1. Organiser of the Contest

Birdo Nature Conservation Association (registered office: 1136 Budapest, Raoul Wallenberg utca 5.; registration number: 01-02-0018000) organise an online photo contest (hereinafter: Contest) under the following terms and conditions.

The Contest is organised by Birdo Nature Conservation Association

In order to carry out the Contest, the Organiser draws up the following Rules of Participation (hereinafter: Rules).

2. Participants in the Contest

2.1. Any natural person can participate in the Contest who applies until 16 June 2024 upon invitation by the Organiser and uploads his/her own contest material in the categories corresponding to the Organiser's call, on the website created by the Organiser for this purpose, at the https://bird-o.hu url address, via his/hers registered account (hereinafter: Participant). The prior consent of the legal representative (hereinafter Representative) is required for the participation of a person above the age of 14 with limited legal capacity. A legal representative (hereinafter: Representative) may act on behalf of an incapacitated person under the age of 14. The term Participant hereinafter also covers the Representative acting on behalf of the Participant.

2.2. The Participant acknowledges that the Organiser does not have the opportunity to examine the existence of the legal capacity of the persons concluding the contract or their ability to conclude the contract. In view of this, the Organiser excludes its full liability for damage and legal disputes arising from the incapacity of the Participant to conclude the contract. The Participant expressly acknowledges and accepts this provision.

2.3. The following persons may not participate in the Contest: the Organiser, the 7-member professional jury, whose members include a renowned nature photographer and ornithologist (hereinafter the Jury), the employees, agents or contributors of the Organiser, and the relatives of the Jury members specified in section 8:1 (2) of the Civil Code.

3. Conditions for submitting the Application:

3.1. The Participant or the Representative of a minor aged Participant may apply for the Contest by submitting an application, providing his/her data (name, e-mail address, telephone number) for registration, accepting the documents specified in point 3.3 and uploading the application material. The Participant can only apply with his/her own photos, with a subject that can be matched to the categories indicated by the Organiser. Each Participant can register once. Participants registering more than once will be excluded from the Contest.

3.2. Deadline: the application material can be uploaded by 16 June 2024. until midnight (GMT+1).

3.3 How to submit an application: the photo/photos must be uploaded in .jpeg format after registering on the https://bird-o.hu website under Upload menu point.

For the Application, the Participant or, in the case of a minor participant, the Representative, must accept 

• a) the General Terms and Conditions of the Contest, including the copyright statement
• b) and the privacy notice of the Contest.

3.4. The Participants can apply by categories.

Adult Participants (who are above the age of 21 at the deadline of the application) can apply any means of takeing the photos in 7 categories, with 3 photos per category, with maximum 21 photos, i.e. with an application material.

Photographs can be submitted in the Youth category by those who are under the age of 21 at the expiry of the application deadline, with a portfolio of maximum 10 bird photos in any subject that is also included in the adult category. Thus, the Participant can participate in the contest with a total of 10 photos.

The Open Format category is open to everyone in terms of age, here the Organiser only accepts photos that do not have an original RAW or DNG raw file, but must have its original JPG file with a minimum resolution of 10 megapixels. Participant can submit a total of 3 photos here.

The Conservation category is also open to everyone in terms of age, applications can be submitted here with a series of 3-8 photos, and the Organiser accepts one series of photos from one Participant. Photos with or without an original RAW or DNG raw file are allowed here, In case of a JGP original it must have a minimum resolution of 10 megapixels.  megapixels.

3.5.Requirements on the photos:

Images must have been taken no earlier than 1 January 2018. Timely restriction does not apply to the Conservation category, so images taken before 2018 can also be submitted provided that at least one image shot after 1 January 2018 must be included into the photo series.

Images submitted to previous editions of Birdo contests cannot be submitted to the competition again.

The Organiser only accepts photos 

• that were made based on the principle of ethical bird photography (they depict a wild bird photographed in a natural habitat, taking the photo does not interfere with the natural life of the birds, e.g.: nest photography, drone photography is prohibited.)
• that are not manipulated with photo editing software (except for the creative category). The following is permitted: software correction for photo quality (brightness, contrast, sharpness, shadows/highlights, colour balance adjustment, uniform, minimal colour correction of the entire photo, exposure correction, cropping the photo up to 50%), and HDR and panorama photos from combining multiple shots, aggregated images as well as the correction of technical defects and lens defects.
• that are individual photos, series are accepted by the Organiser only in the Conservation category 
• that also exist in RAW or DNG raw file format and are made available by the Participant to the Organiser in the event of a second round (except for the Open Format and Story-tellingcategories),
• that are high-resolution, sRGB colour space, JPEG photo file photos saved in the best quality (Photoshop, jpg options: quality = 12), the file size cannot exceed 5 megabytes,
• that contain all the available EXIF data,
• that were not made by interpolating/enlarging a smaller size photo
• the photos may not contain advertising or offensive, shocking or law-infringing content.

The title of the photo and the means of taking the photo must be given by the Participant simultaneously with uploading.

One photo can only be submitted in one category. Uploded photos cannot be modified or replaced after the entry period has closed. The Participant may enter a category with a maximum of 3 photos, except for the Conservation category, where a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 photo series must be uploaded, and the Youth category, where a maximum of 10 photos may be submitted. In the Story-telling category a Participant can submit one series.

3.6. Participation in the Contest is free of charge.

3.7. By participating in the Contest, the Participant declares and assumes responsibility that s/he is the author of the uploaded photos and thus s/he has an unlimited right to use the photos. The Participant further declares that third parties do not have any rights over the photos uploaded by him/her that prevent him/her from participating in this Contest and from using the photos.

4. Process of the Contest, evaluation

4.1. Those Participants will be excluded from the Contest who:

• upload a photo that violates ethical principles,
• do not submit self-made photos,
• register with more than one username,
• do not accept the terms of these Rules in whole or in part.

4.2. If a photo has been submitted that does not comply with any rule of the Contest, the Organiser will exclude the photo from the Contest and will delete it.

4.3. If the Organiser learns at any time during the Contest that the Rules of Participation were violated (including in particular the accuracy of the information provided during the application, the authenticity of the photo, respect for other copyrights and compliance with ethical bird photography), the Organiser reserves the right to exclude the participant or the photo also subsequently as well as to delete it from the Contest and to withdraw any awarded prize.

4.4. If there are not at least 10 photos in one category, the Organiser reserves the right to transfer the photos submitted in the relevant category to another category and not to publish results in that category. The Participants in the relevant category will be notified about this fact.

4.5. The materials submitted to the Contest will be judged by a 7-member professional jury.

The photos submitted to the Contest are published on the https://bird-o.hu website, and the photos taken to the second round also appear on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the Contest, from which the winner evaluated by audience votes will be selected. 

The Participant acknowledges that the Organiser does not indicate the author of the photo until the announcement of the results due to the fact that the Jury evaluates the submitted photos anonymously, without knowing the name and the details of the Participant. If the Participant requests to indicate his/her name during the process, this is considered as a withdrawal of his/her Application.

Participants who submitted photos taken to the second round receive an e-mail notification that the original file of the contest photo should be uploaded to the registration platform by the specified date and the following information should be given:     

• a brief introduction of the applicant (maximum 800 characters): since when has s/he been dealing with photography, why has s/he started taking photos, why is s/he interested in birds.
• for the photo series submitted in the Story-telling category, a detailed description (maximum 500 characters) of what project is presented by the series.

Failure to comply with the deadline specified in the call for entry into the second round results in a loss of rights, it is not possible to make corrections, and the failure of upload results in the withdrawal of participation in the Contest.

Photos that did not make it to the second round will be deleted from the Organiser’s website and its admin interface.

4.6. Time of announcing the results of the Contest: November 2024

4.7. The results of the Contest will be announced on the https://bird-o.hu website

5. Prizes

Category prizes

• First prize: Coupon worth HUF 80,000
• Second prize: Coupon worth HUF 50,000
• Third prize: Coupon worth HUF 20,000

Grand prizes

• Bird photographer of the year (who presents outstanding work in most categories): travel/watch pass
• Young bird photographer of the year (under 18, who presents the most varied and high-quality portfolio): training/travel
• Birdo Bird Photo of the Year (nominated by the Jury): training/coupon

Special prizes

• Special prizes offered by the sponsors will be announced on the Organiser’s website until the Awards Ceremony.

Publication opportunities for prize winners and submitters of highly rated photos

• showcasing prize-winning and highly rated photos across the country
• appearance on the Birdo website and social media platforms, presentation of the winners
• media appearance 

The Organiser reserves the right to change the content – but not the value – of the prizes until the end of the deadline for submitting the applications.

6. Delivery of the prizes

6.1. Winners can collect their prizes at the award ceremony in Budapest in November 2024. It winner is unable to attend, the Organizer will deliver their prize as follows: the trophy will shipped by mail or courier, while the certificate will be emailed digitally. Winners who attend the award ceremony will receive a complimentary Birdo album. For those unable to attend, the album is available, but shipping costs will apply, or they can pick it up at the given address in Budapest (1136 Budapest, Pannónia utca 19., Bio Bárka bolt).

7. Personal income tax

The Organiser undertakes to reimburse to the Participant the personal income tax charged on the prizes as well as any additional taxes and contributions that may incur in connection with the gift.

8. The rights of the Organiser

The Organiser states that it is not obligatory to report the Contest to the Gaming Supervision Department of the Tax Authority under the provisions of Act XXXIV of 1991 on gambling.

The Organiser is unilaterally entitled to exclude the Participant from the Contest in all cases where it is proved that the Participant takes part in the Contest in breach of these Rules.

None of the Organiser or the companies participating in organising the Contest shall be liable and exclude all claims for indemnification or compensation for any costs arising from, or related to the Contest, any errors, omissions, malfunctions of the Contest, delays during the Contest; for damage, losses, including liability for damage caused to the Participant intentionally or through gross negligence.

The Organiser shall not be liable for any claims arising from the incorrect provision of data by the Participant or by the Representative (e.g. mistyped data).

Furthermore, the Organiser does not take any responsibility for the prizes received. Apart from delivering the prizes and reimbursing the related taxes, the Organiser does not assume any further liability for the prizes. The Organiser does not undertake any guarantee or warranty with regard to the prizes.

9. Copyright provisions

The use, publication, distribution, modification or transmission of any content related to the Contest is prohibited without the prior and express approval of the Organiser. 

By accepting these Rules of Participation, the Participant consents irrevocably and free of charge that his/her uploaded photographs are used by Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year without limitation in time and geographical scope, as follows:

• in connection with the photo contest, on its own platforms (www.birdo-azevmadarfotosa.hu, www.bird-o.hu, birdphotocontest.eu), on the Facebook and Instagram pages of the photo contest as advertising material.
• for the own advertising of Birdo Bird Photographer of the Year, for publications displaying the company (including their reproduction and distribution opportunity), for press releases, in albums, at exhibitions,
• for publication on the internet and in social networking sites (including conversion to the format of each channel),
• for use in other publications and for use of press releases by third parties and
• for presenting the activities of Birdo – Bird Photographer of the Year.

In connection with publishing the submitted photos, the Organiser indicates the full name of the Participant as author.
The Participant assigns to the Organiser irrevocably, free of charge, without territorial or temporal limitation, non-exclusively, completely and without restriction, all of his/her financial rights to the photos submitted to the Contest under Act LXXVI of 1999 on copyrights (Copyright Act), in respect of all the forms of use listed therein: for using the photo in its entirety or any identifiable part thereof in any form, including reproduction, publication, communication of the photo to the public, retransmission, distribution, public performance and authorisation for all forms of use. The right of use also means that the Organiser may grant the right to use the photo to third parties free of charge or against a fee.

The author retains the right to freely dispose of the work.

By attending the Contest, the Participant declares that:

• if the photograph that s/he sends depicts persons, it is solely his/her own photo or the photo of persons who have consented to taking the photo and submitting it to this Contest,
• the photo sent by him/her was taken by the Participant or s/he has the unlimited right to use the photo and to permit this right,
• the photo does not contain trademarks or trade names of third parties, other protected works, copyrighted works,
• the photo does not infringe the copyrights or other legally protected rights and lawful interests of third parties,
• the photo does not feature any other content that is prohibited by law or other regulation.

The Participant acknowledges that s/he is responsible for all personal and copyright infringements caused by taking or publicly displaying the photos that are part of his/her Application, including financial liability for such infringements. In the event of an obvious infringement, the Organiser may exclude the Participant from the Contest and may demand compensation for the damage caused.

By accepting the information on participation, the Participant or the Participant's Representative indemnifies the Organiser against all claims of third parties arising from the infringement of privacy rights or copyrights.

10. Reservation of rights

The Organiser reserves the right to amend these Rules, suspend, hold, terminate, prohibit the Contest, cancel or postpone the announcement of results in cases where it is impossible to carry out the Application due to reasons beyond the Organiser's control, especially in cases of force majeure. Force majeure covers all cases that occur after the announcement of the Contest and which are of an extraordinary nature and their occurrence could not have been foreseen by the Organiser or could not have been avoided by any reasonable measures, e.g.: natural disaster, military acts, war, official acts of authorities, epidemic, quarantine or any other epidemiological or public health restriction or measure and any other circumstance that is beyond the control of the Organiser. The Organiser shall assume no liability as a result of modification, suspension, hold, termination, prohibition as well as from the cancellation or postponement of the announcement of results pursuant to this paragraph, and the Organiser excludes all compensation related to any damage and costs arising from the above.

11. Information about the Contest

(a) Information about the Contest can be found on the https://bird-o.hu website.

12. Rules on processing personal data and on data supply
The privacy notice about the prize contest is available here.

Birdo Association
Organiser