By entering the Prize, the Entrant agrees to participate in the Competition and its evaluation process.

The Admin will not use, publish, exhibit or promote submitted works or Entrant information for publicity or promotional purposes unless the Entrant is shortlisted as a finalist or selected as a winner.

For finalists and winners, the Entrant grants the Admin the right to use their name, likeness, biographical information and submitted materials in connection with the Prize, including for editorial, promotional and publicity purposes across all media.

This may include use across exhibitions, media features, Prize communications, partner platforms, educational activities, climate-action campaigns and associated programming directly related to the Prize.

The Entrant acknowledges that the Prize and its related events may be documented through photography, video and other media, and agrees that finalists’ and winners’ work and participation may be included in such documentation.​

To enter, Entrants must submit three (3) to five (5) photographs that collectively form a cohesive photo essay through the designated entry form and upload platform.

Entrants warrant that all submitted work is original and does not infringe the rights of any third party.

Once submitted, entries cannot be edited, replaced or amended.

Images must:

• be at least 1200 pixels on the longest side;
• be at least 72dpi;
• be submitted in JPG or JPEG format;
• be no larger than 10MB each;
  not contain watermarks, borders or frames.

Entrants must retain full-resolution originals and provide them upon request. Entrants should include the title of their photo essay in the submission form.

Judges will assess the photographic work itself and are not required to consider supporting descriptions or explanations.

The Africa Soft Power Climate Change Photo Essay Prize recognises and supports visual storytellers whose work contributes to public understanding of climate change and its impacts across Africa and the African diaspora.

Subject to eligibility and compliance with these Terms, the Prize encompasses the following:​

Climate Storytelling Fellow:

• One (1) Overall Winner): USD $2,000

The Overall Winner shall be designated the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellow for the relevant Prize year.

Finalists:

• The Admin may select up to four (4) finalists. Each finalist may receive a cash award of USD $500.

Climate Storytelling Fellows Cohort:
The Overall Winner and Finalists may be recognised collectively as the relevant year’s Climate Storytelling Fellows Cohort.

In addition to any cash award, Fellows and Finalists may be offered opportunities for:​

• exhibition;
• publication;
• media exposure;
• speaking engagements;
• mentorship;
• networking opportunities;
• participation in Africa Soft Power programming;
• inclusion in future climate storytelling initiatives.

All such opportunities are offered solely at the discretion of the Admin.

The Fellowship and associated opportunities are honorary and developmental in nature and do not create any employment, consultancy, agency, partnership or contractual relationship with the Admin.

The Admin reserves the right to substitute, modify, withhold or withdraw any award, Fellowship designation or associated opportunity where an Entrant is found to be in breach of these Terms, is ineligible or where exceptional circumstances make such action necessary.

The decisions of the Judges and the Admin are final.​

The Showcase features established photographers, documentary photographers, visual artists, environmental storytellers, photojournalists, and members of the African diaspora.

In addition to the Competition, the Admin may invite selected photographers, visual artists, documentary practitioners, photojournalists and other visual storytellers to participate in the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Showcase.

Participation in the Showcase is by invitation only and is not subject to the Competition judging process.

Showcase participants are not eligible for Competition awards unless otherwise determined by the Admin.

The Admin may exhibit, publish, promote and present Showcase works alongside selected Competition entries as part of the Prize exhibition and related programming.

The purpose of the Showcase is to highlight excellence in climate storytelling, foster dialogue between emerging and established practitioners, support mentorship and exchange, and encourage public engagement with climate issues across Africa and the global African diaspora.​
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All Images must be the sole and exclusive property of the Entrant and must not infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, moral or other legal rights.

Entrants retain full copyright ownership of all submitted Images.

By entering the Prize, the Entrant grants the Admin a limited, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use submitted Images solely for administering, reviewing, judging and operating the Competition.

No promotional, publicity, exhibition, fundraising, publication or commercial use shall be made of non-finalist Images without the Entrant’s prior written consent.

For finalists and winners, the Entrant grants the Admin a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to reproduce, publish, display, communicate, distribute and promote
selected Images in connection with:

• the Prize;
• exhibitions and exhibition tours;
• catalogues and publications;
• educational materials;
• climate-action campaigns;
• fundraising materials supporting the sustainability of the Prize;
• Admin programmes connected to the Prize;
• digital, print, broadcast and social media communications.

The Admin may share finalist and winning Images with media, exhibition, publishing, sponsorship and programme partners directly involved in the Prize.

Any commercial licensing unrelated to the Prize shall require the Entrant’s prior written consent.

Selected Images may be retained indefinitely for archival, educational, historical and record-keeping purposes as part of the permanent legacy of the Prize.

The Admin may continue to reference and display selected works indefinitely in connection with previous editions of the Prize.

Entrants selected for exhibition will be required to provide high-resolution files, including TIFF files, for use in the exhibition catalogue and marketing campaign. TIFF files provided for exhibition purposes will not be shared with third parties for unrelated purposes and will be securely deleted upon written request after the conclusion of the relevant exhibition cycle.

The Admin shall use reasonable efforts to credit the Entrant whenever practicable.

The Entrant warrants that:​

• all submitted Images are original works created by the Entrant;
• the Entrant owns all rights necessary to submit the Images;
• the Images do not infringe any third-party rights;
• the Images are not defamatory, misleading, unlawful, discriminatory or privacy-infringing;
• all necessary permissions, licences, model releases, property releases and consents have been obtained;
• the Images were obtained ethically and lawfully;
• any factual information supplied is accurate to the best of the Entrant’s knowledge;
• Images comply with the Prize’s Artificial Intelligence and Image Manipulation Policy.

The Admin may require evidence of releases, permissions or licences at any stage.​

The Prize is intended to recognise photographic storytelling based on images created through the Entrant’s own photographic practice and observation of the world. Images that are wholly or substantially generated using artificial intelligence tools are not eligible.​

Entrants may not use artificial intelligence, generative image systems, synthetic image generation tools, generative fill technologies, or similar technologies to create, add, remove, replace, fabricate, or materially alter any subject matter, person, object, landscape, event, or visual element within a submitted Image.​

Submitted Images must accurately represent the scene photographed and must not contain fabricated or synthetic visual content.​

Standard photographic editing practices are permitted, including:​

• cropping;
• exposure adjustment;
• colour correction;
• white balance adjustment;
• contrast adjustment;
• sharpening;
• noise reduction;
• dust removal;
• other routine post-production processes that do not materially alter the content of the Image.

The Admin may request original files, RAW files, metadata, editing histories, captions, supporting documentation, or any other materials reasonably necessary to verify the authenticity of a submission.​

Any Entrant found to have submitted AI-generated, materially manipulated, misleading, fabricated, or otherwise inauthentic imagery may be disqualified at any stage of the Competition.​

The Admin may withdraw any award, Fellowship designation, exhibition inclusion, publication, sale opportunity, or other benefit associated with a submission that is subsequently found not to comply with this Policy.​

The Admin’s determination regarding compliance with this Policy shall be final.

In consideration of receiving a cash award and the associated benefits of participation in the Africa Soft Power Climate Storytelling Fellowship & Photo Essay Prize, selected Entrants grant the Admin a worldwide, non-exclusive licence to produce, market, exhibit and sell editioned prints of selected Images, subject to the limits set out below.

The Entrant retains full copyright ownership of all Images and all rights not expressly granted under these Terms.

The licence granted under this section permits the Admin to produce and sell up to the following number of editioned prints:​

• Climate Storytelling Fellow (Overall Winner): up to fifteen (15) editioned prints of each selected Image;
• Finalists receiving a finalist award: up to ten (10) editioned prints of each selected Image.

The Admin may also exhibit, publish, reproduce, market, distribute and promote selected Images in accordance with the rights granted under the Image Rights and Use section. Such uses shall not count towards the edition limits above.

The Admin may determine, at its sole discretion:

• whether any editioned prints are produced;
• the size, format and materials used;
• pricing;
• framing and presentation;
• sales channels;
• exhibition and marketing strategy.

The Admin shall be under no obligation to produce, market or sell any editioned prints.

Acceptance of a Fellowship award or finalist award constitutes acceptance of the licence granted under this section.

The cash award, Fellowship designation, exhibition opportunities, publicity, publication opportunities and associated benefits constitute full consideration for the licence granted under this section.

No further payment, royalty, commission, revenue share, licence fee or other compensation shall be due to the Entrant in connection with the authorised production or sale of editioned prints within the limits specified above, regardless of whether or for what amount such prints are sold.

Should the Admin wish to produce or sell editioned prints beyond the limits specified above, the Admin and the Entrant shall agree separate terms in writing before doing so.

Purchases of editioned prints contribute to the sustainability of the Prize and support its educational, cultural and climate-action initiatives.​

There shall be two rounds of judging.

In the first round, entries will be reviewed based on the digital image files submitted by Entrants, and a shortlist will be put forward for consideration by the judging panel. Shortlisted Entrants may be required to provide higher-resolution files, RAW files, metadata, captions, supporting information, proof of authorship, model releases, property releases, or other materials reasonably requested by the Admin or the Judges.

The final round shall be conducted by an independent panel of judges appointed by the Admin.

Judges shall be provided with guidance regarding judging procedures, assessment criteria, and conflicts of interest.

The identities of judges may be published on the Competition website.

The decisions of the Judges and the Admin are final.

Neither the Judges nor the Admin shall be required to provide feedback on individual submissions.

The Judges and the Admin reserve the right not to make an award in any category where submissions do not meet the required standard.

The Admin reserves the right to verify the authenticity, ownership, provenance, and eligibility of any submission at any stage of the Competition and may disqualify any entry that fails to satisfy these requirements.

All photographs must be obtained ethically and lawfully.

Entrants must respect people, communities, wildlife, habitats, cultural heritage and private property.

Any submission involving unlawful conduct, trespass, harassment, exploitation, environmental damage, habitat destruction, animal cruelty, misrepresentation or unethical conduct may be disqualified.

The Admin may request additional information concerning the circumstances in which an Image was created.

The Entrant agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Admin, its officers, employees, contractors, affiliates, sponsors, judges and representatives against claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses arising from:

• breach of these Terms;
• infringement of intellectual property rights;
• breach of privacy or publicity rights;
• defamation;
• unlawful content;
• failure to obtain required permissions or releases.

The Admin reserves the right to reject entries, disqualify Entrants, withdraw awards, remove works from exhibition or publication and cancel sales where these Terms are breached or where participation may adversely affect the integrity, reputation or operation of the Prize.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Admin shall not be liable for indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive or economic loss.

The Admin shall not be responsible for technical failures, lost submissions, data loss, exhibition cancellations, transportation delays, third-party acts or circumstances beyond its reasonable control.

The maximum aggregate liability of the Admin to any Entrant shall not exceed the value of any monetary award actually received by that Entrant.

Nothing in these Terms excludes liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

The Admin reserves the right to amend these Terms, modify the Competition, suspend the Competition or cancel the Competition where reasonably necessary.

Selection as a finalist, exhibitor, Fellow, shortlisted Entrant, runner-up or winner does not guarantee exhibition, publication, sale, sponsorship, media coverage or future
opportunities.

The Admin shall not be liable for delays, suspensions, modifications or cancellations arising from events beyond its reasonable control.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Any dispute arising from these Terms shall first be addressed through good-faith negotiations.

Where a dispute cannot be resolved within thirty (30) days, it shall be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration in Lagos, Nigeria, before a single arbitrator appointed in
accordance with the Arbitration and Mediation Act 2023.

The language of arbitration shall be English.

The arbitral award shall be final and binding.

No failure or delay in exercising any right shall constitute a waiver of that right.

If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.