TERMS AND CONDITIONS
For any questions, send us an email at [email protected]
ABOUT
The Greatest Wildlife Photographer – Kenya (“the Competition”) is owned and run by Adam Bannister (“the Organizer”), a not-for-profit company. The Competition is governed by the Terms & Conditions (“the T&Cs”) listed below.
Notwithstanding the checkbox necessary to submit an entry, the payment of the entry fee will be construed as the unconditional acceptance of the T&Cs by an entrant to the Competition.
The Organizer reserves the right to amend the T&Cs at their sole discretion.
DIGITAL MANIPULATION
A basic degree of digital manipulation is allowed, including cropping, sharpening, adjustment of brightness, contrast and colour balance, the retouching of minor elements, black and white conversion, and multiple exposures ‘in camera’ will be accepted.
Composites of montaged images, post-processing filters and other means which manipulate an entry beyond acceptable levels will not be permitted, and the entry will be disqualified and the entry fee forfeited.
The extent of allowable digital manipulation shall be at the Judges’ sole discretion, whose decision in this regard will be final, and guided by whether the image in question accurately and honestly represents the scene – including comparison of the entry and its original, unedited format, which will be called for if deemed necessary.
ELIGIBILITY
The Competition is open to entrants of all ages from all over the world, provided that they have travelled to Kenya themselves, except:
- Where such contests are prohibited by law; and
- For employees of the Organizer or their immediate relations
For the sake of clarity, the Competition is open to employees of all of the Safari Partners and Conservation Partners.
ENTRANT'S UNDERTAKINGS
The entrant undertakes that:
- They took the photograph themself
- They own the copyright to the image and that it does not and will not violate or infringe upon the intellectual property or any other rights of any third party
- They have sought and received permission from any individuals depicted in the image, where applicable
- They did not harm any animal, nor use bait or any baiting mechanism in taking the photograph
- They took the image within the last 24 months from the date of entry
- They took the image within the national borders of Kenya
- They will make available both the original, unedited file and a high-resolution version of the entry, upon request
ENTRY FEE
- Entries are subject to an entry fee of US$10 per image for Kenyans and US$20 for international entrants – payable online as part of the entry submission process
- Kenyan entrants may be asked for proof of residency; if this cannot be provided the entry will be disqualified and the entry fee will forfeited
- Entry fees will be donated in full to the conservation partner nominated during the entry submission process
- It is possible to pay an entry fee on behalf of an entrant, kindly contact the Organizer to make the necessary arrangements
- The Organizer reserves the right to issue vouchers or coupons and accept a limited number of entries without entry fees at their sole discretion
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
- Entries that have been previously entered into other competitions are allowed
- Although entrants can enter as many times as they like – subject to the payment of the entry fee – repeat entries will not be considered
- Entries are acceptable in either landscape or portrait format
- Entries must be free of all visible watermarking
- Entries must be in JPEG format (.jpg)
- Entries must be at least 1,200 pixels wide or tall and not greater in size than 15MB
- Entries that are found to have fraudulent personal information, or are deemed to have violated the T&Cs in any way will be disqualified and the entry fee forfeited
- Entries are only submissible through the online portal on the Competition’s website: thegreatestwildlifephotographerkenya.com
GOVERNING LAW
The Competition, its T&Cs and its relationship between the Competition, the Organizer and the entrant shall be governed by the law of the Republic of Kenya, regardless of the location of the entrant while completing an entry, and regardless of the location of the Judges whilst deciding the winner of the Competition.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
- Each entrant hereby irrevocably and unconditionally grants to the Organizer, without compensation, the perpetual right to use an entry in the marketing, advertising and general promotion of the Competition; including its sponsors and the game reserve itself; worldwide exhibition displays and the publication online or by print
- The Organizer shall retain the rights granted for each entry even if the entry is disqualified for whatever reason
- The entrant shall always be credited by name in each use of the entry, unless on display on the Competition’s website and unless they explicitly ask the Organizer not to do so
- The entrant will retain the copyright of the entry
JUDGING
- The entries will be judged by Piper Mackay, Federico Veronesi, Gurcharan Roopra, and Adam Bannister (collectively, “the Judges”)
- The Judges will act in accordance with the following criteria:
- Overall impression & visual impact – does the entry invoke an emotional response?
- Technical difficulty & execution – balance, focus, lighting, exposure
- Originality, humour & creativity – is the photographer’s message conveyed through their lens?
- Entries of all subject matter will be accepted: landscape, wildlife, portrait, behavioural, documentary, black & white, etc
- Monthly winners will be selected by the Judges from each month’s entries, and these monthly winners will be entered as finalists of the Competition
- The winner of the Competition – The Greatest Wildlife Photographer – Kenya – will be selected from the finalists
- The Judges reserve the right to appoint assistants as necessary, to help them in adjudicating on whether certain qualitative criteria are met, such as focus, composition and format
- If the Judges are unable to reach a unanimous consensus, a simple majority will decide the winner. If there is a tie, a member of the organizing team will be called upon to break the tie
- The Judges decision will be final and binding, and is not subject to appeal
LIABILITY
- The Organizer assumes no responsibility or liability for any inaccurate or incomplete information which may occur in the submission of an entry, either in the form of an error or by omission
- Each entrant hereby agrees to indemnify and hold the Organizer harmless from and against any and all claims, actions and proceedings of any kind, relating to or arising from the loss of income, in respect to royalties, fees and any other monies owing to any person as a result of entry into the competition
PRIVACY
The Organizer will maintain all personal information that is supplied by an entrant in confidence, except to the designated conservation partner of the entry or expressly required by law, and no information will be sold or made known to any other third party.
PRIZES
- The Greatest Wildlife Photographer – Kenya Award: The overall winner of the Competition shall be awarded a cash prize of US$2,500 (two thousand five hundred United States Dollars), as well as a safari package consisting of nine (9) nights’ accommodation for two (2) persons at select Safari Partner locations. The safari will be comprised of three (3) nights’ accommodation at each of three (3) different Safari Partner establishments. The recipient of this award shall be selected from the monthly shortlists compiled throughout the duration of the Competition.
- Second Place Award: The entrant who is awarded second place in the Competition shall receive a cash prize of US$1,500 (one thousand five hundred United States Dollars), and a safari package consisting of six (6) nights’ accommodation for two (2) persons. The safari will be comprised of three (3) nights’ accommodation at each of two (2) different Safari Partner establishments.
- Third Place Award: The entrant who is awarded third place in the Competition shall receive a cash prize of US$1,000 (one thousand United States Dollars), and a safari package consisting of three (3) nights’ accommodation for two (2) persons at a single Safari Partner establishment.
- Category Awards:
- Birdlife Category: The entrant who is selected as the winner of the Birdlife category shall be awarded a cash prize of US$500 (five hundred United States Dollars), as well as a safari package consisting of three (3) nights’ accommodation for two (2) persons.
- Animal Behavior Category: The entrant who is selected as the winner of the Animal Behavior category shall be awarded a cash prize of US$500 (five hundred United States Dollars), as well as a safari package consisting of three (3) nights’ accommodation for two (2) persons.
- People’s Choice Category: The entrant who is selected as the winner of the People’s Choice category shall be awarded a cash prize of US$500 (five hundred United States Dollars), as well as a safari package consisting of three (3) nights’ accommodation for two (2) persons. The winner of the People’s Choice Award will be determined by an Instagram vote open to the public. The top twenty-five (25) images will be posted to the Competition’s Instagram account for the purpose of said vote. The winner of the People’s Choice category will be the highest-ranked image that has not already been selected as one of the top three winners of the Competition.
- Photographer’s Guide Award: The safari guide who facilitated the winning photograph of The Greatest Wildlife Photographer – Kenya will be awarded a prize of US$1,500 (one thousand five hundred United States Dollars) to be used for the purchase of camera equipment. If the winning photographer did not employ a guide, the prize will be awarded to the guide of the second-place winner, and so forth.
- Guides’ Entry Bonus: Each month, the safari guide who has guided the most entrants into the Competition will be awarded a bonus of US$50 (fifty United States Dollars).
Additional Prize Conditions
- Logistical Support: Mackay Africa will provide logistical support to the top three (3) winners of the Competition.
- Prize Selection: The prize packages shall be selected by the winners in a turn-based manner from a variety of options to be provided by the Organizer, such as a selection of safari lodges and camps.
- Safari Prize Sponsorship: All safari prize packages are sponsored by the Safari Partners of the Competition.
- Accommodation: Safari prizes may include accommodations at various safari lodges and camps, as determined by the Organizer.
- Cash Prizes: The cash prize for the overall winner is US$2,500 (two thousand five hundred United States Dollars).
- Total Prize Value: The total value of all prizes to be awarded through the Competition is US$8,500 (eight thousand five hundred United States Dollars).
- Total Awarded Across Categories: A total of US$7,000 (seven thousand United States Dollars) and eighteen (18) safari nights are awarded to the winners of the second and third place prizes, as well as the winners of the Birdlife, Animal Behavior, People’s Choice, and Guide’s Prize categories.
- Guide Awards: Past competitions have awarded winning guides with trips to Victoria Falls in Zambia, and Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Timing of Awards
- Winner Announcement: The overall winner of The Greatest Wildlife Photographer – Kenya Competition will be publicly announced prior to December 25, 2025.
- Awards Ceremony: The Wildlife Photographer of the Year will be announced at an Awards Ceremony to be held in December 2025, with the precise date and location to be determined.
- Competition Entry Period: The Competition entry period will commence at midnight on January 1, 2025, and will conclude at midnight on October 31, 2025, Kenya time (UTC + 3). No late entries will be accepted.
- Monthly Shortlists: The monthly shortlists of entries will be created using only the entries received during that specific month.
- Awards Ceremony Details: The location and time of the awards ceremony are yet to be determined.
Additional Terms
- Prize Changes: The Organizer reserves the right to alter or modify the prizes at their sole discretion.
- Vouchers and Coupons: The Organizer maintains the right to issue vouchers or coupons and to accept a limited number of entries without requiring entry fees, as they deem appropriate.
- Information Accuracy: The Organizer shall not be held responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incomplete information that may occur in the submission of an entry.
- Indemnification: Each entrant agrees to indemnify and hold the Organizer harmless from and against any and all claims, actions, and proceedings of any kind, relating to or arising from the loss of income, in respect to royalties, fees, and any other monies owing to any person as a result of entry into the Competition.
TIMING
- The Competition opens at midnight on the morning of the 1st of January 2025 and closes at midnight on the 31st of October 2025, Kenya time (UTC + 3)
- No late entries will be accepted
The winner will be announced publicly prior to the 25th of December 2025
