Photography Competition Terms and Conditions

Terms & Conditions

By submitting an entry, you are agreeing to these competition terms and conditions.

The competition is being run by Maidstone Borough Council.

The competition is open for entries from 16 April 2026 to 30 June 2026 from entrants who live in the United Kingdom. The competition is not open to employees of Maidstone Borough Council.

Entries received after 30 June 2026 will not be processed or considered.

No responsibility is taken for entries which are incomplete, lost, damaged, delayed, misdirected or cannot be delivered for any technical or other reason. Such entries will not be accepted. Proof of delivery of the entry is not proof of receipt.

To enter the competition, you must submit an entry. No purchase is necessary. The competition is free to enter.

In entering the competition, you confirm that you are eligible to do so and eligible to claim any prize you may win.

Entrants can only enter in their own name. Entries on behalf of another person will not be accepted. 

You may submit more than one entry, up to a maximum of five photos, but each photo must be your own work and taken within the borough of Maidstone.

The submitted images can be landscape or portrait orientation, high-resolution images to a max 10MB (minimum 300dpi recommended). Portrait-oriented images will not appear on the Visit Maidstone website which uses landscape images only.  They may however be selected for other media such as the front cover of the Borough Insight Magazine.

Minor editing is permitted (e.g., colour correction), but no heavy manipulation

No AI generated images

There is one overall winner prize with additional category runners-up prizes: 

Overall Winner - £250; Category Winner - £50. The overall winner will be the winner of their category but they are not entitled to the category winner prize in addition to the overall prize.

The judges will be appointed by Maidstone Borough Council in such number and of such qualification as it sees fit at its sole discretion. The judges’ decision in relation to the judging process shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into. All works will be judged anonymously.

Initial judging will take place in July 2026. 

Those selected for inclusion will be notified via email by Friday 2nd October 2026 and will be provided with full delivery details and relevant dates. The delivery of the artwork to and from the exhibition is the sole responsibility of the artist.

All entries will be added to a special gallery in the Visit Maidstone online image library for viewing by the public.

The winner will receive the prize outlined in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.

If a winner cannot be contacted or does not respond to Maidstone Borough Council within 30 days of being notified (or does not claim the prize within 30 days of notification), then the winner’s prize will be forfeited, and Maidstone Borough Council shall be entitled to select another winner in accordance with the process described above. If a winner rejects their prize or the entry is invalid or in breach of these Terms and Conditions, the winner’s prize will be forfeited, and Maidstone Borough Council shall be entitled to select another winner.

The prize is non-exchangeable and non-transferable.

The prize is subject to availability. Maidstone Borough Council reserves the right to replace the prize with an alternative prize of equal or higher value without giving notice if circumstances beyond Maidstone Borough Council’s control make it necessary to do so.

Information on how to enter and the prize(s) form part of the Terms & Conditions. Entry into this competition is deemed acceptance of these Terms & Conditions.

By submitting an entry, the photographer agrees to photographer's entry to the competition, and the promotion and administration of the competition. The Photographer’s personal information will not be shared with third parties or otherwise processed for alternative purposes without the photographer’s consent.

Maidstone Borough Council shall use and take care of any personal data you supply to it as described in its Privacy Policy, and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018. By entering the competition, you agree to the collection, retention, usage and distribution of your personal information in order to process and contact you about your entry.

The photographer’s personal information will be held for a maximum of 2 years.

Maidstone Borough Council reserves the right at any time, to modify or discontinue temporarily or permanently this competition with or without prior notice due to reasons outside its control.

Maidstone Borough Council shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations where the failure is caused by something outside of its reasonable control.

Maidstone Borough Council and its associated agencies and companies accepts no responsibility for any damage, loss, liabilities, injury or disappointment incurred or suffered by you as a result of entering this competition or accepting the prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law (including personal injury, death and fraud) in which case that liability is limited to the minimum amount allowable by law.

If for any reason any aspect of this promotion is not capable of running as planned, including by reason of infection by computer virus, network failure, bugs, tampering, unauthorised intervention, fraud, technical failures or any cause beyond the control of Maidstone Borough Council which corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this promotion, Maidstone Borough Council may in its sole discretion cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the promotion or invalidate any affected entries, where required.

Maidstone Borough Council’s decision in respect of all matters to do with the competition will be final and no correspondence will be entered into. The only exception to this decision-making principle is the judging process in which case the judges’ decision in relation to the judging process shall be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Maidstone Borough Council will not be responsible for any incorrect or incomplete information communicated in the course of, or in connection with, this competition if the deficiency is occasioned by any cause outside the reasonable control of Maidstone Borough Council, including without limitation, technical malfunctions or failures.

Participants in the competition are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions upon entry. Maidstone Borough Council reserves the right to refuse entry or refuse to award the prize to anyone in breach of these terms and conditions.

The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by English law and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.