How to Enter
Official Rules

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Photos

How to Enter

Submit 1-3 image(s) (the ‘Photograph') that you think captures an evocative story. The entry must be solely your work and no other party may participate in creation or development of the entry.

To submit an entry:
Complete an online entry form and follow directions from the upload of the digital photograph at www.tellusyourstory-uk.com. All files must be labeled and accompanied by an entry form.

Each entry must comply with the following requirements ("Entry Requirements"):

  1. The entrant must be the photographer him or herself. The Photograph must be an original work created by the photographer whose entry is submitted. By entering the Contest, the photographer acknowledges and warrants that the submitted Photograph is original work created solely by him or herself and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the Photograph.
  2. Digital photographs must meet the following technical specifications:
    1. Images should be saved at a suggested 8" x 10" vertical or 10" x 8" horizontal .jpg files and must be a maximum of 72 DPI
    2. Images must be saved as .jpg files at the highest possible quality setting (12 or Max in photo shop)
    3. The file name/label must carry the name of the entrant and the key subject (e.g.,Jsmith_tree.jpg)
  3. Original transparencies and negatives, or in the case of digital images a minimum of a 5 x 7" 300dpi (9mg) jpg of the winning photographs must be available to NGS so they can be published. Photographs taken with a digital or conventional camera are eligible. Digitally altered images are not acceptable. Mounted or framed images are not acceptable.
  4. Photographs must be taken not more than three (3) years before the date of entry.
  5. Obscene, provocative, or otherwise objectionable content will not be considered, and such determination is solely at the discretion of Sponsor.
  6. Entries must be submitted by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.
  7. Limit of up to 3 Photographs per person. Entrants who submit more than three Photograph will be disqualified.

OFFICIAL CANON PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST RULES

PROMOTERS

The Promoter is NGTI, Ltd., Shepherds Building East, Richmond Way, Shepherds Bush, W14 0DQ.

SPONSORS

Sponsors are NGTI, Ltd., Shepherds Building East, Richmond Way, Shepherds Bush, W14 0DQ and Canon (UK) Limited, Cockshot Hill, Woodhatch, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8BF. No correspondence is to be sent to Canon (UK) Limited, save as permitted by the rules relating to Data Privacy below.

TERM

The Canon Photography Contest begins 15th June, 2010 at midnight (12:00:00am) GMT and ends 31st July, 2010, 11:59:00 p.m. GMT (the "Contest"). Information on how to enter and prizes form part of these official rules ("Official Rules"). By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Official Rules and warrants that his or her entry complies with all requirements set out in the Official Rules. This is a skill based contest and chance plays no part in the determination of winners.

WHO MAY ENTER

Contest is open only to legal residents of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry. Employees of the Promoter and Sponsors and their parents, subsidiaries and affiliates, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child, sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related are not eligible. CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.


HOW TO ENTER

  • NO PURCHASE IS NECESSARY AND A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. To enter, visit www.nationalgeographic.com/tellusyourstory complete an entry form with the required information, including your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and photo caption(s) and submit along with your Photo Essay (defined below) in accordance with the instructions below.
  • The competition theme is "Tell us Your Story" Each entrant may submit up to three photographs telling one story (a "Photo Essay"). If an entrant submits in excess of three photographs, the entry will be disqualified. Each entry must comply with the following requirements (the "Photo Essay Requirements"):
    • Photographs must be in digital format. Only online entries will be eligible. No print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into this Contest. The photographs need not be taken with a digital camera; scans of negatives, transparencies or photographic prints are acceptable. All digital files must be 5 megabytes or smaller, must be in JPEG or .jpg format, and must be at least 1,600 pixels wide (if a horizontal image) or 1,600 pixels tall (if a vertical image).
    • Minor burning, dodging and/or color correction is acceptable. Hand tinting is acceptable, as is cropping. Fisheye lenses are acceptable. High dynamic range images (HDRI) and stitched panoramas are acceptable only if the combined parts are all made around the same time. Any changes to the original photographs not itemized here are unacceptable and will render the Photo Essay ineligible for a prize.
    • Photographs that include sculptures, statues, paintings, and other works of art will be accepted as long as they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud; provided that entrants must be prepared to provide a release form as described below in "Release". When photographing the work of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not a full-frame close up of another person's art.
    • The Photo Essay, in its entirety, and each of the photographs submitted must be a single work of original material taken by the Contest entrant. By entering the Contest, entrant represents, acknowledges and warrants that the submitted Photo Essay and each individual photograph is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the Photo Essay and individual photographs do not infringe on the copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other party has any right, title, claim or interest in the Photo Essay or the photographs.
    • The Photo Essay must not, in the sole and unfettered discretion of the Promoter, contain obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or otherwise objectionable or inappropriate content.
    • The Photo Essay should go beyond merely documenting a subject; it should tell us more about the moment being captured. What is shown, or how it is shown, should give us added insight into the story behind the event, place or person in the photograph(s). By reflecting the true character, personality or emotion of a topic, the image it not only a picture, but a story.
  • The entries will judged in accordance with the Judging Criteria, as defined below.
  • All entries must be submitted and received by July 31st, 2010 at 11:59pm GMT. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt.
  • Entries must be made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, online service provider, internet domain owner, or other person or organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.
  • Promoter reserve the right to examine the original photograph/source material in order to confirm compliance with these rules.


RELEASES

  • If the Photo Essay contains any material or elements that are not owned by the entrant and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties, and/or if any persons appear in the Photo Essay, the entrant is responsible for obtaining, prior to submission of the Photo Essay, any and all releases and consents necessary to permit the exhibition and use of the Photo Essay in the manner set forth in these Official Rules without additional compensation. If any person appearing in any Photo Essay is under the age of majority in their state/province/territory of residence the signature of a parent or legal guardian is required on each release.
  • Upon The Promoters' request, each entrant must be prepared to provide a signed written personal release from all persons who appear in the Photo Essay submitted, authorizing use of the Photo Essay by Canon, and/or its licensees or designees (the "Authorized Parties") in editorial publications, marketing and promotions in any and all media. Similarly, upon The Promoters' request, each entrant must be prepared to provide a signed written release from the copyright owner of any sculpture, artwork or other copyrighted material that appears in the Photo Essay entry, authorizing use of the Photo Essay by any Authorized Party in editorial publications, marketing and promotions in any and all media. All releases must be in the form provided by Promoter. Failure to provide such releases upon request may result in disqualification and selection of an alternate winner. Finally, upon The Promoter's request, each entrant must be prepared to provide a signed written license from the owner of any private property included in the Photo Essay, authorizing use of the Photo Essay by any Authorized Party in editorial publications, marketing and promotions in any and all media.
  • For the purposes of these Official Rules, the entrant will be deemed to be in receipt of the Promoter's request or notification, (a) in the event that the Promoter sends the request by postal mail, five business days after the request was sent by the Promoter, or (b) in the event that Promoter sends the request by e-mail, on the day that the e-mail was sent by the Promoter.

CONTEST PRIZES

One Grand Prize winner will be selected. The Grand Prize winner will receive a weekend trip to Perpignan, France for three (3) nights from September 2-5, 2010 during the Festival Visa Pour L'Image. The Grand Prize includes round trip coach class air transportation to and from London, England and accommodation for three (3) nights for two people, as well as one day (10am-4pm) visitng exhibits of the Festival with photographer Gianluca Colla. Spending money, transfers, most meals, transport to and from departure point, travel documentation (such as passports and visas), insurance, items of a personal nature and all other expenses are not included and are the responsibility of the winner. Frequent flier points may not form part of the prize. Winner may be required to present a valid credit card at the time of check in at accommodation. The prize trip may not be combined with any other offer and is subject to booking and flight availability. Regulations and conditions may apply. By accepting the Grand Prize, winner represents that he/she understands that travel, whether in developed or remote areas and whether by plane, automobile, boat, raft, or other conveyance, or by foot, on land or water, and in the air, contains some inherent element of risk of accident, illness, injury, loss or death, which may be caused by negligence, forces of nature, wild animals or other agencies, known or unknown. Winner represents that he/she recognizes that such risks may be present at any time before, during and after the trip. In order to be considered a winner and partake of the enjoyment of this trip, potential winner must be willing to accept the risk, and to confirm acceptance of such risk in writing at Promoter's request. Grand Prize must be redeemed for travel September 2-5, 2010 only. Approximate Retail Value of Grand Prize is £2,900.

  • Two (2) Runner-up prize winners will receive a prize of National Geographic Merchandise valued at £100.
  • The prizes are non-transferable and no cash alternative is available.
  • Potential winners shall be required to sign and return within ten (10) days following an attempted notification, an Affidavit, Declaration or Certificate of Eligibility, Liability Release, and where legally permissible, a Publicity Release and Warranty of Ownership and License in which the entrant warrants that he/she is the owner of the Photo Essay (and all the intellectual property rights in the photographs submitted) and grants to Canon and its licensees and designees the irrevocable perpetual non-exclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) for editorial, marketing or promotion in any and all media without additional compensation. Failure to execute and deliver any required documents to Promoter by the specified deadline may result in disqualification from the Contest, and selection of an alternate potential winner.
  • No prize transfer, assignment or substitution by winners permitted. If a prize (or part of a prize) is unavailable, the Sponsors, in their discretion, reserve the right to substitute the original prize (or that part of the prize) with an alternative prize to the equal monetary value and/or specification, unless to do so would be prohibited by law.

NONCOMPLIANCE OR RETURN OF PRIZE NOTIFICATION AS UNDELIVERABLE, WHETHER BY REGULAR MAIL OR BY E-MAIL, MAY RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION AND SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE POTENTIAL WINNER.

JUDGING

  • Contest consists of two (2) rounds of evaluation. In the initial round of evaluation a shortlist of fifty (50) stories will be selected by an independent photographic expert, based on the Judging Criteria below. In the second round, photographer, Gianluca COLLA will select one (1) grand prize winner and two runners-up based on the Judging Criteria below. Judges will select winners from among all eligible entries based on the following criteria ("Judging Criteria"):

Creative storytelling 50%
Photographic quality 50%

  • Winners will be chosen on or around the week commencing 9th of August 2010 and notified by e-mail by August 16th 2010.
  • Decisions of the Judges are final and binding.

LICENSE

By entering the Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable perpetual non-exclusive license to Authorized Parties, to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) in editorial publications, marketing and promotions in any and all media. Entrants consent to the Authorised Parties doing or omitting to do any act that would otherwise infringe the entrant's "moral rights" in their entries. Display or publication of any entry on an Authorized Party's website does not indicate the entrant will be selected as a winner. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use. Additionally, by entering, each entrant grants to Authorized Parties the unrestricted right to use all statements made in connection with the Contest, and pictures or likenesses of Contest entrants, or choose not to do so, at their sole discretion. Authorized Parties will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such use.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

By entering this Contest, all entrants agree to release, discharge and hold harmless National Geographic Society, Canon and their partners, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies, agents and their employees, officers, directors, and representatives from any claims, losses, and damages arising out of their participation in this Contest or any Contest-related activities and the acceptance and use, misuse, or possession of any prize awarded hereunder.

The Promoter assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, or delay in operation or transmission; communications line failure; theft or destruction of or unauthorized access to Contest entries or entry forms; or alteration of entries or entry forms. The Promoter is not responsible for any problems with or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer online systems, servers or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, human errors of any kind, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to entrants' or any other persons' computers related to or resulting from participation, uploading or downloading of any materials related to in this Contest.

In the case of entrants who are UK residents, the preceding two clauses do not operate in respect of any implied condition or warranty the exclusion of which from these Official Rules would contravene any UK statute or cause any part of these Official Rules to be void.

However, nothing in these Official Rules shall have the effect of excluding or restricting liability for personal injury, death, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation caused by the proven negligence of employees or agents of NGTI, Ltd, Canon and their partners, affiliates, or subsidiaries.

CONDITIONS

THIS CONTEST IS VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
Entrants agree that this Contest shall be subject to and governed by and subject to the laws of England and Wales and subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in England and Wales. To the extent permitted by law, the right to litigate, to seek injunctive relief or to make any other recourse to judicial or any other procedure in case of disputes or claims resulting from or on connection with this Contest are hereby excluded and any entrant expressly waives any and all such rights. Certain restrictions may apply. Entries void if the Promoter determines the photograph not to be an original, or if the entries are illegible, incomplete, damaged, irregular, altered, counterfeit, produced in error or obtained through fraud or theft.

By entering, entrants also agree (a) to be bound by these Official Rules; (b) that the decisions of the Judges are final and binding with respect to all matters relating to the Contest. All federal, state/provincial/territorial and local taxes, fees and surcharges and taxes (whether foreign or domestic, and including income, sales, and import taxes) on prizes are the sole responsibility of the prize winners. In the event that the selected winner(s) of any prize are/is ineligible, cannot be traced or do not respond within 10 days to a winner notification as required by the "Contest Prizes" Rules above, or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and the Sponsors, in their sole discretion, may choose whether to award the prize to another entrant.

The Promoter reserve the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant's identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these Official Rules or who tampers with the entry process. Failure by the s to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.


RIGHT TO CANCEL OR SUSPEND CONTEST

If for any reason the Contest is not capable of running as planned, due to infection by computer virus, bugs, worms, trojan horses, denial of service attacks, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of the Promoter that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, the Promoter reserves the right, at their sole discretion, to disqualify any individual(s) who tamper with the entry process, and/or to cancel, terminate, modify, or suspend the Contest. If the Promoter elects to cancel or terminate the Contest, the Sponsors will not retain any rights in the submitted Photo Essays.

WINNERS LIST

Entrants are responsible for complying with these Official Rules. Winners' names will be available online at nationalgeographic.com/tellusyourstory after August 31st 2010.

DATA PRIVACY

Entrants agree that personal data, especially name and address, may be processed, shared and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Contest and any other purposes outlined in these Official Rules. The data may also be used by the Sponsors in order to verify the participant's identity, postal address and telephone number or to otherwise verify the participant's eligibility to participate in the Contest. Participants have the right to access, review, rectify or cancel any personal data held by Promoter or Sponsors by writing to the Promoter at 1145 17th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 in respect of data held by NGTI, Ltd or Canon (UK) Limited, Cockshot Hill Woodhatch, Reigate, Surrey, RH2 8BF in respect of data held by Canon (UK) Limited (one of the Sponsors). Personal data will be used by the Promoter and Sponsors and their affiliates exclusively for the purposes stated herein.

Any data (including images) of UK or Ireland Entrants captured and published in editorial publications, marketing and promotions in any and all media during the course of the Contest and thereafter shall be collated, accessed, processed and stored by the Promoter, Sponsors or their respective agencies wholly in accordance with applicable local UK Data Protection Laws and Regulations. Entrants hereby give their irrevocable consent to the Promoter, or Sponsors transmitting, or processing or storing such data to third party organizations outside the EEA.

NOTICE TO INDIVIDUALS: REMOVAL FROM MAILING LIST: Any individual (or other duly authorized person) may elect to exclude the name and address of that individual from all lists used by National Geographic Society to mail skill contests or sweepstakes. To elect to have an individual's name excluded from all such lists, submit a removal request in writing to: National Geographic Society, Attention: Photographic Department, National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036-4688. This notification system may be used to prohibit mailing of all skill contests or sweepstakes by National Geographic Society to such individual.

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