FOCUS ON BELGIUM PHOTO CONTEST - REGULATIONS
What is the theme?
The theme of this fourth edition is The thousand facets of Belgium. You are free to propose your own interpretation of Belgium in a snapshot. It could be taken within our beautiful country or from abroad: the choice is yours, provided that Belgium is shown in an attractive, positive light.
Atmosphere, the colours black, yellow and red, gastronomy, architecture, cultural heritage, fashion... Choose from the thousand different facets of Belgium and let your imagination run wild!
Who is organising the contest?
The Focus on Belgium photo contest is organised by FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation (Rue des Petits Carmes 15, B-1000 Brussels - referred to hereafter as "Foreign Affairs"), more specifically by the Foreign Affairs Communication Directorate.
No telephone calls or correspondence will be entered into on the subject of the rules. Foreign Affairs may make modifications to the regulations at any time by means of a notification on the Focus on Belgium website.
Who can take part?
The contest is open to all natural persons over the age of 18, regardless of their nationality or place of domicile (in Belgium or abroad).
By participating, participants confirm that they accept all the rules and decisions relating to this photography contest.
How can you take part?
Participation in this contest is free of charge. You can submit your photo by email between 25 June 2022 and 15 August 2022 inclusive.
Only colour, digital photos in of the following file types are accepted: .jpg, .jpeg and .png. Photos must be sent in their original format, which must not exceed 8MB, and without date or inscription. Each participant may submit a maximum of one photo, together with the following information: title, date, location and author, via the following email address: focusonbelgium@diplobel.fed.be
Composition of the jury
The jury will be composed of the FPS Foreign Affairs.
Assessment procedure
Foreign Affairs will make a pre-selection from the photos submitted; this pre-selection will then be presented to the jury.
The jury will choose the 20 best photos from this pre-selection, and from these, the winning photo will be awarded the jury prize.
The jury's decision will be considered final; there is no possibility of appeal and no correspondence of any kind will be entered into. During its assessment, the jury will pay particular attention to the following elements: the originality of the photo, its technical quality and the link to the theme "The thousand facets of Belgium".
The 20 best photos will also be presented to the public on social networks (Facebook, etc.). The photo that receives the most "Likes" will win the public prize.
The contestants whose photos have been selected from among the 20 best photos, including the winners of the jury prize and the public prize, will be personally informed of the result.
The winners will be announced at the end of September 2022.
Rights and publication
- The participant guarantees Foreign Affairs that they have personally taken the photograph and that they are the sole author. They also guarantee Foreign Affairs that they alone have all the rights attached to the photo they submit.
- The participant guarantees that they have obtained the permission of the persons photographed and/or the owners of the objects or property photographed, both for taking the photograph and for the use of the photograph in the context of participation in the contest, including publication on social media and on the Focus on Belgium website.
- The participant transfers to Foreign Affairs free of charge the right to reproduce and use the submitted photograph in any external and internal communications for a period of 30 years, worldwide (diplomatic posts) and online, including publication on social media. The photos submitted may also be used by the FPS Chancery of the Prime Minister, the partner of Foreign Affairs, both during and after the contest.
The fact that these rights are transferred is a condition of participation in the contest.
What could you win?
Participants whose photo is selected as one of the 20 best photos
The participants whose photo is selected from among the 20 best photos will receive a package containing exclusive gifts from Foreign Affairs.
Jury prize
The winner of the jury prize will win a gift voucher worth €250, which can be used in a concept store, also accessible online, selling 100% Belgian products.
Public prize
The winner of the public prize will win a gift voucher worth €250, which can be used in a concept store, also accessible online, selling 100% Belgian products.
How to contact us?
If you encounter problems when sending your photo or if you have any other questions about the contest, please contact us by email at focusonbelgium@diplobel.fed.be. Don't forget to mention "Focus on Belgium photo contest 2022" in the subject line.
There will be no correspondence and no discussion regarding the rules, organisation and/or results of the contest.
Disclaimer
By participating in the contest, participants accept all the rules, as well as any modification or decision that Foreign Affairs have to make due to unforeseen circumstances.
The photos and materials submitted will not be returned to participants and will become the property of Foreign Affairs.
Photos that are offensive or show people who have not authorised publication will not be accepted. Photos of a commercial or discriminatory nature will also not be accepted. This list is not exhaustive. A refusal to accept photos will not be subject to appeal, does not require an explanation and will not be the subject of correspondence.
In the event of publication, Foreign Affairs cannot be held liable for any claims or complaints from people appearing in the photos. This liability is assumed by the participant.
Any attempted fraud will be punished by the immediate exclusion of the participant.
By simply participating, each participant automatically and irrevocably authorises the publication of their name and photo, as well as their identification as a participant in the contest, and they waive any rights in this respect.
Foreign Affairs reserves the right to modify, postpone, shorten or cancel the contest or part of the contest if circumstances so require. Foreign Affairs cannot be held liable for the modification or cancellation of the photo contest following a case of force majeure.
Protection of privacy
Preamble
Aware of the importance of ensuring data confidentiality, the FPS Foreign Affairs is strongly committed to the protection of personal data.
As such, the purpose of this data protection notice is to inform you about the commitments and measures taken to ensure the protection of your personal data.
Data collected
We take care to collect only data that is strictly necessary for the purpose of the processing carried out.
Purposes of the collection
Your data is processed for the following purpose: the "Focus on Belgium" photo contest.
This purpose has been brought to the attention of the Data Protection Officer of the FPS Foreign Affairs.
Information for users
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the FPS Foreign Affairs informs you about its processing of personal data. Consequently, the FPS Foreign Affairs informs you:
- of the identity of the controller: The Communication Directorate of the FPS Foreign Affairs, 15 Rue des Petits Carmes, B-1000 Brussels
- of the purpose pursued by the processing operation for which the data are intended. Personal data (surname, first name and e-mail address) are kept by the FPS Foreign Affairs in order to contact the winners of the contest.
- of the mandatory nature of the mandatory answers, and of the possible consequences of a failure to reply.
- of your rights to access, query, modify and rectify the information relating to you, of your right to object on legitimate grounds, of the retention period for the categories of data processed.
Data recipients
The recipients of your personal data are the relevant services of the FPS Foreign Affairs. This is the following service:
The Communication Directorate of the FPS Foreign Affairs is the data controller.
Data storage
The FPS Foreign Affairs only stores your personal data for the time necessary for the operations for which it has been collected and in compliance with the regulations in force. For the 20 winners, the duration is 30 years, as is the use of the transferred photos; for the other participants, the data will be deleted on 31 January 2023.
Your consent
By taking part in this contest, you acknowledge that you have read this privacy notice, accept its contents and expressly consent to the processing of your personal data.
Data security
The FPS Foreign Affairs ensures the security of your personal data by implementing enhanced data protection through the use of physical and IT security measures.
Your rights
In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to access, query, modify and rectify your personal data. You also have the right to object to the processing of your personal data for legitimate reasons.
To exercise your rights, you must send an email to the Data Protection Officer of the FPS Foreign Affairs, accompanied by a scan of your signed identity document, to the following address: dpo@diplobel.fed.be
Contact
If you have any questions regarding our data protection policy, you can write to the Data Protection Officer of the FPS Foreign Affairs at the following e-mail address: dpo@diplobel.fed.be