Celebrating Biodiversity-: EU Delegation to Zimbabwe Hosts Photo Competition “People and nature: a life in harmony”

Join the Biodiversity Day Photo Competition!

We are calling on all photography enthusiasts, and nature lovers to participate in our Biodiversity EU Photo Competition. Whether you are an amateur or a professional, this is your opportunity to showcase the incredible biodiversity that Zimbabwe has to offer.

Submission Guidelines:

• Who: The competition is open to all residents of Zimbabwe, as well as Zimbabweans living in the diaspora.
• What: Participants are invited to submit photos inspired by the theme of " “People and Nature in Zimbabwe: a life in harmony". Capture images that reflect the richness of Zimbabwe’s biodiversity and the interconnectedness of its diverse ecosystems, wildlife, plants, and landscapes with the lives and communities of its people.
• How many: Each participant may submit a maximum of three photos (see conditions under “terms of reference and conditions”)
• When: You may submit your photos until 31 July 2024(23:59:59 PM). Photos received after the deadline will be excluded from the competition
• How:

• Photos should be accompanied by the full name and contact information of the author, and a brief description of each photo, including the location and subject,
• Photos should be sent via email to DELEGATION-ZIMBABWE-PHOTO-COMPETITION-2024@eeas.europa.eu with the subject line “People and nature: a life in harmony”"

• Jury and prizes: A Jury of four judges will select the 3 winners of the competition.

        1^st  Prize – A voucher for 2 people for a safari of your choice in Zimbabwe worth 2000USD

        2^nd Prize - A voucher for photographic accessories up to USD400

        3^rd Prize - A voucher for photographic accessories up to USD200

        Additionally, the EU Delegation will make further use and promotion of a selection of images and their authors for its public diplomacy activities.

Terms of reference and conditions: Important notice. Please read the “Terms of Reference and conditions” carefully, notably those related to the rights on the image.

      By submitting your photo (s), you give your approval and consent to terms of reference of this competition.

Terms of reference and conditions

1. This Photography Competition is organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Zimbabwe 
2. The closing date for submissions is 20 September 2023. All submissions received after this time will not be eligible. Please note that sending is not proof of receipt. Wednesday 31 July 2024. Entries received after this time will not be accepted.
3. All entries must be submitted only via email to DELEGATION-ZIMBABWE-PHOTO-COMPETITION-2024@eeas.europa.eu
4. The Photography Competition is free to enter and no previous payment nor register is necessary.
5. The European Union Delegation will not accept: (a) responsibility for entries that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit, regardless of cause, or (b) proof of transmission as proof of receipt of entry to the Photography Competition.
6. By submitting an entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.  A copy of these terms and conditions is available on our website:  https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/zimbabwe_en?s=129 .  If you have any questions, please contact DELEGATION-ZIMBABWE-PHOTO-COMPETITION-2024@eeas.europa.eu
7. The EU delegation reserves the right to refuse entry, or refuse to award the prize to anyone in breach of these terms and conditions.

Eligibility

8. The Photography Competition is open to anyone living in Zimbabwe or to Zimbabwean citizens living in diaspora, except those directly involved with the competition and judging (including their families and relatives).
9. If the participant is under the age of 18, she/he  must have permission to enter from your parent or guardian. By submitting an entry for the competition, your parent/carer/guardian is deemed to have given such consent and to agree to the use of the entry as described in these terms and conditions.
10.  No more than three entries per person are permitted.
11. Photographs must have been taken in Zimbabwe
12. Entries must not have been selected as a winner in any other competition
13. In entering the Photography Competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win. The EU may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the Photography Competition.
14. The EU reserves all rights to disqualify you if your conduct is contrary to the spirit or intention of the Photography Competition.

Technical Requirements

15. Entries should be between 1MB and 5MB and be at least 300dpi, and should be submitted as either JPEG or TIFF files with no watermarks, signatures or borders included.
16. Major digital adjustments to the photo must be reported within the description and should not misrepresent the reality of nature. The addition or removal of any animals or parts of animals, plants, people, objects, etc. is not allowed. Images must not be false-coloured.
17. Entries must be accompanied by a brief description of the image shown and the location. Any other information can be optionally added
18. The images submitted must be taken with a camera. Images generated or manipulated by Artificial Intelligence cannot be considered.

Judging and notification

19. The competition entries will be judged by a Jury conformed by a panel of four judges based on relevance to the theme, creativity, aesthetics, technical quality, interest of the message /story and overall impact. 
20. The Jury will select the 3 best entries as 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd winners who will be granted  the following prizes: a safari voucher worth USD2000 and photographic accessories worth USD400 and USD200
21. The winners will be notified by email (using details provided at entry) by the 15 September 2024 the latest.  If a winner does not respond to the EU within 30 days of being notified, then the EU Delegation will be entitled to select another winner in accordance with the process described above.
22. The winners' names will be also published on the EU Delegation’s website, social media channels, and through a press release, after notification and reply by the winners.
23. The European Union Delegation reserves the right to hold void, cancel, suspend, or amend the promotion where it becomes necessary to do so.

Ownership of competition entries

24. Any entry must be your original work and it must not infringe the rights of third parties including copyright, trademark, trade secrets, privacy, publicity, personal or proprietary rights.  You agree to indemnify the European Union Delegation against any claim from any third party for any breach of this clause.
25. Full copyright title shall be retained by the author of any entry. By submitting your competition entry and any accompanying material, you agree that the EU delegation may, but is not required to, make your entry available on its website https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/zimbabwe_en?s=129  and any other media in connection with any publicity of the competition or otherwise . You agree to grant the European Union Delegation a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable licence, for the full period of any intellectual property rights in the competition entry and any accompanying materials, to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, edit, alter, store, re-format and sub-licence the competition entry and any accompanying materials for any legitimate purposes, including, but not limited to, Eu Delegation communication, promotion, publicity, and presentations.
26. By submitting an entry, you agree to waive any moral rights contained in your entry.
27. For the avoidance of doubt, by submitting your entry you warrant that all persons featured in your entry have given you their express consent for their image to be used and, in the case of vulnerable adults or persons under 18 years of age, you warrant that you have obtained express consent from their parent(s) or legal guardian(s).
28. By submitting an entry, you warrant that no animals were harmed or manipulated in the making of the image. Please note that proof of ethical standards may be requested.

Data protection and publicity

29. The European Union Delegation is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy and will only use publicly your name, photo and nationality as author when using the photo.
30. By entering the Photography Competition, you agree that any personal information provided by you with your entry may be held and used by the European Union delegation to administer the competition.
31. Winners may be required to participate in publicity related to the Photography Competition which may include the publication of their name and photograph in any media. You agree that your personal data may be used for this purpose.