Moon Photography Competition terms of entry
By entering the Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition, you agree to the following terms of entry:
Before submitting your entry, please review the following competition terms of entry:
1. General Information
Competition Name: Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition.
Organiser: The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition and exhibition are organised and owned by Blackburn Cathedral of Cathedral Office, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB1 5AA, United Kingdom. Blackburn Cathedral is the operating name of The Cathedral Church of St Mary The Virgin Blackburn which is a charity registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales. Charity Number: 1207822.
2. Eligibility
Age Restrictions: There are no age restrictions to entrants of this competition.
Geographical Restrictions: The competition is open to residents of the UK only.
Status: The competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers.
Exclusions: The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition is open to anyone except those involved in its organisation and employees (and their immediate family) of Blackburn Cathedral, Blackburn Cathedral Chapter and related Enterprises, and the Sponsor(s). Judges (or their immediate family) of the competition are also restricted from entering the competition.
3. Entry and Submission
Entry Dates: The competition start date is 1st September 2024 and closing date is 23.59pm 30th September 2024.
Theme: All images submitted must feature the real moon in some form. Images that do not feature the moon will not be eligible.
Image Submission: By submitting an entry to this competition, you confirm that you are the sole copyright owner of the submitted image and that the image:
- was taken and processed by you;
- does not contain any data that was not generated through photography (defined as the collection of radiant energy on a digital or chemical sensor);
- is your own original work;
- does not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party (particularly in relation to the use of robotic telescopes and open source data);
has written consent from any individuals identifiable in the image; and - does not contain any obscene or defamatory content or material.
- Images taken with publicly or privately operated remote telescopes may be entered into the competition. Please provide ownership details in the image description when submitting your entry.
Submission Process: Entries may only be submitted online via https://blackburncathedral.com/moon-photography-competition/ In order for your photo to be eligible for the competition, please ensure that: you have completed the relevant online application form, supplying as much detail as possible about your image(s) in the relevant fields and that your photo does not have a copyright line, name or watermark(s) anywhere on the image. Images with any such features will be disqualified from the competition.
No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost, delayed, corrupted, damaged, misdirected or incomplete or which cannot be submitted for any technical, delivery or other reason. Proof of submission will not be accepted as proof of receipt. Blackburn Cathedral cannot guarantee continuous, uninterrupted or secure access to the website.
Image Enhancement: Digitally enhanced images are eligible for entry to the competition. Please provide details of digital enhancements in the image description when you submit your entry. Undeclared composites or enhanced images may be disqualified for dishonesty and misrepresentation. The judging panel may ask about your processing method if your photo is shortlisted.
Artificial Intelligence: Generative imagery and ‘AI Art’ are not eligible for submission. Images must consist of genuine astronomical data captured via observation using photographic equipment. The addition of weather effects, astronomical targets, or any other data generated by an AI network is forbidden. Images captured or created using equipment featuring AI image-enhancement tools and generative image-creation firmware/software that cannot be deactivated, such as certain smartphone brands, are not eligible. If you are uncertain whether your image qualifies for this competition, please contact the competition organisers for clarification.
Reasonable Doubt: Where there is reasonable doubt about whether a photograph meets the competition entry criteria, or has been taken with the equipment and under the circumstances described on the entry form, the organisers reserve the right to disqualify the image. Wherever possible, the entrant will be given the opportunity to answer queries from the judges before a final decision on disqualification is made.
Format and Size: Images should be submitted as high resolution JPEG files and the filesize must be under 15mb. It must, as closely as possible, be reproduced at a minimum of 300dpi at a minimum of 42cm on its longest edge. This is to ensure that your image can be reproduced if it is selected for the exhibition, publication and/or for promotional purposes. Should your image not meet these requirements it may need to be resized for printing or display which may lead to a reduction in quality and these factors may be taken into consideration during judging.
Image Content: By submitting your entry into The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition, you confirm that the content of the photo is and will not be taken to be obscene, racist, pornographic, indecent, harassing, threatening or offensive.
Moderation: Blackburn Cathedral reserves the right to pre-vet and/or moderate submitted photos on any basis and reserves the right to not shortlist or display any images. It may remove, suspend or disable access to photos, at any time, at its sole discretion, without liability or prior notice.
Number of Entries: The maximum number of entries allowed per participant is one.
Entry Fee: There are no fees associated with entering the competition.
4. Judging and Selection
Judging Panel: The organiser will appoint a panel of judges to select the winning photos. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding the selection of winners.
Judging Criteria: The judges come from a range of disciplines; they will consider images according to criteria comprising technical skills, artistic merit and originality. Should the quality of entries fall below the standard required, the judges reserve the right not to award prizes.
Selection Process: Winners will be notified via email to the address provided upon entry. Blackburn Cathedral cannot be held responsible for emails that do not arrive due to an incorrect address being provided or an entrant’s email security settings or restrictions placed by their internet service provider. Entrants must ensure that their settings accept emails from @blackburncathedral.co.uk.
5. Winning Entries and Prizes
In addition to seeing your image displayed in a photography exhibition and your work viewed by thousands of visitors, there is the chance to win a cash prize, namely:
£500 for the overall winner.
£250 for a highly commended entrant.
£250 for the ‘People’s Choice Award’.
Prize Presentation: Competition winners will be invited to a special presentation at Blackburn Cathedral where their prize will be awarded. Should the proposed date / time not be convenient, then please see below for prize distribution details. As this is presentation event is optional, please note that no travel expenses will be paid.
Prize Distribution: Payment of the prizes will be made within 28 days of the end of the competition, via BACS transfer to your nominated UK bank account.
Prize Restrictions: Prizes are non-transferable and no alternative prizes are available in whole or in part.
If your photo is shortlisted, we will contact you via the email address you provided. You may be asked questions about your image during our data checking period. We reserve the right to remove your image from the shortlist if you do not meet our rules or we are concerned about the veracity of your image.
Winning and Shortlisted Entries: The full names of the winners and their entries will be published on the competition website for a period of at least 3 months.
A selection of shortlisted images will be made available to the public for the People’s Choice Award where visitors to the exhibition are invited to choose their favourite image. These entries may be promoted online including via social media. The entry with the most votes will win the public vote.
The competition organisers will announce the winners online. Shortlisted category entrants who are notified that they will be placed as a winner within their category must keep this information confidential until the announcement. Winning places and associated prizes are not considered awarded until after the announcement.
6. Rights and Usage
Copyright and Usage Rights: The images submitted to The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition may be used in exhibition display or promotional materials and in order for us to do this Blackburn Cathedral need to be able to use your image in certain ways should it be shortlisted.
Entrants retain copyright and moral rights in their submitted images and will therefore retain the rights to sell their images or grant licences to other parties.
In all instances, the copyright holder will be credited, wherever practicable, when the image is used and published by Blackburn Cathedral and / or its sponsors. We will use your first and last name as supplied during the entry process (e.g. © photographer’s name). Although Blackburn Cathedral will always supply the correct information to third parties (for example to press / media), it cannot accept responsibility for any credit line errors or omissions by these parties.
By entering, entrants grant Blackburn Cathedral a non-exclusive, irrevocable worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, and publish or communicate to the public any image, by any means, entered into the competition:
- in the process of judging the competition (including the People’s Choice public vote);
- in exhibition displays, in relation to both The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition exhibition and related future exhibitions, performances and displays. These exhibition displays may charge admission. Visitor photography may be permitted in exhibitions and images may be reproduced and distributed on a worldwide basis through third party social media. Blackburn Cathedral is not liable for visitor photography and its outcomes;
- in promotional, press and marketing materials (including social media and Blackburn Cathedral’s website and potentially national and international media) to promote and publicise the competition, exhibition, future related exhibitions and activities, which may include publication in international and national media publications and online;
- in any Blackburn Cathedral publications about the competition, exhibition and future related exhibitions. These may be produced by Blackburn Cathedral, or under license to a third party (who reserves the right to further sub-license such publications) in all editions, languages, territories and media, for which you will be entitled to receive a free copy of the first UK print edition that your image appears in, upon request (limited to one copy per entrant);
Any commercial usage not covered by above would be agreed with the individual photographer on a case by case basis.
Please do not enter the competition if you do not wish to grant these rights.
7. Liability and Indemnity
Liability: Blackburn Cathedral shall not be obliged to display photos and shall not be liable for any entrant’s loss of publicity or enhancement of reputation.
Blackburn Cathedral and its associated agencies and companies will not be liable for any loss (including, without limitation, indirect, special or consequential loss or loss of profits), expense or damage which is suffered or sustained (whether or not arising from any person’s negligence) in connection with this competition or accepting or using the prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law (including personal injury, death and fraud) in which case that liability is limited to the minimum allowable by law.
Cancellation: Blackburn Cathedral reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or amend The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition and/or exhibition at any time where circumstances make this unavoidable, but will always use all reasonable endeavours to minimise the effect on participants to avoid undue disappointment.
8. Data Protection
Privacy Policy: Blackburn Cathedral will collect personal data about entrants at the time of registration. Any personal information of entrants will only be used and, where necessary, disclosed to third parties for the purposes of running the competition and otherwise in accordance with the Blackburn Cathedral privacy policy.
You can request access to your personal data, or have any inaccuracies rectified, by sending an email to [email protected]. By participating in the competition you agree to the use of your personal data as described here.
Our privacy policy can be viewed here.
9. General Conditions
Governing Law: The applicable law and jurisdiction is valid wherever legal only, and the rules of this competition are subject to the legal and regulatory restrictions imposed under the law of England and Wales and the parties to any dispute or action shall submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts.
If any of these clauses should be determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable then it shall be severed and deleted from these rules and the remaining clauses shall survive and remain in full force and effect.
These rules prevail in the event of any conflict or inconsistency with any other communications, including advertising or promotional materials.
Further Information: If you have any questions about the rules or the competition in general, please contact Blackburn Cathedral at [email protected]
10. Accepting the Rules
By entering The Blackburn Cathedral Moon Photography Competition you are deemed to have accepted the above rules and to have granted the rights to Blackburn Cathedral set out above.
Please do not enter the competition unless you are prepared to agree to these terms.
