Contest Period

February 5th, 2024(Mon)
through
March 13th, 2024(Wed)
23:59 JST

Winner Announcement

The winning works will be announced on the Contest results website, scheduled to open in late April 2024.

*Photos submitted must be entirely your own. In order to check that the submitted photo is the original work of the participant, we will be requesting the shortlisted candidates to submit RAW data or unedited original data that include EXIF data with the shooting date and equipment information. Please be sure to retain the original data of your work.
*Please follow the specified Instagram accounts, as shortlisted candidates will be contacted via Instagram's Direct Message from the contest's campaign account. If you do not follow the account, the campaign office will not be able to notify the candidate and/or the candidate may overlook our DM, resulting in elimination.

Judges

Ōnishi Naruaki

Photographer. Born in Nara Prefecture in 1952. His works focus on the themes of life, aging, illness, and death have earned him numerous honors, including, the Photographic Society of Japan’s Newcomer’s Award, ADC Gold Award, Kodansha Publishing Culture Award, Hayashi Tadahiko Award, and Waseda Journalism Award. Formerly a professor in the Department of Design, Tokyo Zokei University.

Haga Hinata

Photographer. Born in Tokyo in 1956. He is the head of the Haga Library, an archive of photographs and materials related to festivals and folk performing arts. Member of the Japan Professional Photographers Society and the Japan Folk Performing Arts Association. Serves as chief cameraman of DyDo Group Holding’s series Matsuri documenting festivals in Japan and judge for the organization’s Instagram photo contest.

Yamada Shinji

Photographer. Born in Niigata Prefecture in 1959. Member of the Japan Advertising Photographers’ Association. Has photographed leaders in a broad range of fields, including entertainment, sports, and business. Instructor at the Canon EOS School. Formerly served as judge for NHK photo contests.

Nippon.com Editorial Department

Nippon.com is a website that shares Japan with a global audience in eight languages. We publish original content offering diverse views on Japanese society, culture, and more, including in-depth looks at political, economic, and social issues, interviews with movers and shakers in Japan, and photo and video features from around the country.

Tokyo Camera Club

Tokyo Camera Club is one of the largest photo curating communities in Japan. It operates on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Mastodon, where anyone can post photos to be shared and viewed by our fans. Those who just want to stop by and enjoy some beautiful photos are always welcome as well. Tokyo Camera Club may say "Tokyo" but submissions from people living in other cities are, of course, welcome and encouraged!

For inquiries regarding the Contest, please contact the "Tokyo Camera Club Campaign Office." Inquiries not directed to the "Tokyo Camera Club Campaign Office" will not be addressed.

Eligibility

• Participants must have a valid shipping address in Japan.
• Participants must have an Instagram account.
• Participants should be following the Nippon.com Instagram account.
• Participants should be following the Tokyo Camera Club Campaign Instagram account.
• Participants must post their photos with the specified hashtags listed in the Submission Guidelines.
• Participants should have read, understood, and agreed to the Submission Guidelines (including the Use of Personal Information and Disclaimer) upon submitting (posting) to the Contest.
• Participants may use any camera or device to take their photos.
• Participants may submit photos taken in the past.
• Participants may submit edited or retouched photos.
• Participants may submit as many works as they wish.
• Submissions are limited to original works, of which all rights (including copyrights), belong to the participant. Participants may not infringe copyrights by using third-party images posted on external websites and blogs without permission. Submissions that depict images of other persons are limited to those that have cleared publicity rights in advance.
• Participants must not create composite images using free/stock images.
• Participants of any photography levels (amateur or professional), nationality, and age are welcome. Participants under the age of 18 must have prior permission from a parent or guardian. Participants under 18 shall be deemed to have the consent of a parent or guardian upon submission.

*Hashtags may be written in upper or lower case, but only half-width characters will be eligible.
*Private accounts and posts without the specified hashtags will not be eligible for the Contest.
*Please double-check if you have included the specified hashtags in your post. Submissions will not be accepted if the hashtags are included in the comments section.
*Please add the specified hashtags at the time of submission or within 24 hours of submission and during the contest period. Posts that have been posted for more than 24 hours will not be eligible even if you add the hashtags later on.

How to Submit, If you are Shortlisted,
and Winner Announcement

Data Requirements

• Photos developed or edited by digital image processing are eligible.
• Still-images extracted from videos are not eligible.
• Composite images using free/stock images are not eligible.

Number of Submissions

There is no limit to the number of submissions.

Use of Personal Information

• The Contest is organized by the Nippon Communications Foundation, and operated by Tokyo Camera Club Corporation, entrusted by the Nippon Communications Foundation.
• Personal information obtained through the Contest will be strictly managed and will be used only for the following purposes: conducting, managing, and promoting the Contest, as well as other contest-related purposes such as sending notices, managing submissions, exhibiting winning works, and generating non-personally identifiable statistical data within the scope permitted by the Personal Information Protection Law, and for no other purposes. Please acknowledge that any data collected through the Contest (such as EXIF data) will be processed into non-personally identifiable statistical information for analysis, which may be disclosed to third parties such as sponsoring companies.
• Personal information obtained through the Contest will not be disclosed to any third party without the participant's consent, except in the following cases: when entrusting the operation of conducting, managing, and promoting the Contest to a subcontractor, and when required by law.
• Personal information provided by the participants will be shared and used within the following scope.
  
  1. Data to be Used
     Name, address, phone number, e-mail address, etc. provided at time of entry.
  2. Entities that will use the data
     Nippon Communications Foundation
     Tokyo Camera Club Corporation
  3. Purpose of Use
     Personal information provided by the participants will be used only for the following purposes: Contest-related purposes such as sending notices, managing submissions, exhibiting winning works, and generating non-personally identifiable statistical data, as well as conducting, managing, and promoting the Contest.
  4. Personal Information Management
     Nippon Communications Foundation
     See here for more information about Nippon Communications Foundation’s privacy policy.
  5. Subcontractor
     Tokyo Camera Club Corporation
     See here for more information about Tokyo Camera Club Corporation's privacy policy.

Disclaimer

• Participants must provide accurate information when asked. The organizer does not accept any responsibility for the disqualification of submissions, or any damages incurred as a result of the participants' submission of inaccurate information
• Submissions are not limited to previously unpublished works. However, when submitting a work that has won an award in the past or work that is being submitted to another contest, the participant should carefully check the submission guidelines of the past contest to prevent any trouble. Works that have been published by the participant for non-commercial purposes, works posted on participant's social media, blogs, etc., and works displayed at non-juried photo exhibitions are also eligible for submission.
• The copyrights to the works submitted to the Contest belong to the participant.
• Participants cannot withdraw submissions from the Contest once submitted.
• Participants are responsible for saving backups of their works.
• The Tokyo Camera Club Campaign Office cannot accept works (including data stored on storage devices) sent by post mail or directly brought to the campaign office. The campaign office will not return works sent by mail.
• Duplicate awards (where one participant’s multiple entries win more than one prize) are not allowed in this Contest.
• The winners shall allow Tokyo Camera Club Corporation and Nippon Communications Foundation (including third parties authorized by Nippon Communications Foundation) to use, publish, reprint, or broadcast the winning works indefinitely free of charge for public relations activities of Tokyo Camera Club Corporation and Nippon Communications Foundation. With prior notification, all submitted works may be used in the same manner as above. The participant shall not assert any rights based on the author's moral rights against Tokyo Camera Club Corporation and Nippon Communications Foundation.
• Regarding the usage of entries as stated above, submissions may be cropped, edited, or modified using visual effects, music, and sound effects without prior approval from the participant.
• The winners shall allow Tokyo Camera Club (including third parties authorized by Tokyo Camera Club) to use, publish, reprint, or broadcast the winner's name, winning work, and shooting location, indefinitely free of charge for an "application that shares the winner's name, photo, and shooting location" which may be provided to third parties. The winners shall not assert any rights based on the author's moral rights against Tokyo Camera Club and third parties authorized by Tokyo Camera Club.
• Participants shall warrant that they hold all rights, including copyrights and portrait rights to the subject and portraits in their works, or that they have prior permission from the right-holders. It is the sole responsibility of the participants to confirm that their submissions do not infringe the rights of any third party. Participants are responsible for obtaining: permission to use the image of any person depicted in the works; in the case of a minor, permission from the parent or guardian; in the case of shrines, temples, or commercial facilities, prior permission for shooting and submitting to the Contest. Participants may not submit works that include advertisements, signboards, or brand logos. Participants may not submit works that offend public order and morals. Participants may not submit works that show the address of private properties.
• Regarding the provisions in the preceding paragraph, if a third party who has seen the winning submission reports an infringement of copyright or portrait right or an invasion of privacy, the prize may be rescinded after consultation.
• Photographing a third-party work and using it as a material to process or composite an image without permission is an infringement of copyright. Participants must obtain prior consent from the right holders.
• Only photographs taken by the participant using camera equipment (including digital cameras, film cameras, and smartphones) are eligible for entry. Digital processing is allowed, but please be aware that excessive editing, as determined by the organizer, may lead to disqualification or revocation of any prize. The organizer will not provide individual explanations for these decisions, nor will the organizer take liability for related damages.
• Please note that submissions created with the assistance of AI are not accepted. Additionally, if the organizer considers a submission to have been AI-generated, regardless of the actual use of AI, it may be disqualified or any awards may be revoked. As with other rulings, the organizer will not provide individual explanations or assume liability for any related damages.
• Participants shall resolve any disputes with third parties regarding their submission at the participant's cost. Tokyo Camera Club Corporation and Nippon Communications Foundation do not hold any responsibility.
• The organizer may delete a submission without prior notice, or rescind the prize given to a participant who has been deemed to have violated public order and morals, has defamed or caused disadvantage to other participants, or falls under the category of antisocial forces (or its equivalent).
• The Submission Guidelines shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan, and the Tokyo District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction for the first instance over any lawsuit in connection with the Contest, or Submission Guidelines.
• No inquiries will be accepted regarding submissions and the selection of winners.
• Prizes are non-transferable and non-exchangeable for cash.
• Participants shall bear all costs incurred upon submission to the Contest, excluding the award.
• The Tokyo Camera Club Campaign Office may change the items of the Submission Guidelines of the Contest when deemed necessary and implement necessary measures to ensure the proper operation of the Contest.
• Participants entering the Contest shall comply with the management policy of the Tokyo Camera Club Campaign Office and shall not raise any objection to its operation.
• The Contest is organized by Nippon Communications Foundation and conducted by Tokyo Camera Club. Meta Platforms, Inc. and Instagram are not affiliated with the Contest, and do not sponsor, approve, or operate the Contest in any way. Participants are deemed to have agreed that Meta Platforms, Inc. and Instagram have no involvement with the participants' submission and award.
• In no event will Tokyo Camera Club Corporation and Nippon Communications Foundation be liable for any loss or damage arising out of the interruption or termination of Facebook, Instagram, and the Contest. The Contest details may be subject to change without prior notice.
• Affiliates and employees of the organizer or affiliated companies and organizations are not eligible to enter the Contest.