Scenery of Japan Photo Contest in Singapore 2024

2024/3/27

Official Rules (hereinafter referred to as “the Official Rules”)



Scenery of Japan Photo Contest in Singapore
~ Showcasing the unique charms of Japan through photographs ~

1. Organisers and Supporters


  • The “Scenery of Japan Photo Contest in Singapore” (hereinafter referred to as "the Photo Contest") is co-organised (hereinafter referred to as “the Organisers”) by the Embassy of Japan in Singapore (hereinafter referred to as "the Embassy"), Japan National Tourism Organization Singapore Office (hereinafter referred to as "JNTO Singapore") and The Japan Council of Local Authorities for International Relations, Singapore (hereinafter referred to as " J.CLAIR Singapore") with the support from the following organisations (hereinafter referred to as “Supporters”) (in alphabetical order).
    1. 1. All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.
    2. 2. Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd.
    3. 3. East Japan Railway Company
    4. 4. FUJIFILM Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
    5. 5. Hokkaido Government Representative Office
    6. 6. Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.
    7. 7. JTB Pte Ltd Singapore Office
    8. 8. Nikon Singapore Pte. Ltd.
    9. 9. Sony Electronics (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.

2. Purpose


  • The Photo Contest seeks to highlight the unique charms and experiences that Japan can offer to international visitors in each season (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter) and region (Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Hokuriku-Shin’etsu, Chubu, Kinki, Chugoku, Shikoku, Kyushu) through their own eyes.

3. Who may participate


  • The Photo Contest is only open to individuals residing in Singapore who do not hold a Japanese passport (Japanese nationals are not eligible to apply).
  • Entrants younger than 18 years old on the date of submission must have parental consent to participate in the Photo Contest.
  • All prize winners or their representatives must be able to receive the prize in-person at a large tourism event in Singapore at their own expense (The date of the award ceremony is to be determined but will most likely take place in the third quarter of 2024).
  • Only one entry of up to three photos per person.
  • The employees of the Organisers, including their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.
  • By submitting the application form, entrants agree to the Official Rules and warrants that their entries and photos comply with all the requirements set out in the Official Rules.

4. How to participate


  • To participate in the Photo Contest, please include the following details in the application form:
    1. 1. Personal Details (Name, Age, Country of Residence and e-mail address)
    2. 2. Photo File Data (up to three)
    3. 3. Photo Title for each photo
    4. 4. Photo Description for each photo (additional information about the photo that explains the context in which the photo was taken or tells the story behind the photo in 100 words)
    5. 5. Location of each photo
  • Each entry consists of a completed application form containing the uploaded photo(s). Submissions will be received via Google Forms. Entrants are required to have a Google account for filling up the application forms and uploading the photo data files. Please contact scenery-of-japan@sn.mofa.go.jp if you have issues with setting up a Google account.
  • Each photo must comply with the following requirements:
    1. 1. Photos must be in digital format. Only online entries are eligible. No physical print or film submissions will be accepted for entry into the Contest. Each digital Photo File Data must be 10 megabytes or smaller in .jpg format, and is recommended to be 12 million pixels or above. The Photo File Data must be named in the format of “Full Name_Photo #_Season.jpg” (e.g. Tan Xiao Ming_Photo 1_Summer.jpg).
    2. 2. Photos must be taken by the entrant on or after October 1, 2022 during a trip to Japan. The Organisers will request selected entrants to provide a copy of their passport details and the Japanese immigration entry stamp/air ticket as proof of evidence.
    3. 3. Photos must not have been submitted or have won in any other photo contests.
    4. 4. Only moderate editing and colour corrections are acceptable. Photos generated or heavily augmented using artificial intelligence (AI) or photo editing technologies are not acceptable.
    5. 5. By submitting the photos to the Photo Contest, the entrant affirms that he or she has obtained consent from all individuals whose image or likeness appears in the photo.
    6. 6. Photos that include sculptures, statues, paintings, and other art works will be accepted, as long as they do not constitute copyright infringement or fraud. When photographing the works of others, it must be as an object in its environment and not the main subject or a full-frame close-up of another person's art.
    7. 7. The photo, in its entirety, must be a single work of original material taken by the entrant. By entering the Photo Contest, the entrant represents, acknowledges, and warrants that the submitted photo is an original work created solely by the entrant, that the photo does not infringe any copyrights, trademarks, moral rights, rights of privacy/publicity or intellectual property rights of any person or entity, and that no other parties has the rights, title, claim, or interest in the photo.
    8. 8. The Organiser, at its discretion, may request the raw files and metadata of the photos to verify their originality, authenticity, and validity.
    9. 9. Watermarks are not acceptable. Adding a border or frame around the photo is not acceptable as well.
    10. 10. Incomplete or incorrect information may result in disqualification.

5. Confirmation of Submission


  • Upon successful submission, entrants will see a confirmation message “Your response has been recorded” on the Google Forms and receive a copy of their response via e-mail. If you did not receive any e-mail after submission, or encounter any problems, please e-mail scenery-of-japan@sn.mofa.go.jp

6. Application Deadline


  • All application forms and files must be sent by 11:59 PM SGT (UTC+08:00), June 30, 2024. If you have any inquiries, please e-mail scenery-of-japan@sn.mofa.go.jp

7. Required Documents


  • Application Form
  • Photo File Data

8. Judging


  • Each individual submission will be judged by members in a board committee (hereinafter referred to as “the Judges”) based on a set of criteria such as relevance to theme, impact, and photography techniques. (even if the entrant submitted more than one photo, they will be judged individually.)
  • 5 grand prizes and other supplementary prizes will be awarded to the selected winners.
  • Only winners will be notified by e-mail by the end of July. Failure to respond to the e-mail notification within 1 week may result in the selection of an alternate winner.

9. Contest Prizes



10. Exhibition


  • The prize-winning photos, including the entrants’ names, photo titles, dates, locations, and descriptions, will be printed and displayed to the public at different events, including but not limited to, an exhibition at Japan Creative Centre.
  • Prize-winning photos, including entrants’ names, photo titles, dates, locations, and descriptions may also be published and shared on the Organisers’ and Supporters' official websites, printed materials, and social media platforms, including but not limited to, Facebook, Instagram, and X (previously Twitter).

11. License


  • By entering the Photo Contest, all entrants grant an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, nonexclusive license to the Organisers and Supporters, to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entries for non-commercial purposes along with name credited when it is appropriate, in any media now or hereafter known, for no additional compensation, including, but not limited to: Organisers’ exhibition and gallery display; publications in brochures, pamphlets, flyers, and web-based media (such as Embassy website and social media platforms).

12. Disclaimer


  • The Photo Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Alphabet, Google, Meta, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter/X.

13. Data privacy


  • Entrants agree that their personal data, especially name and e-mail address, may be processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the Photo Contest and any other purposes outlined in the Official Rules.
  • The data may also be used by the Organisers to verify the entrant's identity, postal address, and contact number or to otherwise verify the entrant's eligibility to participate in the Photo Contest.
  • Entrants have the right to access, review, rectify, or cancel any personal data held by the Organisers by writing to the Embassy at scenery-of-japan@sn.mofa.go.jp
  • Personal data will be used by the Organisers exclusively for the purposes stated herein.

The Organisers reserve the rights to cancel or amend the Photo Contest and the Official Rules at any time without prior notice. Any changes will be announced on the Embassy’s website.

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