Nikon Photo Contest 2022-2023

Application deadline – Feb 13th 2023

The Nikon Photo Contest nurtures an aspirational community of creators who share important stories and influence the way people think through the global language of imaging.

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The Nikon Photo Contest International has been held by Nikon Corporation since 1969 to provide an opportunity for professional and amateur photographers around the world to engage with one another.

In the last 10 years, with digital cameras with video capabilities having become increasingly popular, the environment surrounding image-making has dramatically changed. Adapting to this change, the 34th contest was reconceived, changing its name and its structure, and it continues to evolve to create new standards and provide new opportunities for discovery.

Entry Categories

1. Photo Competition

Theme: “Beloved”
i. Single Photo Category
- Entry format: single photo
- Any equipment can be used
ii. Photo Story Category
- Entry format: photo story (two to five images)
- Any equipment can be used

2. Short Film Competition

Theme: “Next Steps”
i. Short Film Category
- Entry format: 180 to 300 second long video
- Any equipment can be used
- If any language other than English is used within the video, English language subtitles must be included (but no subtitles are necessary if English is used)
ii. Super Short Film Category
- Entry format: 20 to 40 second long video
- Any equipment can be used
- If any language other than English is used within the video, English language subtitles must be included (but no subtitles are necessary if English is used)

Awards and Prizes

Grand Prize*1 (No. of Winners : 1 per competition, total 2)
- Prize money of 500,000 yen (Japanese yen), Z9, NIKKOR Z lens *3
Excellence Award (No. of Winners : 2 per category, total 8)
- Photo Competition : Z 7 II, NIKKOR Z lens *3
- Short Film Competition : Z 6 II, NIKKOR Z lens *3,video accessories *3
Special Encouragement Award (No. of Winners : 4 per category, total 16)*3
- Photo Competition : Z fc,NIKKOR Z lens *3
- Short Film Competition : Z 30,NIKKOR Z lens *3, video accessories *3
General Public Award *2 (No. of Winners : 1 per competition, total 2)
- Photo Competition : Z 50,NIKKOR Z lens *3
- Short Film Competition : Z 50,NIKKOR Z lens *3
Rewards
- ● Displayed on Nikon Photo Contest Web Gallery
- ● Work showcased on Nikon Photo Contest official Facebook
- ● Work showcased on Nikon Photo Contest official Instagram
- ● Shared activities throughout the year
- ● Exhibition at venues managed by Nikon

*1 The Grand Prize winner will be selected from among the Excellence Award winners of each category. The Grand Prize winner will receive a Grand Prize Award instead of an Excellence Award.
*2 The winners of the General Public Award will be selected through public voting on works that pass the second round of judging.
*3 Lenses and accessories will be decided by Nikon.

*In addition to the above, works to be featured in the 2024/2025 Nikon Calendar will be selected from among all works submitted to the photo competitions and taken using Nikon equipment. Everyone whose work is selected will receive 10 copies of the calendar in which their work is featured.

How to Enter

Enter the contest by providing the required information in the entry form on this website. This form will become available on the first date that entries are accepted.

Entry Period

Thursday, October 27th, 2022 (from 4:00 am (UTC)), to Monday, February 13th, 2023 (until 4:00 am (UTC))

Eligibility

The contest is open to all, professional and amateur, regardless of age, gender, or nationality.

Entrants under 18 years of age require the permission of a parent or guardian. By entering the contest, entrants under 18 years of age indicate that they have obtained the permission of a parent or guardian.
The contest is not open to employees of Nikon (the “organizer”) or its subsidiaries or affiliates.

Regarding Entries

[Photo Competitions]

Submission Guidelines

Entry is limited to original works that have not formerly been released as any printed, web-based, or other medium (including advertising and stock photos) and for which the entrant holds all applicable rights.
Works that have been posted on personal blogs or social media can be entered.
Works that have won prizes in other contests or that have been submitted to other contests currently underway, including similar works, are not eligible. Even works that are entered in other competitions after submission to this contest will be regarded as having been submitted to other contests currently underway.
Entries and the persons depicted therein are restricted to works for which the entrant holds the copyright or for which the entrant has received the prior usage permission of the right holder.
Before submitting a work, the entrant is responsible for taking all steps necessary to protect the right of publicity and other rights of persons depicted in the work, including but not limited to obtaining their permission, to avoid any problems related to the infringement of these rights.
The limit for submitted works is five, including photo stories. Multiple entries can be submitted if the total number of entries is within this limit. Works that are identical or similar to another submitted work (“identical or similar works”*1) as well as works including identical or similar images*2 as separate works are ineligible for submission.Note:
*1. “Identical or similar works” refers to the following works:
- 1) a work produced from identical image data,
- 2) a work produced by cropping or retouching identical image data to alter it, or
- 3) a work produced from similar, though not identical, image data as described in (1) or (2) above (e.g. a frame from the same series of shots, photography conducted at a different date or time yet producing the same result, or a work otherwise deemed to be similar).
*2. A photo story, multiple photo stories, or other work that includes an image identical or similar to a single photo
Entrants are responsible for the resolution of any legal issues arising from their submitted works and agree to pay any costs thereby incurred.
Entries including content from (1) to (5) below may be disqualified at the organizer’s discretion:
- 1) Content that infringes on any laws, or is defamatory or libelous
- 2) Content that constitutes or encourages criminal behavior, leads to civil liability, or that otherwise violates laws
- 3) Commercial content that promotes any products or services
- 4) Content in which animals were harmed or manipulated in the making of said content
- 5) Content which infringes on the copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or other intellectual property rights of a third person or entity (whether individuals or companies), or violates rights of privacy or publicity, including:
  - – trademarks owned by third parties (examples: billboards or signs on a street)
  - – materials protected by third-party copyrights
  - – names, likenesses, or other characteristics identifying celebrities or other public figures
  - – entries containing screen credits

Photo Guidelines

Image data files created with any device capable of taking still images, including smartphones and digital still cameras (including medium and large-format digital cameras).
Images that have been retouched by using camera apps, photo editing apps, other software, etc. will be accepted.
Both color and monochrome images will be accepted.
File size: up to 20 MB of image data per work
Image data file format: JPEG/150 dpi recommended
The standard color space for the judging process is sRGB.
Entrants must hold all applicable rights to the final image, including any retouching or other image processing.Note: Winners might be asked to provide higher resolution images for publication or display purposes related to the contest.

[Short Film Competition]

Submission Guidelines

Entry is limited to original works for which the entrant holds all applicable rights.
Only one video may be submitted.
Entries and the persons depicted therein are restricted to works for which the entrant holds the copyright or for which the entrant has received the prior usage permission of the right holder.
Before submitting a work, the entrant is responsible for taking all steps necessary to protect the right of publicity and other rights of persons depicted in the work, including but not limited to obtaining their permission, to avoid any problems related to the infringement of these rights.
Entrants are responsible for the resolution of any legal issues arising from their submitted works and agree to pay any costs thereby incurred.
Entries including any content from (1) to (5) below may be disqualified at the organizer’s discretion:
- 1) Content that infringes on any laws, or is defamatory or libelous
- 2) Content that constitutes or encourages criminal behavior, leads to civil liability, or that otherwise violates laws
- 3) Commercial content that promotes any products or services
- 4) Content in which animals were harmed or manipulated in the making of said content
- 5) Content which infringes on the copyrights, trademarks, contract rights, or other intellectual property rights of a third person or entity (whether individuals or companies), or violates rights of privacy or publicity, including:
  - – trademarks owned by third parties (examples: billboards or signs on a street)
  - – materials protected by third-party copyrights (including movie dialogue or musical compositions)
  - – names, likenesses, voices, or other characteristics identifying celebrities or other public figures
  - – entries containing screen credits

Video Guidelines

A video work consisting of video footage and/or still images (with a length of 180 to 300 seconds in the Short Film Category or a length of 20 to 40 seconds in the Super Short Film Category).
Any video-recording device may be used.
360° videos are restricted to edited works that do not rely on a 360° video playback device or application for viewing.
File size: up to 600 MB of video data per work at the time of submission. File format: only MOV or MP4 will be accepted.
If any language other than English is used within the video, please ensure that English language subtitles are included for judging. No subtitles are necessary if English is used.
Judging will be carried out using a 2K monitor.Notes: In the case of online judging, an environment with a 2K monitor might not be used.
Winners might be asked to provide a higher resolution video for promotional or display purposes related to the contest.

Judging Procedure

After all entries for the photography and short film competitions have been received, they will undergo the first round of judging, and all successful entries will be posted on this website (scheduled for May 2023). Winners of each award will then be decided after the final round of judging (June 2023). Contest results are scheduled to be announced on this website by September 2023.
The General Public Award will be decided via a popular vote from among works listed above that pass the second round of judging.
Works to be featured in the Nikon Calendar will be judged separately from the above categories after all entries have been received. Entries suitable for the calendar will be decided from among all works taken using Nikon products that were submitted to either of the photography competitions and judged by Nikon employees. Contest results will be announced by contacting the winners.

Notification of Winners

After the judging concludes, the winners will be notified via email sent to their registered email addresses by mid-July 2023.
Winners are requested to access the URL in the award notification email sent by the Nikon Photo Contest Office, and they must accept the terms and conditions and register by the specified date (within 14 days of the sending of the award notification email). Failure to do so might result in disqualification. Winners might also be contacted by telephone or other means if the Nikon Photo Contest Office deems it necessary to confirm any of the information provided, etc.Note: Entrants should notify the organizer of any changes to their email addresses, etc. through My Account on this website. Neither the organizer nor the Nikon Photo Contest Office will accept any liability for any disadvantages that arise for any reason as a result of the inability to receive email or similar problems.

Disclaimers

Entrants will not be notified of the receipt of their entries. Please note that the organizer will not respond to inquiries concerning their receipt.
Entries are only accepted through the Internet.
Entrants must bear all costs incurred by entering the contest.
Entering the contest constitutes agreement to the terms and conditions stated in these Entry Guidelines.
The organizer reserves the right of final judgment concerning items not expressly stated in these Entry Guidelines. Entrants who do not consent to the organizer’s decisions may withdraw from the contest. All costs associated with withdrawal from the contest are to be borne by the entrant.
Please note that the organizer may elect to suspend or postpone receipt of any or all entries if in its judgment the contest cannot be run smoothly, securely, or without affecting the fairness of the judging due to circumstances beyond its control, including but not limited to network failure, computer viruses, or unauthorized access to its servers.
Please note that when a winning work is used for exhibitions and the like stated below, due to circumstances concerning printing or otherwise, the tone or expressed meaning may not be strictly reproduced according to the winner’s intent, or the work may be partially cropped for publicity purposes.
Please note that no response will be given to any inquiries, complaints, or objections regarding the judges’ decisions of the contest.
Prizes may be changed without notice according to our product lineup.
In the event of an international incident or conflict with the laws and regulations of a country, it might take a while to deliver the prize. Alternatively, if the prize is undeliverable to the winner, prize money specified by the organizer might be awarded to the winner instead.

Responsibility

Although entries are handled with the greatest possible care, the organizer will not bear responsibility for accidents, damage, loss, or other problems that occur during data transfer.
The organizer will not bear responsibility for entrant damages, etc. arising from or related to circumstances beyond its control, including but not limited to network failure, computer viruses, or unauthorized access to its servers.
The organizer will not bear responsibility for damages or other harm suffered by entrants as a result of their participation in the contest.
Entrants are required to obtain the prior permission of the persons who are portrayed in their works or who hold the copyright or other intellectual property rights to the works or the items portrayed therein. Entrants also agree to fully indemnify the organizer and bear all responsibility for any complaints or objections that arise in relation to the above.
Entrants agree to fully indemnify the organizer and bear all responsibility for any third-party complaints or objections concerning copyright or other intellectual-property-right infringement or damages arising from submitted works.
If there is a problem related to the similarity of a submitted work to an existing work, etc., the parties involved are responsible for the resolution of that problem. Entrants also agree to fully indemnify the organizer and bear all responsibility for any complaints or objections that arise in relation to the above.
The above limitations also apply to the responsibilities borne by the organizer as well as the judges and third parties participating in the contest in cooperation with the organizer.

Entrants’ Rights

Although entrants retain the copyright and other equivalent rights to their entries, the organizer retains the entry rights listed below under “Organizer’s Rights”.

Organizer’s Rights

The organizer reserves the right to publish entries with the credit titles to its official social networking service accounts throughout the submission period to publicize the contest. Such publication does not guarantee an award of any kind.
The organizer reserves the right to publish all entries with the credit titles onto websites related to the contest and official social networking service accounts after the first round of judging. Some entries might be cropped for publication.
With the objective of publicizing the contest and enriching the general image-making culture, the organizer reserves in perpetuity the non-exclusive right to publish, reproduce, make public, publicly transmit (via social media, the Internet, email newsletters, etc.), display, print, distribute, adapt, and screen winning entries with the credit titles on websites and official social networking service accounts as well as in photo exhibitions, camera-related events, exhibitions, and the corresponding facilities managed or organized by the subsidiaries or affiliates of Nikon Group and local agents authorized by the organizer (collectively called the “organizer, etc.”, a term that includes the organizer) without further compensation to or the additional prior consent of the winners. When winning entries are displayed at exhibitions, etc., displayed entries might be limited depending on the global situation as well as the circumstances in the exhibition area.
The organizer, etc. will display the names of the winners and the titles of the winning entries on contest-related websites and official social networking service accounts, at exhibitions, and in other locations where the works are shown. Entrants are requested to familiarize themselves with the “Privacy Notice”.
Regardless of the above, in cases where the organizer, etc. employs winning entries in whole or in part in images with image effects added, such as computer graphics or collages with winning entries used in whole or in part, videos, or in any other manner in which it is difficult to give credit, on media such as websites managed by the organizer, etc., official social networking service accounts, or posters, tickets, and pamphlets promoting photo exhibitions and other camera-related events, the organizer may not give credit.
The winners agree not to exercise moral rights concerning the use of winning entries by the organizer, etc.
For objectives other than those stated above, upon agreement with the entrant or winner, the organizer reserves in perpetuity the non-exclusive right to publish, reproduce, make public, publicly transmit, display, print, distribute, adapt, and screen entries or winning entries with labels indicating them as entries or winning entries of the contest and the credit titles, without further compensation.
Entries that in the judgment of the organizer do not conform to these Entry Guidelines will be disqualified. Entrants will not be notified in this event.
If a winner is found to be in violation of these Entry Guidelines after a prize is awarded, the award might be revoked and the entrant requested to return the prize.
These Entry Guidelines will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of Japan.
Any disputes between entrants and the organizer will be referred to the Tokyo District Court as the court of first instance having exclusive jurisdiction.