National Assembly for Wales Photography Competition 2012 Rules

In consideration of the National Assembly for Wales Commission (‘the Commission’) agreeing to accept entries to the National Assembly for Wales Photography Competition 2012, the entrant agrees to accept these Competition Rules (‘Rules’) and to abide by them. Interpretation of these Rules is a matter solely for the Commission, as advised where appropriate by the Judging Panel. Its decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Prospective entrants who do not agree with any of these Rules should not enter the competition.

Eligibility

(1) The competition is open to anyone except those directly involved in its organisation and judging.
(2) Employees of partner organisations who have not been directly involved in the organisation of this competition are eligible to enter.
(3) It is open to all professional and amateur photographers of any age and nationality.
(4) Entrants under 16 years of age must obtain their parent’s or guardian’s permission before entering the competition.
(5) Images must be taken in Wales, or feature subject matter relevant to the theme of the completion, Democracy in Action in Wales.
(6) Images taken using any photographic medium (camera, smartphone, mobile device, etc.) are eligible.
(7) Digitally manipulated images are not eligible, although digital editing is permissible where it does not remove, add to, or otherwise substantially alter the content of the image (e.g. adjusting contrast, brightness, tint, sharpness and other similar adjustments).
(8) Images that have been entered into a major competition where the results are still pending, are not eligible for entry.
(9) An image that has already won a prize (winner, runner-up or commended) in a major competition (i.e. one receiving more than 500 images) national or international, are not eligible for entry.
(10) Images must have been taken after January 2011.
(11) Only online entries may be submitted, and prints or entries via email or disc are not eligible unless specifically permitted by the Commission.
(12) Entries must be submitted digitally by uploading them to the Flickr Democracy In Action In Wales Group.
(13) Files should be jpeg and 2000 pixels in width/height at 72 dpi and no more than seven megabytes in size.
(14) Video clips are not eligible for entry.

Opening and closing dates

(15) The competition is open for entries from 14 May 2012.
(16) The closing date for entries is 31 August 2012.

Entries

(15) Entries are free of charge.
(16) Each competitor may submit a maximum of five images.
(17) Late, illegible, incomplete or corrupt entries will not be accepted.
(18) No responsibility is accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt.
(19) Entries will not be returned but will be deleted/destroyed once they are no longer required for use under these Rules.

Awards, prizes and exhibitions

(20) There will be two prizes:
Judging Panel prize – a winning image will be selected from the shortlisted images by the Judging Panel.
People’s Choice prize – a winning image will be selected from the shortlisted images based on the highest number of online votes.
(21) Each prize will consist of:

One day photography course, kindly donated by Ffotogallery
One digital SLR camera kindly donated by Newport School of Photography

(22) Twenty entries will be shortlisted by the judging Panel on 10 September 2012, and the shortlisted entries will be exhibited in the Senedd until the competition winners are announced. Shortlisted entrants will be invited to a launch event but travel expenses are not included.
(23) The Judging Panel reserves the right not to shortlist any images or make an award if, in its opinion, none of the entries meet the required standard.
(24) The winners of the two prizes will be announced on 3 October at an event in the Senedd and by posting details on the Democracy in Action in Wales website, and the decisions will be conveyed to the respective winners within seven days of the announcement date via email. If contact cannot be made with either of the winners within this timescale, the respective prize will be forfeited and awarded to the entrant judged second best (or the next best in descending order until contact is made with the eventual winner).
(25) The winning entries will be formally announced at an event in the Senedd on 3 October, to which the winning entrants will be invited.  Reasonable UK travel expenses for the winners, plus a friend or guardian, are included in the prize.
(26) The prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives.
(27) In the event that the same image is chosen both by the Judges Panel and the public vote, the image that receives the second highest public vote will win the People’s Choice prize.
(28) The winning and shortlisted entries will be included in a touring exhibition around Wales, and possibly internationally, for the remainder of 2012.
(29) The Commission reserves the right, at its absolute discretion, to change or amend the prizes and/or the award and exhibition arrangements without notice.  Every effort will be made to substitute comparable prize and/or award and exhibition arrangements, but this is not guaranteed or warranted and the Commission’s decision is final.
(30) Any breach of these Terms by an entrant will void their entry. If a breach has occurred, but is discovered after the award of a prize, then the Commission may request the return of that prize.

Judging Panel prizes

(31) The Judging Panel will consist of:

• Rosemary Butler AM – Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales.
• David Hurn – renowned photographer who set up the School of Documentary Photography in Newport.
• Gideon Koppel – Welsh-born film director (Sleep Furiously) and Professor of Film at the Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies at Aberystwyth University.
• Marc Evans – Carmarthen born, Cardiff based, director of Snow Cake, Patagonia.
• Dai Smith – Chair of the Arts Council for Wales.
• Betina Skovbro – Photographer and organiser of Photomarathon Cardiff.

(32) Images will be selected for shortlisting (for both prizes), and the winner of the Judging Panel prize, based upon relevance to the competition theme, technical skill, originality, creativeness of composition, and such other criteria as the Judging Panel may decide at its absolute discretion.
(33) The Judging Panel’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
(34) The Judging Panel may consult with, or refer any decision to, the Commission if it chooses, and any decision by the Commission is final.
(35) The Judging Panel and/or the Commission reserve the right to disqualify any entry which they believe that embarrassment (on the part of any individual, not just those shown in the image) might arise from publication or where it is uncertain whether embarrassment will arise.  Such a decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

People’s Choice prize

(36) Subject to clause 27 above, the shortlisted image which receives the highest public vote will be awarded the People’s Choice prize.
(37) Votes must be cast via the competition website: Vote for your favourite image

Copyright and permissions

(38) By submitting images to the Commission, the entrant confirms and warrants that:

• they are the sole author of each entry and that it is their original work;
• they own the copyright and any other intellectual property rights of each image;
• they have the permission of anyone pictured in the image (or, where the image shows any persons under 18, the consent of their parent/guardian) for the usage rights required by the Commission and will indemnify the Commission against any claims made by any third parties in respect of such infringement;
• they have not licensed or disposed of any rights in the image that would conflict with uses to be made by the Commission; and
• they have received any necessary permissions from the owner(s) of buildings included in submitted images for the usage rights required by the Commission and will indemnify the Commission against any claims made by any third parties in respect of such infringement.

(39) Entrants retain copyright to the images submitted.
(40) By entering the competition, the entrant grants the Commission and the competition sponsors and supporters a free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide licence to reproduce, enlarge, publish or exhibit, on any media, the images for any purpose directly connected with the competition including, but not limited to:

• judging the competition;
• inclusion in a book or other publication of winning and commended images;
• display at exhibitions;
• display on a web browser for judging purposes;
• display on the competition, National Assembly for Wales and other websites of sponsors and supporters;
• inclusion in, and display on, various social media;
• inclusion in Commission and National Assembly for Wales information, promotional and marketing publications; and
• for use in press releases to be distributed to national, regional & specialist press giving information about or promoting the competition.

(41) The Commission will make every reasonable effort to ensure that name credits are given to any photograph published in any medium.
(42) Free usage of any photograph will not be permitted by the Commission, or any of its partners or sponsors, outside of the scope of these Rules.
(43) Commercial use of images not directly associated with the competition will be at the entrants’ discretion and with their permission and, on granting such permission, will be subject to a reasonable payment.
Publicity
(44) Finalists agree to take part in post-competition publicity, for example attendance at an awards event.
Personal data
(45) The Commission respects entrants’ privacy and personal data, and will only process it in accordance with these Rules, the Commission’s general obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the National Assembly for Wales’ Privacy Policy.

Liability

(46) The Commission bears no responsibility for loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of participation and/or involvement in the competition and awards.

Disclaimer

(47) Events may occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of any part of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Commission or Judging Panel, and accordingly the Commission may, at its absolute discretion, vary or amend the competition, these Rules or the prizes and the entrant agrees that no liability shall attach to the Commission or the Judging Panel as a result thereof.
(48) The information given in these Terms is correct, but the Commission reserves the right to change any of the above without prior notice. By entering the competition, the entrant will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these Terms.

Jurisdiction

(49) These Terms are subject to the law and exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts of England and Wales.