Terms and Conditions
These terms and conditions govern the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire’s Nene Valley SPA Photography Exhibition 2026 [“the exhibition”]. The exhibition organisers are the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire [WTBCN]. By accepting the Terms & Conditions of the exhibition and subsequently submitting your photographs, you have entered into an agreement with the organisers.
The organisers reserve the right to modify these terms and conditions without notice.
Exhibition entry
By submitting images for the exhibition, you agree to the provisions of these terms and conditions and to comply fully with them.
Submissions open at 9am on Monday 13th July 2026 and close on Monday 14th September 2026 at midnight. Submissions must be received by the closing date.
Eligibility
Submission to the exhibition is open to anyone of any age with the following exceptions:
- individuals directly involved in organising or judging the exhibition.
- professional photographers, defined for the purposes of this exhibition as those who earn more than half their income through photography.
Those in doubt as to their eligibility must contact the organisers using email: lara.jones@wildlifebcn.org for clarification before entering. The organiser’s decision on eligibility is final.
If you are under the age of 18 you must have permission to enter from your parent or guardian. Your parent or guardian will be required to submit the application on your behalf. By submitting an entry for the exhibition, your parent or guardian is deemed to have given such consent and to agree to the use of the entry as described in these terms and conditions.
What to enter
- The photographs must be submitted in landscape orientation. The organisers reserve the right to crop and enhance photographs for reproduction in a calendar that will be produced to celebrate the Nene Valley Special Protection Area (SPA), which is published in A4 landscape format, and other media if required.
- Photographs must be digitally submitted at a resolution of 300 pixels per inch at A4 (i.e. image dimensions of at least 3508 x 2480 pixels) In JPEG/JPG TIFF or file format. If required by the organizers, photographers must also supply a copy of the raw file.
- Photographs must not have won an award in any other photographic competition at the time of entry or by September 2026 when the images to be exhibited are selected.
- Images must not feature any captive or domesticated animals.
- Images must not contain people.
- All images must be taken within the boundaries of the Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits Special Protection Area (SPA).
The photographs will be judged against the following brief:
- Produced to reflect the overall competition theme “Nature of the Nene Valley”. This is meant as creative guidance and inspiration, and the organisers reserve the right to judge the significance of this.
- Images should not include people.
- Produce an image suitable for reproduction on a calendar that shows wildlife, nature and/or wild places in the Special Protection Area.
- Images must represent the natural environment.
- Submissions that appear to WTBCN to have been created in a way that breaches wildlife laws, guidance for behaviour on nature reserves or other unreasonable/unethical behaviour are not eligible.
The organisers reserve the right to refuse or remove any entry to the exhibition for any reason, at any time.
How to Enter
The exhibition submissions open at 9am on Monday 13th July 2026 and close on Monday 14th September 2026 at midnight.
Submissions must be received by the closing date.
Applicants may enter a maximum of three images under the theme “Nature of the Nene Valley”
Applicants
Entries must be submitted digitally via the exhibition submission website at wildlifebcn.org/nene-valley-spa. No other forms of submission will be accepted.
By submitting images to the WTBCN Photography Exhibition, each entrant confirms and
warrants that:
- they are the sole author of each entry and that it is their original work - do not enter other people’s work on their behalf (with the exception of the under 18 category, where a parent or guardian is required to submit any entries, and in doing so give their consent).
- they own the copyright and any other intellectual property rights of each image;
- they have not licensed or disposed of any rights in the image that would conflict with uses to be made by WTBCN; and
- they have received any necessary permissions from the owner(s) of objects including buildings included in submitted images for the usage rights required by WTBCN and will indemnify WTBCN against any claims made by any third parties in respect of such infringement.
- Under 18s - must have permission to enter from their parent or guardian. The parent or guardian will be required to submit the application on the minor’s behalf. By submitting an entry for the exhibition, the parent or guardian is deemed to have given such consent and to agree to the use of the entry as described in these terms & conditions.
- Entrants/their parents/guardians will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions and to agree to be bound by them when registering.
Judging
A panel of Judges will select images based upon varying criteria, dependent on the category: technical skill, diversity, originality and creativity. Judging will be anonymous. Judges will assess entries against the brief and select images for reproduction in the SPA 2027 calendar.
Some digital adjustments are acceptable, if deemed so by the organisers, whose decision on this is final; however, the way in which any digital enhancement or editing has been used will be taken into account when judging the entry. Cropping is permitted.
You agree that if your photo is selected you will take part in and cooperate fully with reasonable publicity and to the use of your name and photograph in such publicity.
Your presence will be requested at an exhibition (date and venue TBC).
The decision of the organisers is final and no correspondence will be entered into concerning the judging and organisation of the exhibition.
Announcement of Exhibitors
Judging will take place in September 2026.
The owners of the selected images for the exhibition will be contacted by telephone or email by the 30th September 2026 and all entrants will be contacted about the outcome of their entry before this date.
The 12 selected images will be announced by WTBCN by 10th November 2026 – results must not be shared by winners before that time, in person, on social media or other mediums. We will not post the names and details of entrants aged under 18 years online without the entrant's parental or guardian's consent.
Usage Rights
By entering images, you grant WTBCN a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to reproduce, enlarge, publish or exhibit, on any media, the images for any purpose to further its charitable aims and objectives. This will include but may not be limited to:
- In a 2027 calendar for sale in our visitor centres, and partner venues.
- At an exhibition (date and venue TBC).
- On the WTBCN website and social media.
- In Local Wildlife, our members’ magazine.
- In conjunction with sponsors to promote this photography exhibition.
- In external print and digital press to publicise the competition and/or the work of WTBCN.
- In any other WTBCN promotional materials e.g. information leaflets or posters.
The organisers will make every reasonable effort to ensure that name credits are given to any photograph published in any medium for any purpose.
Data Protection
We will keep your details on our secure database to enable us to administer the exhibition, use your images (see usage rights) and contact you with news directly relating to this exhibition (e.g., the outcome and the launch of the calendar). With your permission (or a parent/guardian for those under 18) we will also send you information about next year’s exhibition, plus regular updates about the wildlife in our three counties, ways to get closer to nature, project updates, events, volunteering opportunities and fundraising news, and other information about WTBCN or the Wildlife Trusts.
We value your privacy and promise to keep your personal details safe and secure, and we will never sell your data. You can read our full privacy policy at wildlifebcn.org/privacy.
Indemnity and Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, WTBCN excludes its liability for any loss, damage, injury, cost or expense suffered by you, whether directly or indirectly and howsoever caused, in connection with the competition. Nothing in these terms and conditions shall exclude WTBCN’s liability for death or personal injury arising from WTBCN’s own negligence or any other liability that cannot, as a matter of law, be excluded.
You agree to indemnify WTBCN and keep WTBCN indemnified against any loss, damage, injury, cost or expense suffered by WTBCN as a result of your entry in the exhibition, including (but not limited to) any claim of infringement of intellectual property rights made by any third party.
General
The information given in these Terms & Conditions is correct, but WTBCN reserves the right to change any of it without prior notice. By entering the exhibition, entrants will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these Terms & Conditions. Any breach of these Terms by an entrant will void their entry. If a breach has occurred, the submission will be withdrawn.
'Winners' are defined as the 12 submissions selected by the judges to be displayed in the exhibition and used in the 2027 Nene Valley SPA Calendar.
These Terms and Conditions shall be governed and construed in accordance with English Law and will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English court.