S.O.S. Photo Competition Rules

Though formal in nature, these rules are designed to ensure the fairness and integrity of the Competition in order to safeguard the work of the entrants.

1. ABOUT THE COMPETITION

(1) The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary Photo Competition (‘the Competition’) is owned by Suffolk Owl Sanctuary Ltd.
(2) The Competition comprises an Adult Competition open to photographers aged 18 and over, and a Junior Competition open to photographers aged 17 and under. 
(3) Selected entries to the Competition may be displayed in an exhibition at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary (‘the Exhibition’), be featured online, in publicity materials or as merchandising according to the terms hereunder.

2. CONDITIONS OF ENTRY TO THE COMPETITION

(1) The Adult Competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over on the Closing Date except individuals (and their partners and family) involved in its organisation or judging, or employees of the Owners, or any official partners, supporters, or sponsors of the Competition.

(2) The Junior Competition is open to anyone aged 17 or under on the Closing Date except individuals (and their partners and family) involved in its organisation or judging, or employees of the Owners, or any official partners, supporters, or sponsors of the Competition.

(3) Photographs taken at an S.O.S. Photo Workshop are not eligible for entry in this competition

(4) By entering the Competition, the entrant agrees to maintain the highest standards in all matters relating to the Competition and not to do or say anything that does or might damage the reputation of the Owners, the Competition, the other entrants, or the official partners, supporters, or sponsors of the Competition. The entrant acknowledges that entry into the Competition does not grant any rights in any intellectual property rights of the Competition and/or the Owners, and agrees not to use any names, logos or other intellectual property rights of any of them or to make any public statement regarding any of them without the prior written consent of the Owners.

(5 It is the responsibility of each entrant into the Competition to ensure that they have read and will abide by these Rules. By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Rules, that their entry complies with the Rules, and that they will be liable to the Owners and their licensees in respect of any damages or losses incurred as a breach of the Rules by the entrant.

(6) Any entry that cannot be authenticated or is not of acceptable quality will be disqualified.

(7) Digital adjustments including tone and contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, minor cleaning work, HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking and multiple exposures taken at the same location at the same time are permitted provided that they comply with the Competition’s principles of authenticity so that they do not deceive the viewer or misrepresent the reality of nature. While digital adjustments are allowed, adding or removing objects, animals or parts of animals, plants, people etc, is not.

3. JUDGING, AWARDS, PRIZES

(1) A panel comprising staff and management of SOS (“the Jury”) will select and award prizes to 3 entries from both the Junior and Adult sections of the main Competition. 
(2) Further images will be selected and made available to the public for a separate online vote promoted via social media. The entries in both Junior & Adult categories with the most ‘likes’ in the social media vote will receive a People’s Choice Special Award. Selected entries to the competition may be featured by Suffolk Owl Sanctuary online, in publicity materials or as merchandising. 
(3) One prize will be awarded per successful participant, being the highest of the prizes qualified for. Subsequent prizes will be awarded to the participants with the next best entries.
(4) During judging the Jury reserves the right to not award any entry within a category
(5) Successful entrants will be notified in strict confidence. It is a condition of entry that the entrant does not disclose the details of any shortlisted or winning entries to any third party.
(6) The list of prizes is available on the website. They are non-transferable. The Owners reserve the right to substitute the whole or part of any listed prize with an alternative but the entrant shall not have any right to demand this. Please note that the prizes must be claimed within one year of the announcement of the results or they will be forfeited (including any right to receive any substitute prize).

4. HOW TO ENTER

Entrants may submit up to 5 images.

To enter by email:

• Only entries sent to the correct email address (sosphotocomp@gmail.com) will be entered into the competition.
• Where possible, JPEG or Tiff images are preferred.
• The image names should be your first name, surname, (S) for Senior entrants or (J) for Junior entrants and your title for the photo.
• The subject line of your email must state your name once again.
• Please include your postal address and daytime telephone number in the body of your email
• Entries must be received by midnight (UK time) on the closing date of October 31st of the current year.

Please read, then copy and paste the following into the body of your email and tick or mark “x” in the brackets below where applicable:

I am 17 years old or younger and eligible for the Junior Category of the Competition [ ] (tick to confirm).

I am 18 years old or older and eligible for the Adult Category of the Competition [ ] (tick to confirm).

I earn no more than 5% of my total annual income or £2,500 annually from photography [ ] (tick to confirm). 

To enter by post:

Send a covering letter with your image, including the information mentioned above to:

SOS 2024 Photo Competition,
Suffolk Owl Sanctuary,
Unit 22 Stonham Barns Park,
Pettaugh Road,
Stonham Aspal IP14 6AT

5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

(1) Each entry must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party.
(2) By entering the Competition, the entrant grants to the Owners a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, exhibit, and communicate to the public any entry by any means and in all media throughout the world. 

6. LIABILITY

(1) Proof of electronic submission is not proof of receipt by the Owners.
(2) The Owners cannot be held responsible for emails that do not arrive due to an entrant’s email security settings or restrictions placed by their Internet Service Provider. Entrants must ensure that their settings accept emails from sosphotocomp@gmail.com
(3) SOS regrets that they cannot accept liability for any loss of or damage to any entry submitted into the Competition howsoever caused or for any other loss or damage as a result.
(4) SOS regrets that they cannot accept liability for the misuse of images and/or failure of any third party to comply with the Competition’s credit guidelines.
(5) Non-awarded digital entries submitted into the Competition will not be returned by the Owners after the names of awarded photographers are announced.
(6) Except where expressly stated elsewhere in the Rules, SOS regrets that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, they cannot accept any liability for any loss or damage suffered by any entrant in relation to the Competition or the use of any prize.

7. DATA PROTECTION

(1) The personal data of entrants will be managed by SOS in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and GDPR May 2018.
(2) SOS will collect scant personal data - name, address, email address, telephone number, age group - about entrants (and the entrant’s parent/guardian where applicable) at the time of registration, and as otherwise provided in order to administer the Competition.
(3) SOS undertakes not to divulge, make public, or sell personal information supplied by entrants other than by attaching the name and age group of the entrant to images used in publicity when appropriate.