Terms and Conditions

Stories of Change: Portraits of Urban Change
Photo Competition

Our cities undergo constant transformation. Every day, we witness subtle and significant changes that make us proud. Our neighbourhoods and communities are changing and becoming more sustainable and more liveable for all: it can be physical changes, new partnerships, increased access to services, or something else. Is your city embracing a more liveable future? Are your neighbours initiating or sustaining urban change, for example, by greening the city, planting gardens with children or adorning walls with vibrant murals to enhance the urban landscape and increase climate or security perception? Capture these stories of change and share your inspirational better-life moments to convince others to join the movement towards zero carbon and socially just cities.

Through your unique photographic work and your storytelling skills, help us gain deeper insights into people's perceptions of how to change cities and collectively support the local actions and daily efforts to achieve greener, more inclusive and sustainable cities. We invite individuals from across the globe to photograph their neighbourhoods, communities and cities, showcasing stories of change and what you have gained with these processes using different storytelling techniques conveyed through photographs.

This photo competition is an initiative of the Transformative Urban Coalitions project, led by the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), World Resources Institute – Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (WRI), and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), in collaboration with the Paris Committee on Capacity-building. With the support of the International Climate Initiative of the German Government, we aim to spotlight positive urban transformations and inspire collective action towards a more sustainable future.

Eligibility:

The photo contest is open to everyone, regardless of her or his country of residence or skill level. For minors to participate, they must provide written permission from their legal guardian(s). No minors’ participation will be accepted by the organization without their legal guardians’ written permission.
To confirm participation, each participant will have to follow the instructions outlined below before 27 August 2024 at 23:59 CEST.
By sending the photo(s), stories and related information via the Transformative Urban Coalitions website, participants agree to these terms and conditions. Participation in the photo contest implies full acceptance of these terms and conditions and all their provisions. Non-compliance with these terms and conditions will result in disqualification of the entrant.
Participation is strictly personal and the entrant cannot enter the contest on behalf of another person.
Photographs must not contain elements that are defamatory, offensive, pornographic, racist, insulting, unlawful or contrary to good morals.
Watermarks, signatures, photographers’ names, or copyright notices in the photo are not permitted.

Instructions:

To confirm participation, each participant will have to share their photo and story and fill the related short questionnaire through the Transformative Urban Coalitions website before 27 August 2024 at 23:59 CEST.

Content of photos:

Photos must represent your perception of urban transformation and showcase the stories of change of your city or community and should be accompanied by a short story that explains and share the transformation.
Only minor modifications to the photographs will be accepted (e.g. dodging and burning, aperture, cropping, colour balance) and must be clearly indicated in the image’s description. Images that appear to be overly processed may be disqualified at the judges’ discretion.

Intellectual property rights:

Each participant in the photo contest certifies that he or she is the sole copyright-holder of all submitted photographs and they are original to him/her.
Each participant in the photo contest certifies that all submitted photographs do not violate or infringe on any existing copyright or any other third-party rights and contain nothing otherwise unlawful.
If the photo contains images of a person or persons, entrants agree that they have obtained the permission of those persons, or if such person or persons are under the age of 18, of their respective parent or legal guardian, for submission of their photo to the contest, as well as for the use of the photo as described herein.
By submitting a photo through the Transformative Urban Coalitions website, the entrant in the photo contest authorizes its release (as well as the photographer’s full name, pseudonym, city and country of residence), in the framework of the photo contest and its promotion, on the website of the Organizers, as well as social networks (including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn), on digital communication or media (presentations, newspapers, postcards, catalogues, books, posters, exhibitions, videos), and as part of different physical and virtual photo exhibitions without any form of compensation.
The participant grants the Organizers the right to use his or her name, photograph, image or likeness in the context of any recording, any presentation, speech or other form of publicity for the United Nations and partners. The following credit shall be given: © NAME OF PHOTOGRAPHER / TUC
The photographer holds the copyright to the photos submitted, but the Organizers retain the unlimited right, free of charge, to use the submitted photos and related information from the accompanying questionnaire in any format for the purposes indicated in paragraph 13 above, and for awareness-raising, capacity-building, public information and communication purposes in its efforts to promote sustainable development and human security. Any other use of the photographs will be reported to the author, who is free to give or refuse consent for their use.
The participants grant the Organizers the permission to crop and re-size photographs, as necessary, to fit pre-defined formats, for the use stated in the paragraph above.
The Organizers will use photos and related information exclusively for non-commercial purposes, which include education and communication materials, brochures, reports, website, social media, press and flyers at no cost. The photographer will be credited as indicated in paragraph 9 above.
The participation in the photo contest is free of charge. The Organizers are not responsible for any expenses that the participants may incur in the creation and submission of the photograph.
The Organizers reserve the right to modify, extend, shorten, suspend or cancel the photo contest without notice and without liability incurred thereby (fortuitous event or “force majeure” and any other events that are considered as making it impossible for the execution of the photo contest as initially planned). No compensation will be awarded to the participants.
The Organizers reserve the right to verify the eligibility of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant’s identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with these rules or who tampers with the entry process.
The Organizers will ensure an appropriate level of protection for the personal data of entrants and participants to the photo competition in accordance with their respective regulations, rules, policies, and procedures. For any questions or concerns about processing of personal data, participants may contact tuc@ehs.unu.edu.
The participant agrees to indemnify, defend, hold and save harmless, at his or her expense, the Organizers, including their officials, employees, consultants, contractors and agents, from and against all suits, proceedings, claims, demands, losses and liability of any kind or nature, including, but not limited to all ligation costs and expenses, attorney’s fees, settlement payments and damages, based on, arising from, or relating to any acts or omissions of the participant, or anyone directly or indirectly employed by him or her, which give rise to legal liability to third parties, including, without limitation, allegations or claims that the use by the Organizers of any copyrighted material, in whole or in part, separately or in combination, constitutes an infringement of any patent, copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right of any third party.
Any questions or differences arising under or in connection with these Terms and Conditions and the photo competition shall be resolved by amicable discussions.
The participant acknowledges that nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall be deemed a waiver, express or implied, of the privileges and immunities of the United Nations, the United Nations University, or UNU-EHS accorded to them by international or applicable national law.

Selection criteria:

Best Photo:
Photographs will be judged on their originality, creativity, photographic quality and relevance to the theme. The choice will be made according to the discretion of a jury. No appeals will be considered.

Stories will be judged based on its relevance and significance to the topic and the clarity of the narrative (that are accessible and easy to follow and illustrate some relatable human experience readers will identify with).

Awards:

The Transformative Urban Coalitions partners will publish the results of the photo contest in September 2024 through all partners’ social media channels.
Winners of the photography competition will receive:

Best photo:
A payment of 800 USD

Second best photo:
A payment of 500 USD

Third best photo:
A payment of 300 USD

Best photos:
The best photos and a short video comment on the photos will be exhibited at the 6th Capacity-building Hub, organized by the Paris Committee on Capacity-building, at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The best photos (winners and additional photographs selected by the jury) will also be part of a photo book showcasing the photo competitions organized by the Transformative Urban Coalitions project. The book will be launched at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Transformative Urban Coalitions:

Transformative Urban Coalitions (TUC) seeks to shift the sustainability trajectory of cities towards zero carbon emissions by 2050, by altering the deeper social, technological, and political structures and systems that are currently reinforcing high-carbon, resource-intensive urbanization.

TUC is a coalition between the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS), World Resources Institute (WRI) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), with support from Germany's Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.

This project facilitates the establishment of transformative urban coalitions in five Latin American cities to develop new strategies for addressing local challenges in urban development and inequality, while at the same time reducing carbon emissions.