United States Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria NaijaGems Photo Contest 2018

Application Deadline: May 4, 2018, 11:59PM

NaijaGems Photo Contest is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, and the United States Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria.

Description of Contest Objectives

• The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, W. Stuart Symington, initiated this project to raise national pride and awareness of Nigeria’s beauty.
• There is much to be admired and celebrated in Nigeria. We are giving Nigerians an opportunity to tell their positive stories in pictures.

Events from this contest may be announced and promoted on various Social Media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr and SoundCloud. Contest entry and administration will take place through Flickr, Google Forms, Instagram and Facebook. Contest winners may also be announced on Facebook; however these platforms are not partners or sponsors of the contest. Contestants are reminded that by participating in the contest and uploading content to Flickr, Instagram they are bound by Flickr/Yahoo’s, Instagram’s Terms of Service and any agreement with Flickr/Yahoo contained therein.

How to Enter

• Contestants will be asked to produce high-resolution original photographs of spectacular beauty that are peculiar to a region or state; the locations should be a symbol of pride to the people and culture of that state.
• Two identical photos are to be taken; one should include a human subject who verifies the originality of the work and he/she should be tagged in the submission.
• An entry is made by uploading the photos to Flickr with a clear description (250 words max) of the location and why the object or scene is important to that community, state, or the nation as a whole.
• Upload photos to Instagram and tag the U.S. Mission Nigeria (@usinnigeria), tag the human subject in the photo and adopt the contest hashtag, #NaijaGEMs.
• Photo metadata must be visible on Flickr to qualify. Manipulated photos will be disqualified.
• Contestants are to complete an entry/sign up form [http://bit.ly/naijagemsform] after uploading the photos with the following information:
  1. Contestant details
  2. Flickr photo URLs
  3. Instagram ID
  4. Confirm the originality of the photo
  5. Sign a release – allowing the Embassy to post and share the photos

Content Requirements

1. Submissions must not contain obscenity, explicit sexual material, nudity, profanity, graphic violence, calls or incitement to violence, commercial solicitation or commercial promotion. Submissions must conform to local law and must not contain content or images that could be considered abusive, inflammatory, denigrating, or disrespectful to any of the Contest Sponsors, or to any groups, individuals or institutions. Submissions must adhere both in appearance and in fact to the norms of civil discourse. In other words, the content of all submissions must be suitable for a global, public audience.
2. Submissions must be original content created by the contestant and must not contain any elements that are protected by someone else’s copyright or otherwise subject to third party intellectual property or proprietary rights, including privacy and publicity rights (except as expressly permitted below in (d)). Contest Sponsors recognize no allowance for “fair use” of copyrighted material, nor do Contest Sponsors recognize allowance for use of licensed materials created or owned by a third party.
3. Contest Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify, at their sole and absolute discretion, any submission that does not adhere to these criteria and to the intent and substance of these Official Contest Rules.
4. In the event of any question or difference of views regarding compliance with, interpretation, or application of these content requirements or other provisions of these Official Contest Rules, Contest Sponsors reserve the exclusive right to resolve such questions or differences of views in their sole discretion.
5. By submitting a photograph to the contest, the contestant affirms that he or she has obtained written consent from all individuals whose image or likeness appears in the photograph (or from the individuals’ parent/legal guardian if any such individuals are considered a minor in their country of residence), and that he or she has obtained the necessary rights, licenses, consents, and permissions to use all material such as music, images, text and other content in the submission. The contestant further affirms that he or she is prepared to provide reliable documentation of any and all such consents, licenses, etc., upon request. Failure to obtain such rights, license consents, and permissions may result in the disqualification of the photo submission at the Contest Sponsors’ sole and absolute discretion.

Technical Format Requirements

• Photo submissions must be in JPG format, at least 1024×768 pixels (300 pixels per inch) and not more than 10MB. Submissions should not have any visible watermarks, signatures, or personally identifiable information.
• Retouching of Photos: The submitted photograph cannot be significantly retouched: nothing in the photograph (people, animals, scenery, objects, etc.) may be altered, removed, augmented or rearranged. Cropping is permitted, as is modest darkening or lightening of parts of the image. Photo metadata must be retained.

Eligibility

1. Contestants must be an adult, 21 years and older on the date of entry into the contest. Contestants must be residents of Nigeria and may not be U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents.
2. The individual submitting the entry will be considered the contestant and will be the only individual eligible to compete for the prize. Organizations are not eligible to compete for the prize, either as an entity, or through representation by an individual. In order to be eligible for the prize, the contestant must provide complete and accurate information.
3. The following individuals are not eligible to participate in the contest: Employees, interns, directors, and officers of the Contest Sponsors, Flickr/Yahoo, Facebook, Instagram, or the U.S. Government; or any employees, interns, directors, or officers of any agencies, companies or entities involved in the administration, advertising, judging, creation, development, execution, and/or fulfillment of this contest, and the immediate family members (defined as spouse, recognized partner, parent, child, sibling, and spouse or “step” of each) and those living in the same household of each such individual.
4. Once a submission has been accepted for entry into the contest, the contestant’s name (or User ID, if the contestant wishes to remain anonymous) and country may be publicly identified at the sole discretion of the contestant.

Prize(s)

• Contest Prize(s)
  1. Grand Prize: Canon EOS 5D mark iv
  2. First Runner: Canon EOS 80D with Len
  3. Second Runner up: Canon EOS Rebel T7i with Len
• Winning photographs may be displayed on the U.S. Mission Nigeria’s website, social media properties and/or in the Embassy itself.
• Winners have to confirm the acceptance of the prize in an email reply within three calendar days. If the acceptance is not confirmed by the required date, the Contest Sponsors reserve the right to select an alternate winner. Each winner must provide a valid physical mailing address where a prize, if any, is to be shipped. Contest Sponsors are not responsible for any problems related to the shipping of any prize, including, but not limited to, theft, delay, damage, or destruction/accidental loss by the shipping carrier.
• Any unused portion of the prize is not transferable, convertible, or exchangeable and cannot be taken as cash. All taxes on or in connection with any prize, and the reporting consequences thereof, are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the winner.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the United States Diplomatic Mission in Nigeria NaijaGems Photo Contest 2018