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FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium

Poster FAO Brussels Youth Photo Contest (1)

Terms and Conditions

Updated 3 June 2025. Contact the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels for any needed clarifications. 

WHO CAN TAKE PART? 

The Contest is open to Belgian residents (“Entrants”) aged 11-18 at the time of submission (proof of age must be presented upon request). Participants must have the consent of a parent or legal guardian to enter the contest if under the age of 18.

HOW CAN I TAKE PART? 

Participation is free of charge. 

The entry period will begin at 12:00 (CEST) on 22 April 2025 and will close at 23:59 (CET) on 10 September 2025. Entries received after the deadline will not be considered. 

Entrants may submit up to five (5) original photographs using separate submissions for each photo.  

Participants are asked to submit: 

I. A photo ("Submission") that relates to their interpretation of the theme ‘Foods in Our Lives’. This can include (but is not limited to) food, its connections to culture, sustainability, and nourishment. Submissions can include images of food items, diverse cuisines, local food markets, sustainable farming practices, or meals shared with others. 

II. The completed online entry form in Dutch, English, or French, including a description of the photo's context

All entries must adhere to the technical requirements listed below. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES 

  • Format: JPEG or JPG (sRGB or Adobe RGB color profile). 
  • Resolution: Minimum width of 3000 pixels; 300 dpi recommended. 
  • File Size: Individual images must not exceed 5 MB. 
  • Editing: Basic adjustments for contrast, brightness, or cropping are permitted only when the raw image file can be provided upon request. Content of the image (adding, moving, or removing elements) must not be altered. No artificially generated images through AI are allowed. 
  • Overlays: No watermarks, timestamps, text overlays, or logos should appear on the photo. 
  • Entrants are encouraged to include metadata information in the IPTC fields within the images (description, location, date photo was taken, name of photographer)

Entrants must complete the online entry form, providing:

  • A short description of each submitted photo (what it depicts and how it relates to the theme). 
  • The location where the photo was taken. 
  • Confirmation that all necessary permissions (including parental/guardian consent where required) have been obtained.

JUDGING AND SELECTION 

Criteria: All Submissions will be evaluated based on the following: 

  • Originality 
  • Relevance to the Theme 
  • Artistic Value

Judging Panel: A panel of judges composed of photography experts and representatives from FAO will evaluate the submissions. 

Selection of Winners: 

  • FAO reserves the right to decline awarding a prize if no entries meet a minimum standard of quality or to select additional winners at its discretion. 
  • All decisions by the judging panel are final and binding.

PRIZES 

  • First Prize: A voucher to participate at a photography course/workshop, recognition on FAO Brussels' website and social media channels, promotion of the photo on the World Food Forum website, certificates of participation, and participation in a photo exhibition in Belgium (more details about the photo exhibition to be provided soon). 
  • Winners Announcement: Winners will be notified by 30 September 2025 via the contact details provided.

Prizes cannot be substituted, replaced, exchanged for cash, or transferred to other people. 

Contact and More Information 

For additional information regarding the FAO Brussels Youth Photo Contest 2025 - Foods in Our Lives, please contact: 

FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium 
Email: [email protected] 
Website: www.fao.org/brussels/photo-contest-fol25/en 

GENERAL CONDITIONS 

1. No fees will be paid for submission or use of the winning photo entries.

2. FAO reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who does not comply with these Terms and Conditions or tampers with the entry process.

3. FAO is not responsible for any submissions not received due to internet or technical failures.

4. Legal Framework: FAO’s privileges and immunities remain in place and unaffected by these conditions. 

GENERAL TERMS 

1. FAO reserves the right to disqualify submissions that are inconsistent with the Organization’s values and guiding principles.

2. FAO also reserves the right to verify the eligibility of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant’s identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with the Contest Rules, including these Rules, Copyright, and Privacy, or who tampers with the entry process.

3. FAO will not pay any fees, nor pay any costs relating to participation in any contest or for the use of any submissions in relation to the contest.

4. No logos, URLs, telephone numbers, or calls that solicit directly for monetary donations should be included in any material.

5. FAO will not be responsible, and cannot be held liable, for incomplete, lost, late, misdirected or illegible entries or for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or for any human error, lost/delayed data transmission, or any other error or malfunction.

6. By submitting entries to the contest, entrants agree that personal data, especially name and address, may be processed, shared, and otherwise used in accordance with the FAO Data Protection Policy. The data will be used for the purposes and within the context of the contest, FAO institutional activities, and any other purposes outlined in these Rules, and it may also be used by FAO in order to verify the entrant's identity, address and telephone number or to otherwise verify the entrant's eligibility to participate in the contest.

7. Nothing in these General Rules or in any rules for the contests, nor any acts performed or statements made in relation to the contests, shall be deemed a waiver, express or implied, of any of the privileges and immunities of FAO.

8. FAO employees and their immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter the contest. FAO will determine eligibility at its sole discretion.

9. Partners or relations of partner staff of the institutions involved in the launch of contests, and relations of the judging committee, are not eligible to compete.

COPYRIGHT AND PRIVACY 

10. Entrants must own the copyright to the material they submit to the contest. If Submissions contain images of a person or persons, Entrants must have obtained the written permission of those persons, or if such person or persons are under the age of 18, of their respective parent or legal guardian, for submission of their photo to the Contest, as well as for the use of the photo as described herein. FAO will not be responsible for any claims or complaints alleging violation of the personal data of third parties.

11. The entrant declares that, to the best of his/her knowledge, no third party can claim any rights on the materials submitted.

12. FAO will not seek additional approvals in connection with the use of the material and will not be responsible for any claim or complaint alleging violation of the rights of third parties.

13. Copyright of the material remains with the entrants. By entering the contest, entrants grant an irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, exclusive license to FAO to reproduce, distribute, display, and create derivative works of the entries (along with a photo credit) in connection with the contest and the promotion of FAO’s work, in, amongst others:

  • FAO corporate website: www.fao.org
  • Corporate videos or digital recordings to illustrate the work of the Organization
  • Printed FAO publications, brochures, or posters
  • Social media channels, including the promotion of the contest itself
  • Any other media used by FAO to communicate.

ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS 

By submitting photographs to this Contest, each entrant (and their parent or legal guardian if under 18) confirms that they have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions. 

Contact and More Information 

For additional information regarding the – FAO Brussels Youth Photo Contest 2025 - Foods in Our Lives -, please contact: 

FAO Liaison Office with the European Union and Belgium 
Email: [email protected] 
Website: https://www.fao.org/brussels/en 

End of Terms & Conditions