2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest

The Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Exhibition has been held since 2007 with the aim of providing a stage for photographers to show their talent. Unlike most competitions, this event allows participants to decide their own photographic themes and tell a visual story with five images. Beyond a test of photographic technique, this approach also challenges the artists' subject selection, conceptual clarity, and communication ability. In addition to the prizewinners receiving generous awards, the prize-winning works will be displayed in a touring exhibition shown at Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi department stores in northern, central, and southern Taiwan, enabling even more people to appreciate the photographers’ visual stories.

Term: September 12, 2016 through November 30, 2016

Qualifications: All photography lovers are welcome.

How to participate:

1.Photograph topic :

Determined by participants, who must submit a series of five photographs on a subject of their own choosing (other entries will not be accepted).

2.Medium :

Any photography equipment (digital camera, traditional camera, cell phone, etc.) may be used.

3.Work specifications :

(1)Photographs : May be color or black-and-white. Printed dimensions may be 8x10", 8x12", or A4. (21x29.7cm)。If the image of a work is rectangular, the length of the shortest edge of the print shall have precedence; the participant may decide whether to leave a white margin around a work, and this will not affect participation qualifications or judging results. However, if an entered work wins a prize, a single photograph with specifications of at least 3000x3600pixels or an 8 MP digital file (JPG or TIFF) must be provided.

(2)Registration form Appendix 1 : Please fill out this document carefully, and print on A4 paper.

(3)AgreementAppendix 2：Please sign or affix seal after printing on A4 paper, and submit the original.* A statutory agent must sign/affix seal if the applicant is under 20 years of age.

(4)Work labels Appendix 3 :To ensure that all works can be clearly identified, please affix a label to the upper right corner of the back of each photograph in an order selected by the participant.

4.Submission method :

Please place the aforementioned items, (1)Photographs, (2)paper registration form, (3)Original participation agreement. Place in envelope and submit using any of the following methods:

In-person submission :

May be submitted at the 1st floor service counter of any Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi department store in Taiwan. (Query store information.

Mail submission :

Post to 7F, 19 Songgao Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City 110—Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest Group" on the envelope. (Date of receipt shall be the postmark date. Applications dated later than 11/30/2016 will not be accepted.)

※Please pack works to ensure that their integrity will not been compromised. There are no restrictions on packing materials, but the package as a whole may not exceed 30×40cm in size. Please try to avoid damage during the transport process due to improper taping or overly large package size.

5.Public announcement of prizewinners:

Prizewinners will be announced on the official Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Cultural and Educational Foundation website before December 31, 2016, and prizewinners will also be notified by e-mail or telephone.

Judging

Submitted works will be judged based on: quality (60%), creativity (20%) and composition (20%).

If any of the following situations applies to a submitted work, it will be deemed as having not complied with requirements, and will not be eligible for judging:

1.Has not used this year's registration form Appendix 1; registration forms from other years will not be accepted.

2.Does not contain an original agreement signed by the applicantAppendix 2.

3.Labels have not been affixed to the backs of the works in accordance with regulations
Appendix 3.

4.Thesubmitted work has been printed out on A4 copier paper.

5.The size of the work does not comply with the aforementioned specifications (sizes such as 4x6, 3x5).

6.The front or back of a work has a watermark or any other text, symbols, or actions (such as the work's frame, mounting, or tape used to bind five photographs together) that can be used to identify the participant).

Awards

First Place (1 winner)：NTD 60,000, Pentax K-1

Second Place (1 winner)：NTD30,000, Manfrotto 190 Aluminum 4 Section Tripod with MHXPRO Ball Head + 200PL plate (MK190XPRO4-BHQ2), Manfrotto Tripod Bag Unpadded 70cm (MBAG70N), Manfrotto Digital Director for iPad Air (MVDDA13), Manfrotto Versatile Friction Arm + Nano Clamp (M244MICROKIT)

Third Place (1 winner)：NTD10,000 , Optoma Darbee Special Edition Home Theater Projector – HD200D

Special Jury Award (2 winners)：EVA Airline Round trip flight ticket from Taipei to Osaka on economy class

Outstanding Work Award (2 winners)：RICOH THETA S 360°

Fine Work Award (3 winners)：Sunpower I LIGHT

Selected Work Award (20 winners)：National Geographic Magazine Taiwan (Print editions) twelve months, National Geographic The Covers Chinese edition

※All of the aforementioned prizewinning works may participate in the showings of the "2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Exhibition" in northern, central, and southern Taiwan, and the prizewinners will also receive one "2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest Commemorative Album, one "certificate of merit," and two admission tickets to the "Invitational Exhibition of the Works of Famous International Photographers." (Actual prizes awarded are at the sole discretion of the organizer.)

Participation rules and statement

1.All persons participating in this contest shall state their willingness to uphold the competition rules and agree that the organizer may collect, process, and use all personal information, as permitted by law.

2.All entered works must have been personally photographed by the participant, and must be entered under the participant's real ID information; no anonymous submissions will be accepted. The participant must possess all rights to the entered work, and the organizer may revoke the qualifications of any work that does not comply with regulations.

3.The participant shall be responsible for confirming that all written information is truthful and correct, and that the entered work does not infringe upon the trademark, patent, or copyright of a third party, or violate other laws and regulations. If an application is untruthful or violates the contest rules, and the facts have been verified, the participant agrees that the organizer may revoke his or her prizewinning qualifications, and any awards (including prize money, prices, certificate of merit, etc.) have already been accepted must be immediately returned. The participant shall be willing to bear all responsibility in such cases, and the organizer shall not be involved.

4.There is no restriction on the number of sets of works submitted by each participant; if more than one work wins an award, the organizer shall select and register the best.

5.Participants must respect the decision results of the judging committee engaged by the organizer, and may not demand the cancellation of award qualifications.

6.Regardless of whether they win an award, entered works that have been submitted successfully will not be returned (including those works not complying with requirements); please be aware of this condition. Participants who wish to preserve original works are asked to preserve the works ahead of time or reconsider participation.

7.An entered work must have been completed no earlier than three years prior to the contest (2013/9/1-2016/11/30); the work may not have received any domestic or foreign competitive award, nor may have been publicly issued or displayed, including print publication and exhibition. However, this restriction shall not apply if the work has been posted on the individual's personal website, blog, or Facebook page.

8.If entered works suffer any damage prior to delivery to the organizer, the organizer shall not accept any responsibility.

9.The organizer shall contact the prizewinners by e-mail and telephone after the announcement of the prizewinner list. After confirming their identity, the prizewinners must submit a high-resolution digital file on disk of the prizewinning work within a certain period of time, and those who fail to do so shall be deemed to have given up their prize-winning right.

10.The organizer shall have ownership of the property rights to all prize-winning works. If the creator of a prizewinning work needs to exercise property rights in the future, he or she may submit an application to the organizer, and the organizers shall not refuse, without grounds, to provide its consent.

11.The foregoing paragraph indicates that the creators of all prize-winning works agree to freely grant the organizer irrevocable, permanent rights that are valid in all parts of the world, including the right to reproduce and distribute the prize-winning work, and produce derivative items in any existing or future medium (including a record of the creator's name), including but not limited to public display of prize-winning works, event printed materials, and online publications.

12.Prizewinners must bring personal identification (foreign nationals must bring their passport and alien residence certificate)

13.In accordance with articles 2 and 3 of the Standards of Withholding Rates for Various Incomes," a 10% award income tax must be paid when award value exceeds NT$20,000; in the case of individuals who are not residents of the ROC (i.e., citizens and foreign nationals who have not spent 183 days of the most recent year in the ROC), a 20% award income tax must be deducted from award income, regardless of the award winner's income.

14.With regard to any matters not dealt with in the foregoing paragraphs, when the English and Chinese versions of relevant regulations or explanations are inconsistent, the Chinese shall take precedence. The organizer reserves the right to explain, revise, and add to these contest rules, statements, and explanation of awards.

Contact

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest Reception Staff

Phone：0800-008-808

Service hours: AM10:00-12:00；PM02:00-06:00, Monday to Friday

E-mail：

Organizer

Partners

Appendix 1 / 2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest Entry Form
Work No. / (Official use only)
Theme
Name
Sex / □ Male □ Female / Citizen ID
Birthday / Year / Month / Day
Mobile phone / Contact Number
E-mail
Address / □□□□□
Occupation / Name of Employer / (school/company name)
Year photographed / If the five photographs were taken in different years, please write (1)-(5) in order of preference.
Location photographed / If the five photographs were taken at different locations, please write (1)-(5) in order of preference.
Artisticconcept
(in 400 words or less)
Source ofcontest information
(multiple choice) / □Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi DM publicity
□Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi website/e-bulletin
□Foundation website/Facebookpage
□Taipei Metro light boxes / □Online media/advertisement
□Newspaper/magazine
□Referred to by friend or relative
□Recommendation by school/instructor
□Saw poster/postcard, location:______
□Other ______
Motive for participation
(up to two choices may be made) / □Prizes □ Prize money
□Prize-winning works can participate in touring exhibition
□ Prestige of event □ Personal challenge
□ The organizer strives to support and promote new talented photographers
□ Other：______

Date: ______, 2016

  1. A registration form must be filled out for each set of (five photographs) comprising a work; for example, three registration forms must be filled out if three works are entered.
  2. If you wish to fill out this form by hand, please write in standard script, which will help ensure the legibility of the form's content.

Appendix 2 / 2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography ContestAgreement

This Copyright Assignment Agreement (this “Agreement”) is entered into between ______(herein referred to as the “Participant”) and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Cultural and Educational Foundation (herein referred to as the “Organizer”), whereby ______is a participant in the “2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Exhibition: The Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest” (herein referred to as the “Contest”). The Participant agrees to accommodate the arrangements of the Organizer and the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store (herein referred to as “SKM”), and agrees with the terms and conditions set forth therein with regard to the rules of the Contest.

  1. The Participant guarantees that the winning work entered into the Contest is a creation of the Participant. The Participant also guarantees that the winning work has not received any prior awards in any domestic or international photography contest, nor has the winning work been licensed to a third party for use.
  2. The Participant guarantees that relevant images and/or texts in the winning work do not infringe on the trademark, patent or intellectual property rights of any third party. Should an infringement occur, the Participant shall be solely responsible for such infringement. The Organizer and SKM shall not be liable for such infringements. If the organizer suffers damages for this reason, the participant shall bear responsibility for compensation.
  3. The Participant guarantees that all personal information provided to the Organizer is true and correct, and that such personal information has not been forged or modified.
  4. The Participant guarantees that the right to publicize relevant portraits, images, and/or texts in the winning work has been authorized by the owners of said portraits, images, and/or texts. Should the Participant be unable to secure such rights due to geographical or temporal reasons, the Participant is willing to bear the ensuing consequences, which shall be no concern of the organizer. If the organizer suffers damages for this reason, the participant shall bear responsibility for compensation.
  5. The participant shall agree that the organizer shall have ownership of the property rights to all prize-winning works. If the creator of a prize-winning work needs to exercise property rights in the future, he or she may submit an application to the organizer, and the organizers shall not refuse, without grounds, to provide its consent.
  6. The foregoing paragraph expresses that the creators of all prize-winning works agree to grant the organizer the right to use (including, but not limited to, use in exhibition activities and relevant products, use in publicity goods, and the reproduction, distribution, issuance, or public announcement of the work, etc.) gratis regardless of location, time, or frequency or method of use, and the organizer may authorize a third party to engage in relevant use.
  7. The Participant agrees to permit the Organizer to provide the name and other related and essential information of the Participant to the press, other mass media, advertising agencies, jury members of the Contest, and the general public.
  8. After being notified by the organizer of relevant rights conferred by the Personal Data Protection Act (i.e., the right to add to, correct, cease collection or processing of, use, and delete any personal information provided in connection with this activity; an application may be made for these actions in accordance with the Shin-Kong Mitsukoshi Cultural and Educational Foundation's regulations via personal negotiation with the Foundation), I agree that the organizer may acquire personal information concerning my identity and characteristics for the purpose of contact and notification with regard to this activity and similar future activities, and may process and use my personal information via computer, e-mail, fax, telephone, text message, or writing in the ROC area from the date the organizer receives my entered work until the date that I request that the organizer cease collection, processing, or use of such information, and deletion tasks have been completed.
  9. If any person signing the agreement disagrees with or violates the foregoing matters, this shall be equivalent to automatically forfeiting prize-winning qualifications, and the organizer shall have the right to revoke the person's prize-winning qualifications and request the return of any awarded prize, prize money, or certificate of merit, and may request compensation for any losses incurred as a result thereof.
  10. Should litigation arise from the Agreement, the Participant agrees that the Taipei District Court shall be the court of first instance.

By signing below, the Participant agrees to abide by the terms and conditions set forth herein.

Work No.:______(filled out by organizer) / Name of work:
Agreement signer: ______
(signature or seal imprint) / ID card number:
Legalrepresentative/guardian:______
(signature or seal imprint) / ID card number:

Date: (YYYY/MM/DD)

*This agreement shall only take effect after works have been awarded. For works that are not awarded, this agreement will have no legal effect.

Appendix 3 / 2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest Work labels
2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest (1/5)
Work No. / (Official use only)
Theme
2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest (2/5)
Work No. / (Official use only)
Theme
2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest (3/5)
Work No. / (Official use only)
Theme
2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest (4/5)
Work No. / (Official use only)
Theme
2017 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi International Photography Contest (5/5)
Work No. / (Official use only)
Theme
  1. Please be sure to read "6. Participation rules and statement." By participating in this contest, you accept and agree to the contest's rules and their terms.
  2. The organizer shall fill out the "Work serial number" field.
  3. Please do not write the participant's name on a work label or the back of a photograph.
  4. To avoid legibility problems, please write in standard script if filling out an application by hand.
  5. Please cut out the work labels along the dotted lines, and affix to the upper right corner of the back of each photograph in the order you have selected.
  6. To avoid adhesion of the works, when applying the labels using glue, please make sure that the glue is completely dry before placing the works in an envelope.