ABBEY ROAD MUSIC PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS TERMS AND CONDITIONS (“RULES”)
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN.
Promoter:
Virgin Records Limited, t/a Abbey Road Studios of 4 Pancras Square London N1C 4AG (“Promoter”). Promoter’s decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to the Music Photography Awards competition; referred hereafter as the “Competition”.
Jurisdiction:
The Rules shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and the parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English and Welsh courts. Entries are void where prohibited or restricted by law.
Competition Entry Period:
You must submit your entry between 06:00 GMT on 6 June 2023 and 23:59 GMT on 18 July 2023 (“Competition Entry Period”). Entries received after the end of the Competition Entry Period are automatically disqualified.
Eligibility:
• Entrants must be 18 years are over to enter, except for the ‘Hip Hop 50’ category where entrants must be 25 years or over to enter.
• All entries must be taken using a camera device, entrants must own the copyright to their submitted entries and any computer generated images or images created by a generative AI platform are ineligible for submission into the Competition.
• Entrants must have one of the following as their country/region of residence: Argentina , Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K., U.S.
• In entering the Competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win. The Promoter may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the Competition.
• Employees of the Promoter and its respective parent company, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotion agencies, and any other individual or company involved in the development or execution of the Competition and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household of each are not eligible to enter or win.
Categories for Submission:
The Competition comprises of 6 (six) categories. You may submit the same photos in multiple categories. Where submitting a photo in multiple categories please ensure the photo meets each categories requirements for submission. Failing to meet a category submission requirement will result in your submission being invalid for that category. If you submit an entry in an incorrect category, it cannot be amended or altered after submission.
Each entry must be a photograph taken between 1st January and 31st December 2022 except for the ‘Hip Hop 50’ category where an entry may be a photograph taken between 1st January 1973 and 31st December 2022.
Each Entrant will be required to provide the following:
- A description of the photographs, including when and where taken;
- Information on which camera device was used; and
- The context for capturing the photograph/s.
‘LIVE MUSIC PHOTOGRAPY AWARD’ (Sponsored by Philips)
• Entrants must be 18 years or older.
• Submissions must be of images related to live music.
• A minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 photographs must be submitted for this category.
• Where an Entrant is successful, the Submissions Panel will choose one of their photographs to go forward to the Judging Panel.‘STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY’
• Entrants must be 18 years or older.
• Submissions must be of images related to recorded music.
• A minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 photographs must be submitted for this category.
• Where an Entrant is successful, the Submissions Panel will choose one of their photographs to go forward to the Judging Panel.‘UNDERGROUND SCENES’
• Entrants must be 18 years or older.
• Submissions must be of images related to underground music scenes.
• A minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 photographs must be submitted for this category.
• Where an Entrant is successful, the submissions panel will choose one of their photographs to go forward to the Judging Panel.‘UNDISCOVERED PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR’ (Sponsored by adidas)
• Entrants must be 18 years or older.
• Submissions must include 5 photographs to be considered.
• Where an Entrant is Successful in this category the Submissions Panel will submit all 5 photographs to go before the Judging Panel.‘MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR’ (Sponsored by Outernet)
• Entrants must be 18 years or older.
• 3 photos must be submitted for this category. The Entrant shall select one photograph as their ‘Music Moment of the Year’.
• All photographs in your submission will be considered for the category award. If you are successful, the Submissions Panel will choose one of the submitted photographs to go forward to the Judging Panel.
• The Judging Panel determines which photographs will be put forward to the final round. The winner is then selected by public vote.‘ HIP HOP 50’(Sponsored by Hennessy)
• Entrants must be 25 years or older to enter this category.
• All entrants must have no known issues of alcohol or drug abuse, or history of misconduct due to alcohol
• All entrants must have no current affiliations to or partnerships with any other alcohol brands
• Entries must not contain any material which:
o features any individual who is or who looks under 25;
o is defamatory of any person;
o promotes irresponsible consumption or handling of alcohol.
• A minimum of 3 and maximum of 5 photographs must be submitted for this category.
• Submissions must be of photographs related to Hip Hop music/culture.
• The photographs submitted must have been taken between 1st January 1973 and 31st December 2022.
• All photographs in your submission will be considered for the category award. If you are successful, the Submissions Panel will choose one of the submitted photographs to go forward to the Judging Panel.
Photographs:
Photographs must be between 1MB and 5MB in file size and should be submitted in JPEG, PNG, or GIF file format only. Photographs may be tested using AI detection software. You must be able to provide a print-quality 300 DPI image file if your photograph is selected for shortlisting or as a winner. Any entry that cannot be authenticated, is found to have been computer generated or created by a generative AI platform, or is not of an acceptable quality will be disqualified.
You must be the sole copyright owner of the photograph(s) and the photograph(s) must not infringe any right of any third party. The photograph(s) must be taken between 00:01 on 1st January 2022 to 23:59 on 31 December 2022 for all categories except for ‘Hip Hop 50’ where submissions from 1st January 1973 – 31 December 2022 will be accepted.
Photographs must not contain material which is:
• discriminatory, obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory;
• contains sexually explicit material;
• promotes illegal activity.
You may be required to submit a waiver form for anyone featured in the photograph. The waiver will state that you have full permission to enter the Competition and reproduce an image of the person/s featured in the photograph. If a selected photograph contains an image of a minor (person under the age of 18) then you will be required to submit a minor release form signed by the parent or legal guardian of the minor at Promoter’s request.
Registration:
There is no fee to enter the Competition and no purchase is necessary. You must visit https://abbeyroadmusicphotographyawards.com/apply/register (“Website”) and follow all onscreen instructions to register for an account by entering your name, email address and country.
After registering your email address, you will receive an automatic registration email to verify your account. You must follow the submission instructions contained on the Website and upload your images directly to the Website through an upload portal (“Your Application”).
After clicking “Submit”, you are officially entered into the pool of eligible entries and accept these Rules.
Judging Criteria:
The decision of the judges is final and no discussion or correspondence can be entered into at any time. The Promoter reserves the right to vary the prizes or not to make any award. Judges reserve the right to move entries from one category to another.
The Competition is judged, on an equal basis. The submission panel and the judges will select nominees and winners across the categories according to the Judging Criteria, including subject matter, technical skills, approach, creativity, relevance to category and narrative. The final round of judging is conducted on an anonymous basis.
Winner Selection:
The entries will be shortlisted by a select Submissions Panel of three (3) judges who will shortlist between 10-15 entries per category. The Submissions Panel will forward the shortlisted submissions for each category to the Judging Panel.
The Judging Panel, consisting of nine (9) creatives and photographers, will be appointed by Promoter to create a list of up to five (5) nominees from the shortlist of each category. Nominees will be contacted by 23rd of August 2023 via the email address provided when submitting their entry and via the contact number provided during entry to inform them their entry has been nominated. If a nominee does not respond to the Promoter by email reply within 2 days of being notified by the Promoter, then the nominee will be deemed to have forfeited their nomination, and the Promoter will be entitled to select another nominee in accordance with the process described above. All nominees will be required to sign an acknowledgment confirming their acceptance of these Rules.
Judges will select 1 winner from the nominees for each category and the winners will be announced and prizes awarded to the winners at an awards ceremony in London on 21 September 2023 (“Ceremony”). Details of the Ceremony will be sent to nominees via email, who will have the option to attend the Ceremony, if they wish, at the nominees’ sole cost and expense. Winners who are unable to attend the Ceremony shall be notified via email within 72 hours of the Ceremony that they have won and arrangements to provide them with their Prize will be made within thirty (30) days after the Ceremony (where posting and packaging of the prize is necessary, this will be covered by the Promoter).
Prizes:
The prize details are outlined by category below. Prizes are non-transferable and cannot be exchanged. Promoter reserves the right, to substitute the whole or part of any listed prize with an alternative of equal monetary value or equal publicity value. Prizes must be claimed within one year of the winner notification.
‘LIVE MUSIC PHOTOGRAPY AWARD’ (Sponsored by Philips)
• 1 x OLED+ 908 TV sound by Bowers & Wilkins 55”‘STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY’
• 1 x technical equipment and accessories prize‘UNDERGROUND SCENES’
• 1 x four (4) week virtual mentorship with Abbey Road Studios Photographer in Residence Simon Wheatley‘UNDISCOVERED PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR’ (Sponsored by adidas)
• 1 x photographer development prized tailored to the winner‘MUSIC MOMENT OF THE YEAR’ (Sponsored by Outernet)
• 1 x one (1) week take over of the Pop Two space on the world- famous screens at the Outernet, to showcase an exclusive exhibition in the heart of central London, UK‘ HIP HOP 50’(Sponsored by Hennessy)
• 1 x trip to Cognac, France for the winner with a guided tour around the home of Hennessy, going behind the scenes of the Maison where Hennessy has been crafting one-of-a kind Cognacs for over 250 years.
• This prize is exclusively fulfilled by Hennessy. Prize includes 1 x return flight, 3 x nights accommodation and transfer costs for the winner.
• The winner is responsible for ensuring that their passport, visa, and any other travel documents are valid and up to date and Hennessey will not be liable to arrange another trip should the winner not have the appropriate documentation.‘RANKIN MENTORSHIP’
The winner of this prize will be selected by Rankin from the Submission Panel’s shortlists across the six (6) categories. The winner will be selected based on the subject matter, technical skills, approach, creativity, and narrative. The prize includes:
• 1 x One-to-one mentorship session with Rankin.
• 1 x portfolio review session with Rankin’s Creative Agency.
• An opportunity to tour the studio and shadow Rankin on a Hunger Magazine shoot, both of which will take place in London, UK.
• The prize includes 1 x return flights, 3 x nights accommodation and transfer costs for the winner. Full details on dates and travel arrangements will be provided to the winner.
• The winner is responsible for ensuring that their passport, visa, and any other travel documents are valid and up to date and Promoter will not be liable to arrange another trip should the winner not have the appropriate documentation.
By submitting an entry, you also accept and agree to adhere to and be bound by (i) these Rules, including all eligibility requirements; (ii) the decisions of Promoter and the independent judges, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Competition; and (iii) any terms and conditions, rules, regulations or protocols put in place by the prize sponsors in order to take up the prize.
Intellectual Property:
Ownership of the copyright in any entry submitted to the Competition will remain with the copyright owner(s).
Only with regards to any photograph you submit, in consideration of the sum of £1 (receipt and sufficiency hereby acknowledged and agreed) without need of further payment unless stated otherwise, you hereby grant Promoter and its affiliates, sublicensees and sponsors the right, in perpetuity to:
(i) reproduce and exhibit the photograph(s) at the Ceremony or any exhibition held by the Promoter to promote the Competition;
(ii) use each of the photograph(s), your name (or the photographer’s name) and likeness (or photographer’s likeness) in any medium to publicize and promote the Competition and/or the Ceremony inclusive of paid media advertising;
(iii) sublicence the photograph(s) to any sponsor of the Competition to use to promote and celebrate the Competition in any medium (solely in a promotional context);
Promoter will credit you for any of the uses outlined above. Failure to credit you will only require Promoter to add such credit, where reasonable and practical, upon notice.
Where the Promoter or any of its affiliates, sublicensees or sponsors wish to commercially exploit the photograph(s) in any manner not explicitly referred to herein, Promoter will seek your permission in advance and provide you with an appropriate license (terms to be agreed between the parties). Examples include merchandising, commercial sale of the photograph(s), third party licensing, ticketed third party exhibitions and books.
You acknowledge that entry into the Competition does not grant any rights in relation to any names, logos or other intellectual property connected to or owned by Promoter, Promoter’s affiliates and sponsors or the Competition (including without limitation the name “Abbey Road” or “Abbey Road Studios”). You agree not to make any public statement using such names, logos or other intellectual property without Promoter’s prior written consent.
Liability:
Except where expressly stated elsewhere in the Rules and to the fullest extent permitted by law, Promoter will not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by you in relation to the Competition, the use of your photograph(s) or entry in accordance with these Rules or the use of any prize. This exclusion shall include but not be limited to liability for any loss of or damage to any entry, liability for the misuse of images.
Insofar as is permitted by law, the Promoter, shall not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate a winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of the Promoter. Your statutory rights are not affected.
You shall indemnify Promoter against all damages, liabilities and expenses which may be suffered or incurred by Promoter, as a result of, or in connection with your entry into the Competition being in breach of these Rules, provided such damages, liabilities, costs and expenses are not caused by the negligence of Promoter and provided that you shall only be liable under such indemnity to the extent of an adverse judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction or a settlement reached with the indemnifying party’s approval (such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed).
Promoter shall not be in breach of these Rules nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations under these Rules if such delay or failure results from events, circumstances or causes beyond its reasonable control. In such circumstances, Promoter shall be entitled to a reasonable extension of the time for performing such obligations. If the period of delay or non-performance continues for 1 week, Promoter may terminate the contract with you, created by these Rules, by giving you 14 days' written notice.
Personal Information & Privacy:
Any personal information provided hereunder will be subject to Promoter’s Privacy Policy which can be found at https://privacy.umusic.com (“Privacy Policy”) note that Promoter is a “UMG Company” as referred to in the Privacy Policy. Promoter will collect, process and use the data provided concerning the Participant for purposes of management of the Competition.
Disclaimers:
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for competition entries that are not successfully completed, lost, or delayed invalid, unintelligible or misdirected in transit due to any technical malfunction, systems, satellite, network, server, computer hardware, software or any other equipment failure.
Failure to comply with these Rules may result in disqualification from the Competition. In its absolute discretion, the Promoter reserves the right to permanently disqualify any person it believes has intentionally violated these Rules.
The Promoter reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the Competition and the Ceremony where it becomes necessary to do so.
If any provision or part-provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, it shall be deemed deleted, but that shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the rest of these Terms.