1. These terms and conditions apply to the The Wildlife Photography Awards 2023 from BBC Wildlife Magazine competition (the “Competition”).
2. The Promoter of the Competition is Our Media Limited (the “Promoter”).
3. The BBC Code of Conduct for competitions can be found at https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidance/code-of-conduct and all BBC magazines comply with the Code.
4. The Competition is open to all residents of the UK, including the Channel Islands, aged 18 years or older, except the Promoter’s employees or contractors and anyone connected with the Competition or their direct family members.
5. The closing date for entries to the competition is 23:59 on 17/09/23.
6. By entering the Competition, the participants agree:
   
   
   
   1. 1. to be bound by these terms and conditions;
      
      
      2. that your entry is entirely your own work and does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third parties;
      
      
      3. to grant BBC Wildlife Magazine and all of the magazines, websites and other business run by Our Media Limited or the Immediate Media Group, a free and unlimited license to use, edit and reproduce your picture and text in our products and in marketing;
      
      
      4. that should they win the Competition, their entry may be used by the Promoter for pre-arranged promotional purposes; and
      
      
      5. any identifiable individuals who are featured in their entry (whether in the photograph or in copy) have given consent to appear in the entry and for the entry to be used for the purposes set out above.
      
      
   
   
7. Entrants should enter the Competition by completing the submission form on The Wildlife Photography Awards webpage with their photo submission, their name, and their email address. Entries received after the closing date will not be considered.
8. Entrants must supply the requested contact details to the Promoter. The Promoter will use entrants’ personal details in accordance with the Immediate Privacy Policy (immediatemedia.co.uk/privacy-policy).
9. A maximum of 10 entries in each relevant category of the competition will be permitted per person, regardless of the method of entry. Bulk entries made by third parties will not be permitted. Each photo may only be entered into the competition by one entrant. The photo/s must have been taken within the last three years and be the original work of the entrant.
10. All images submitted in the five categories must feature wild species in their natural habitat. Photographs must not show restrained, captive, manipulated animals, taxidermy animals, animal models, or any species exploited for profit. Reporting on a specific issue regarding the treatment of animals by a third party is the only exception, in which case it must be clear that the species was captive, restrained, a model, or a taxidermy specimen.
11. It is imperative that all photos are taken with the welfare of species and the environment in mind. In order to secure an image, you must not injure or distress a species or damage its habitat. The judges reserve the right to disqualify an entry if they feel that the welfare of the animal has been compromised.
12. The use of live bait and any bait that may put animals in danger or negatively affect their behaviour is not permitted. In the submission description, the judges must be made aware of any other means of attraction, including scent or bird seed.
13. All photos must be a faithful representation of nature, free from excessive digital manipulation that is misleading to the viewer (the ‘Judging Panel’ shall determine which changes are significant), and there must be complete honesty in the submission description.
14. A panel of judges comprising members of the BBC Wildlife editorial team and one independent member (the “Judging Panel”) will select a shortlist of five photographs for each of the five categories (Portraits, Behaviour, Plants & Fungi, Camera phone and Environment), which shall then progress to a public vote. The panel shall make their selection, based on a series of criteria; image quality, composition and originality.
15. The use of any camera phone is allowed. Camera phone add-on lenses can be used. Our Media may ask for the original image to check that it’s taken with a camera phone. Photos that cannot be verified will be disqualified.
16. The shortlisted entrants in each category will be required to supply, on demand, the RAW file/s of their photo submission, to ensure authenticity and ownership. Failure to supply said files by the stated deadline may result in disqualification from the competition shortlist.
17. The public vote for the competition shall open at 12.00 on 06/10/2023 and shall close at 23:59 on 06/11/2023. The entry with the highest number of votes for each category shall be named the winner of each category.
18. Within 14 days of the public vote closing, the Judging Panel shall select an overall winner from the five category winners, to name the The Wildlife Photography Awards 2023 from BBC Wildlife magazine Winner. The same judging criteria shall apply.
19. The Judging Panel’s decision as to the overall winner is final and no correspondence relating to the competition will be entered into. The Promoter may share the winner’s details with the prize provider for the purpose of fulfilling the prizes.
20. The winner of The Wildlife Photography Awards 2023 from BBC Wildlife magazine shall receive a holiday to Belize, for two adults (18 ), worth £3,000, including 2x economy flights to Belize from a UK airport, 23kg of luggage and a carry on bag per person (transport to the UK airport from the winner’s location is not included); a 7-night stay at Chan Chich Lodge in a Deluxe Cottage, on a bed and breakfast basis; airport transfers to and from the hotel provided by a local taxi company; a Birding Walk for two at Chan Chich; a Night Walk for two at Chan Chich; a Boat Tour for two at Chan Chich . The prize can be redeemed December 1st 2023 – December 1st 2024, excluding December 22nd 2023 – January 5th 2024, 14th February 2024, 29th March 2024, 1st April 2024, 6th May 2024, 27th May 2024 and 26th August 2024, and will be supplied to the winner, by Finn Partners, within 28 days of the winner being selected.
21. Each category winner, including the main prize winner, will win a £412 bundle from Regatta, comprised of a Volter waterproof insulated jacket in Black (available in S, M, L or XL), power bank for jacket, Montes fleece in Light Steel (available in XS, S, M, L or XL), Atholl 35L Rucksack in Black/Light Steel and insulated bottle in Black. Each bundle will be supplied to the winner, by Regatta, within 28 days of the winner being selected.
22. The winners will be notified by 15/11/2023 via email. If the winners cannot be contacted or fail to respond within 28 days of such notification being sent, the Promoter reserves the right to offer the prize to a runner up, or to re-offer the prize in any future promotion.
23. The winner will be asked to take part in an interview and provide a selection of photographs from their trip to Belize, for the purposes of a promotional feature, in association with Belize Tourism Board, to be published in an issue of BBC Wildlife magazine.
24. The surname and county of residence of the winners will be available upon request by sending an SAE to the Wildlife Photography Awards 2023 from BBC Wildlife magazine competition, Eagle House, Colston Ave, Bristol BS1 4ST within two months of the closing date of the Competition. The Promoter will contact the winners before releasing this information and provide the winners the opportunity to object or limit the amount of information shared.
25. There is no cash alternative and the prizes will not be transferable. Prizes must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prizes with one of the same or greater value.
26. The Promoter reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions or to cancel, alter or amend the Competition at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, or if circumstances arise outside of its control.
27. The Promoter does not accept any responsibility for lost, delayed or fraudulent entries.
28. The Promoter excludes liability to the full extent permitted by law for any loss, damage or injury occurring to the participant arising from his or her entry into the Competition or occurring to the winners arising from their acceptance of a prize.
29. The Competition is administered subject to the laws of England and these terms and conditions shall be governed by English law.