before commencing formal proceedings, the parties shall use reasonable efforts to resolve any dispute amicably.

15.3. Subject to mandatory law, the courts at the registered seat of the organiser in Switzerland shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any dispute arising out of or in connection with the Award or these Terms.

 

16. Amendments, Severability, and Language

16.1. AH Magazine may amend these Terms prospectively by publishing an updated version on its website. Unless a change is required by law or is necessary for the secure and orderly administration of the Award, entries already submitted will be governed by the version in force at the time of submission.

16.2. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, unenforceable, or unlawful, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

16.3. If these Terms are published in more than one language, the English version shall prevail in the event of any inconsistency, unless AH Magazine expressly states otherwise.

16.4. These Terms become effective on 15.02.2026.

 

Contact

For Award-related questions, please contact: submission@ah-magazine.com