Print Download as PDF

The following regulations are observed in PWO-EXPO 2022:

• Virtuafil General Rules for Informal Exhibitions
• Virtuafil Individual Rules for Exhibitions (V-IREX) for PWO-EXPO 2022 (below). Please note that in some countries this document is also known as the "Prospectus".

1. PWO-EXPO 2022 – The First Open Virtual Philatelic Websites and Social Media Exhibition (hereafter: PWO-EXPO 2022, a competitive virtual philatelic exhibition using the Virtuafil Platform, is hosted by: Philatelic Webmasters Organization - PWO (Switzerland), with the approval of Virtuafil – the Virtual Philately Confederation. The Hosts have appointed the Organizing Committee (OC) to conduct all aspects of the exhibition.
2. PWO-EXPO 2022 will take place on the Virtuafil Platform at the website address https://pwoexpo2022.virtuafil.org, from 10 July 2022 to 10 September 2022.
3. The exhibition will have 2 Classes and will accommodate an unlimited number of virtual exhibits.
4. The exhibition will be held with the approval and under the regulations of the Virtual Philately Confederation (https://virtuafil.org).
5. To support participation from philatelists world-wide, the official language(s) of PWO-EXPO 2022 is/are English. The website and all documents are available in English. Applications may be submitted in English or any language.

1. PWO-EXPO 2022 applies the Virtuafil Simple judging standards. The following regulations are observed in PWO-EXPO 2022:

• Virtuafil General Rules for Informal Exhibitions
• These Individual Regulations (V-IREX)
• The OC specifically brings attention to Article 20.6 of the Virtuafil General Rules for Informal Exhibitions: "In the exhibition Class “Websites”, only websites of a primarily non-commercial philatelic nature are eligible for participation. Websites that are primarily online shops, stores or other trading platforms are not eligible for participation."
• Additionally, the OC adds the condition for participation: Sites requiring paid subscription before being permitted to access the content are are deemed to be primarily commercial in nature and are not eligible for participation.
• Additionally, the OC adds the condition for participation: Sites featuring illegal and/or abusive (*) stamps are not eligible for participation.
  (*) Illegal stamps are those mentioned as such in the UPU Circulars. Abusive stamps are those printed in large quantities, usually by smaller countries, obviously in excess of their postal needs.

1. The exhibits will be classified in the following Classes:

• Websites and Social Media (Non-Competitive)

• Websites and Social Media (Competitive)
  - Institutional
  - Personal

2. The exhibitor applies for the most appropriate Class. However, the Jury reserves the right to transfer any exhibit from one Class to another in accordance with Article 32 of the Virtuafil General Rules for Informal Exhibitions.

1. There is no requirement for participants to hold membership in any philatelic society and there are no requirements to have been awarded medals or points at ay previous exhibition.
2. Participation in all competitive Classes is open to exhibitors from all over the world without any restrictions either on their nationality or on the national origin of the material being exhibited.

1. The exhibits in competitive Classes will be judged by the PWO-EXPO 2022 Jury. All Jury decisions are final.
2. The Jury is comprised of the following members:

• Victor Manta | Switzerland (Chief of the Jury)
• James Gavin | Australia
• Paulo Ananias Silva | Brazil
• Niall Murphy | Brazil
• Gheorghe Plugaru | Moldova

3. PWO-EXPO 2022 is classified as an Informal exhibition and the Simple Judging Standards are applied, as defined in Article 13 of the Virtuafil General Rules for Informal Exhibitions. On this basis, the following medal grades apply in all competitive Classes:

• Gold Medal
• Silver Medal
• Bronze Medal
• All participants not awarded a medal are issued a Certificate of Participation.

4. Each exhibit is awarded a digital certificate, on which the corresponding medal grade (if any) is mentioned and illustrated. No physical medals are provided.
5. As with all exhibitions conducted on the Virtuafil platform, PWO-EXPO 2022 will be open to public (popular) voting. The three most popular exhibits in each Class and/or Class Group are awarded the Gold, Silver or Bronze Popular Vote Trophy, as a certificate in downloadable, digital form. No physical trophies are provided.

1. Exhibitions held under the Virtuafil regulations do not have National Commissioners. Applications for participation are sent online and are directly processed by the OC. All exhibition materials are delivered, in digital form, by the participants, using online forms.

1. PWO-EXPO 2022 is a paperless exhibition, where traditional paperwork gives way to modern technology. No brochures, bulletins, catalogues, Palmares results, etc. will be published on paper. Similarly, no entry forms, inventory sheets, etc. will be printed.
2. All necessary information regarding PWO-EXPO 2022 is contained in the website .

1. Exhibitors submit a separate entry form for each exhibit.
2. All prospective exhibitors apply directly to the OC using the online forms provided. Applications using any media other than the online forms will not be considered.
3. Online application form for participation is at https://pwoexpo2022.virtuafil.org
4. Deadline for submitting entry forms to the OC is 30 June 2022.
5. Applicants will be notified by 05 July 2022 regarding the acceptance of their applications.
6. If an application is rejected, the OC is obliged to give reasons for the rejection.

1. As with all exhibitions conducted under the Virtuafil regulations, there are no entry fees for participation at any Level or for any Class.

1. It is the responsibility of the exhibitors to deliver (upload) their exhibition material to the OC on or before the deadline date of 05 July 2022.
2. Within the exhibitor’s Virtuafil user account, online forms are available for the purpose of uploading scanned images and other documents.
3. After the expiry of the 05 July 2022 deadline, the forms will not be accessible and no further uploads or changes will be possible. A failure to complete the forms by the deadline will constitute a failure to participate and the exhibitor will be disqualified.
4. Websites participating in the Websites Class may be submitted simply by providing the address of the website.

1. PWO-EXPO 2022 uses the Virtuafil internet servers to provide online services such as form processing and webpage viewing. The Virtuafil server providers guarantee 99.9% uptime. However, neither the OC, the Jury, Virtuafil nor any of the Virtuafil Members hosting PWO-EXPO 2022, will bear any liability whatsoever, either in whole or in part, for a failure to process or to display data on the exhibition web pages, due to technical or other problems, before during or after the exhibition.

1. By submitting application forms, the exhibitor accepts the regulations listed in Article 2 and confirms the truthfulness of all data entered.
2. Exhibitors whose entries are accepted, undertake the responsibility towards the OC to participate in the exhibition.
3. ARTIFICIAL DIGITAL MATERIAL AUTOMATICALLY DISQUALIFIES!
   Virtual exhibitions expose the organizers to the risk of admitting artificial digital material into competition.
   Artificial digital material is defined as:
   - Non-existent philatelic material, created with software;
   - Scans or photographs of philatelic material, obtained from third parties, incorporated into an exhibit;
   - Philatelic material digitally altered to change colour, perforations etc..
   The philatelic material being exhibited must physically exist and usually belong to the exhibitor. Exceptions: online catalogues, material for study, inquiries, references, etc.. To combat the risk of artificial digital material, the Jury has the right to request any exhibitor to send photographs of the material alongside their passport of other identity card. Failure to comply with such a request may result in immediate disqualification.

1. The OC, in agreement with the Board of Virtuafil, reserves the right to make changes to the present V-IREX, with simultaneous notification to the exhibitors.
2. The OC together with the Board of Virtuafil reserves the right to resolve any problem which may arise, not provided by the Regulations in Article 2.

1. The laws of Brazil shall govern the interpretation of these Regulations and any legal cases in PWO-EXPO 2022.
2. In the event of any discrepancies in the text arising from translation, the English text shall prevail.
3. Data supplied by the exhibitors will be used for the organisation and the evaluation of the exhibits and could be stored or forwarded digitally or on paper. Personal data of the exhibitors will be treated according with the Brazilian laws on the matter.

1. PWO-EXPO 2022 Organizing Committee (OC):

• Victor Manta (PWO) (Chief of OC)
• Niall Murphy (PWO)

1. Closing date for exhibitor applications: 30 June 2022
2. Closing date for exhibitor applications acceptance/rejection: 05 July 2022
3. Closing date for exhibitor upload of exhibit images/files: 05 July 2022
4. Exhibition opening date for public viewing and popular voting: 10 July 2022
5. Closing date for popular voting: 10 September 2022
6. Date for publication of jury and popular voting results (Palmares): 19 September 2022