Photo Competition Entry Guideline

Theme: “Inspire”

(1) Single Photo Category

Entry format: single photo
Any photography equipment can be used

(2) Photo Story Category

Entry format: photo story (2-5 photos)
Any photography equipment can be used

Grand Prize

Single Photo1 person
Photo Story1 person

Prizes
Prize money of 500,000yen (Japanese yen),
Z8, NIKKOR Z lens^*2

Excellence Award

Single Photo2 person
Photo Story2 person

Prizes
Z6IIl, NIKKOR Z lens^*2

Special Encouragement Award

Single Photo3 person
Photo Story3 person

Prizes
Zfc, NIKKOR Z lens^*2

General Public Award^*1

1 person

Prizes
Z50, NIKKOR Z lens^*2

Rewards

・ Publication in Nikon Film and Photo Contest Web Gallery
・ Work featured on official Facebook
・ Work featured on official Instagram
・ Shared activities throughout the year
・ Exhibition at venues operated by Nikon

*1：General Public Award winners will be selected by popular vote on works that pass the second round of judging.
*2：Lenses and accessories will be products designated by Nikon.

In addition to the above, works for inclusion in the 2026/2027 Nikon Calendar will be selected from the works taken with Nikon cameras among all the entries in the Photo Competition. Those who are selected will receive 10 copies of the calendar featuring their work.

Enter the contest by completing the entry form that becomes available on this website on the day the entry period begins.

• ・ The contest is open to all professional and amateur photographers/filmmakers, regardless of age, gender, or nationality.
• ・ If you are under the age of 18, you must obtain parental consent before entering. Any entrants under the age of 18 will be deemed to have obtained parental consent before entering.
• ・ There is no entry fee for the contest. However, entrants are responsible for any Internet connection charges or other costs associated with entering.
• ・ You may submit a single entry as a group, but in that case, the entry must be made in the name of a representative. If the entry wins an award, you will be asked for the names of the collaborators, and the award will be given to multiple people.
• ・ You may not enter under a nickname. Please enter using your real name.
• ・ The contest is not open to employees of Nikon Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “Organizer”), Nikon group companies, or organizations involved in running the Nikon Film and Photo Contest.

• ・ All entries must be original works that have not been published for commercial purposes such as print or web-based advertising, stock photos, or the like, and for which the entrant owns all copyrights.
• ・ Works that have been posted on personal blogs or social media accounts are acceptable.
• ・ Works that have won awards in other contests in the past or which are currently entered in other contests, including works similar to such works, are not eligible for submission. Works that are submitted to another contest after submission to this contest will be deemed to be works currently entered in another contest.
• ・ The entrant must own the rights to any copyrighted material or likeness that is used in the submitted work or must have obtained prior consent to use them from the right holder.
• ・ As a condition of entry, the entrant is responsible for obtaining the prior consent of any persons depicted in the work and any other steps necessary to ensure that infringement of rights related to such depiction does not occur.
• ・ You may submit a maximum of five works, and within this limit, you may submit multiple works in multiple categories.
• ・ Works that are identical or similar (referred to below as “identical or similar works”*1) or which include identical or similar images*2 to submitted works cannot be submitted as separate works.

*1：“Identical or similar works” refers to any of the following kinds of work.

• (1) Works created from the same image data
• (2) Works created by cropping or editing/processing the same image data in a different way
• (3) Works created through (1) or (2) above from similar but not the same data

Examples: Shots taken at different times in the same series, photos taken at different dates and times but ultimately with the same photographic intent, and the like may also be considered similar works.

*2：This refers to single photos and photo stories that include the same or similar images, as well as multiple photo stories that include the same or similar images. Entrants are responsible for resolving, at their own expense, any legal issues that may arise in connection with the submitted work. Entries containing any of the content in (1) through (6) below may be disqualified at the Organizer’s discretion.

• (1) Content that violates the law or is insulting or defamatory
• (2) Content that constitutes or encourages conduct that could be considered a crime, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate the law
• (3) Commercial content that promotes products or services
• (4) Content in which the environment is damaged, or animals are harmed or manipulated during the making of said content
• (5) Content that is sexually explicit, violent, or racist
• (6) Content that violates the copyrights, registered trademarks, contractual rights, or other intellectual property rights, or infringes on the rights of privacy or publicity, of third parties (whether individuals or corporations), including but not limited to those listed in items a through d below

• a. Registered trademarks owned by third parties
  (e.g., incidental appearance of urban billboards, signs, etc.)
• b. Copyrighted material owned by third parties
• c. Names, likenesses, or other characteristics that identify celebrities or public figures
• d. Material containing film credits

• ・ Must be image data captured with a device capable of taking still photos, such as a smartphone or digital still camera (including medium-format or larger digital cameras)
• ・ Works that have been edited or processed using camera apps, editing apps, software, or the like are allowed.
• ・ Images generated by AI are prohibited. However, AI-based editing of images taken by the entrant him or herself is allowed.
• ・ Both color and monochrome images will be accepted.
• ・ Image file size per work: up to 20 MB
• ・ Image file format: JPEG/150 dpi or higher recommended
• ・ The color space used for judging will be sRGB.
• ・ The entrant will retain all applicable rights to the final work, including post-processing such as retouching and image editing.
• ・ The work’s title can contain up to 35 characters and the story behind the work up to 200 characters.

Note: After the winners have been decided, they may be asked to submit additional image files at higher resolutions for the creation of printed materials, exhibitions, or other purposes in connection with this contest.

• ・ After the submission period ends, entries will be judged, and the works that make it to the final round will be published on this website (scheduled for June 2025). After that, the final round of judging will be held to determine the winners of each award. The results of the judging will be announced on this website by September 2025 (scheduled). General Public Award will be determined by popular vote from among the works that make it to the final round of judging out of those mentioned above.
• ・ After the entry period has ended, a round of judging separate from those above will be held to select works for inclusion in the Nikon Calendar. Works suitable for the calendar will be determined through judging by Nikon employees on those works that were taken with Nikon cameras among all the works submitted in the Photo Competition under any category. The results of the judging will be communicated by contacting those whose works are selected.

• ・ After the judging has ended, the winners will be notified by mid-July 2025 via email to the email address that they provided.
• ・ Winners will need to access the URL provided in the winner notification email that is sent by the Nikon Film and Photo Contest Office, agree to what is stated, and then register within the specified deadline (within 14 days after the winner notification email is sent). Failure to agree may result in disqualification. Moreover, if the Nikon Film and Photo Contest Office deems it necessary, the office may contact winners by phone or other means to verify the details provided.

Note: If your email address changes, please be sure to change your email address on your My Account page on this website. Neither the Organizer nor the Nikon Film and Photo Contest Office will be responsible for any losses incurred for any reason such as failure to receive email.

• ・ You will not be notified upon our receipt of your entry. Further, please be aware that we are unable to respond to any requests to confirm our receipt of an entry.
• ・ Entries will not be accepted by any method other than the Internet.
• ・ Entrants will be responsible for all costs associated with entering the contest.
• ・ By entering this contest, the entrant will be deemed to have agreed to the terms and conditions stated in these Entry Guidelines.
• ・ The Organizer has final decision-making authority regarding any matters not specified in these Entry Guidelines. If an entrant disagrees with a decision of the Organizer, the entrant may withdraw from the contest. The entrant will be responsible for all costs associated with withdrawal from the contest.
• ・ Please be aware that the Organizer may completely or partially postpone or suspend acceptance of entries if it determines that the smooth running, safety, or fairness in judging of this contest would be compromised for reasons beyond the Organizer's control, such as network failures, computer viruses, or unauthorized server access.
• ・ Please be aware that, in the judging and usage of submitted works, due to printing variation or other factors, it may not be possible to strictly reproduce the color tones or presentation intended by the entrant, and that parts of works may be cropped for publicity purposes
• ・ Please be aware that we will not be able to respond to any inquiries, complaints, objections, or the like regarding the judging results of this contest.
• ・ Prizes are subject to change without notice depending on product lineup.
• ・ If delivery of a prize would be delayed or made impossible due to international factors, legal issues, or other circumstances, a prize may be substituted with a monetary award designated by the Organizer. Moreover, if delivering a monetary award or prize directly would be difficult, we may take measures such as delivery via a third country or third party to the extent possible.

• ・ Although entries will be handled with the utmost care, the Organizer assumes no responsibility for any accident, damage, loss, or other problems that occur during data transmission.
• ・ The Organizer assumes no responsibility for any network failures, computer viruses, unauthorized server access, or other circumstances beyond the Organizer’s control, or for any damages or the like incurred by the entrant in connection with such circumstances.
• ・ The Organizer assumes no responsibility for damages that the entrant may suffer in connection with entering this contest.
• ・ Entrants will be deemed to have obtained prior consent from the subjects, original authors, or other right holders for the use of any subjects, copyrighted material, or the like that is used in their entries. Any resulting complaints or objections are not the responsibility of the Organizer and must be resolved entirely by the entrant.
• ・ Any complaints or claims of rights infringement, compensation of damages, or the like by third parties in connection with the submitted work are not the responsibility of the Organizer and must be resolved entirely by the entrant.
• ・ Any problems that arise regarding similarities to the submitted work or the like must be resolved entirely by the parties between themselves. Any resulting complaints or objections are not the responsibility of the Organizer and must be resolved entirely by the entrant.
• ・ The liability towards entrants of the Organizer, any third parties cooperating with the Organizer to run this contest, and the judges will also be handled in accordance with the above.

The copyright and any equivalent rights to the submitted work will belong to the entrant. However, the Organizer will have the rights set forth in “Organizer’s Rights” below in connection with the submitted work.

• ・ The Organizer will have the right to publish any work on its official social media accounts during the judging period for the purpose of publicizing this contest. However, this does not guarantee that the work will win a prize.
• ・ The Organizer reserve the right to publish works that reach the final judging stage of this contest on affiliated websites and social media accounts. Works published by the Organizer may be cropped when displayed.
• ・ The Organizer will have the perpetual, non-exclusive right, for the purposes of publicizing this contest and contributing to photography culture in general, to authorize the publication; reproduction; presentation; public transmission to social media, the Internet, email newsletters, etc.; exhibition; printing; distribution; adaptation; or screening of the winning works, without compensation, with credit given, and without requiring the winners' permission, on websites or official social media accounts or at photo exhibitions, video-related events, other exhibitions, or the facilities that host them, which are managed or organized by Nikon group companies or the Organizer’s authorized local agents (hereinafter referred to, with the inclusion of the Organizer, as the “Organizer or its Affiliates”).
• ・ The Organizer can transfer printed materials or other reproductions of the winning entries to a third party after the exhibition is completed without the permission of the winners.
• ・ To the extent that winning works are exhibited at exhibitions and the like, there may be restrictions on the winning works to be exhibited due to global events or circumstances in the area of the exhibition.
• ・ The Organizer will announce the names of the winners and the titles of the winning works on websites connected with this contest, official social media accounts, exhibitions, and the like. Entrants should also review our Privacy Management at https://www.nikon.com/privacy/
• ・ Notwithstanding the above, the Organizer or its Affiliates may not give credit if using all or parts of winning works in publicity posters, tickets, pamphlets, or other media for photo exhibitions or video-related events or on websites or social media accounts managed by the Organizer or its Affiliates where all or parts of winning works are used in videos or images with image effects such as collages or in other circumstances where it would be difficult to give credit.
• ・ Winners will not exercise any moral rights regarding the use of winning works by the Organizer or its Affiliates.
• ・ Upon obtaining the consent of the entrant or winner, the Organizer will have the perpetual, non-exclusive right, for purposes other than those stated above, to authorize the publication, reproduction, presentation, public transmission, exhibition, printing, distribution, adaptation, or screening of a submitted or winning work, without compensation, with credit given, and stating that the work was submitted to or won this contest.
• ・ If the Organizer determines that an entry violates the entry guidelines, the entry will be invalid. No notice of the entry’s invalidity will be given.
• ・ If an entrant is found to be in violation of the terms or conditions after a prize has been awarded, the Organizer can cancel the award and demand the return of the prize, etc.
• ・ These Entry Guidelines will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of Japan.
• ・ The terms and conditions of entry are subject to change without notice.
• ・ Any disputes that may arise between the entrant and the Organizer will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Tokyo District Court as the court of first instance.