GCCA Concrete in Life competition 2024/2025 Terms and Conditions

GCCA #concreteinlife Photography Competition (“Competition”) 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS (“OFFICIAL RULES”) 

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. THIS COMPETITION WILL BE GOVERNED BY ENGLISH LAW.  DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. BY SUBMITTING YOU ARE AGREEING TO BE BOUND BY THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND CONFIRMING THAT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE TO ENTER.  

1.  ELIGIBILITY: 

Open only to individuals 18 years of age or older as of date of registration. Employees, officers and directors of GCCA Inc. (“Sponsor”) and its advertising, promotion or production agencies, Web masters/suppliers (and their immediate family members [spouse, parents, children, siblings etc.] and individuals residing in the same household, whether or not related) are not eligible to enter.  By participating, entrants agree to these Official Rules and decisions of the Sponsor and/or its independent judges are final and binding in all respects. Void where prohibited, or restricted by law. Subject to all applicable laws and regulations. 

2.  COMPETITION TIMING: 

The Competition begins and therefore the period for submission of entries into the Competition begins on 25 September 2024 at 9:00:00 am Greenwich Mean Time (“GMT”) plus 1 hour (i.e. British Summer Time)”) and ends on 30 November 2024 at 11:59:59 pm “GMT” (the “Competition Period”). The Sponsor’s computer is the official timekeeping device for the Competition. All entries must be received by the Sponsor no later than the end of the Competition Period. Any entries received after the Competition Period ends will be automatically disqualified. 

3.  COMPETITION ASSIGNMENT: 

The Competition invites the entrant to submit original photos capturing what the entrant considers to be the essence of “concrete in life” at any time of day, be it poignant, inspiring, quirky or amusing (the “Photo” or “Photos”). 

4.  TO ENTER: 

To enter the Competition, entrants should post their entry photograph on Instagram or X with the hashtag #ConcreteInLife2425 to submit to the Competition and one of four category hashtags below to submit the photo to one of the four Competition categories (see  “5. COMPETITION CATEGORIES”). Entrants also need to specify the location in which they took their entry using a hashtag with country location. 

Entrants should make their profiles public so that we can see photos. If entrants do not, the judging team may not be able to view their entries. 

Content Restrictions:   

• The Photo must comply with these Official Rules;  

• In its sole and absolute discretion, Sponsor may reject any Photo that i) includes material or subject matter that is inappropriate, obscene, sexually explicit, defamatory, disparaging, unlawful, offensive, false or misleading, ii) depicts or promotes the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, illegal drugs, or the use of firearms or weapons, or iii) includes personally identifying information or similarly defined personal information in  applicable privacy legislation (“PII”) of any kind (this includes an image of an identifiable person), other than in circumstances where the entrant has obtained explicit consent from the individual to whom the PII relates. If the entrant cannot provide evidence that the individual has given such consent, the entry / Photo may be discounted;   

• The Photo must not contain material that violates or infringes another’s rights, including but not limited to privacy, publicity or intellectual property rights, trademark rights, image rights or that constitutes copyright infringement OR which otherwise is in violation of any applicable law which the Entrant is subject to in his/her jurisdiction;   

Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to disqualify you from the Competition if it believes that the Entry fails to conform to the above Content Restrictions or any restrictions set forth in the Official Rules or if you provide false information in entering the Competition, or if your conduct is contrary to the spirit or intention of the Competition. 

Receipt of Entry will not be acknowledged or returned. Proof of submission will not be deemed to be proof of receipt by Sponsor. Sponsor does not accept responsibility for any entries including for equipment failure, technical malfunction, systems, satellite, network, server, computer hardware or software failure of any kind.  

BY SUBMITTING AN ENTRY, ENTRANT ACKNOWLEDGES (WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE LICENCE SET OUT BELOW) THAT HIS/HER PHOTO MAY BE POSTED (IN THE SPONSOR AND ITS MEMBER AND AFFILIATES’ SOLE AND ABSOLUTE DISCRETION) ON THE COMPETITION OR SPONSOR OR MEMBERS AND AFFILIATES’ WEBSITES, SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND USED IN OTHER COLLATERAL. 

By entering, each entrant warrants and represents the following with respect to their Photos: (a) entrant is the sole and exclusive owner of the Photo; (b) the Photo is entrant’s own creation and is 100% original; (c) publication of the Photo will not breach any rights of any third parties; and (d) Photos are in accordance with these Official Rules. Any such entrant will indemnify and hold harmless Sponsor and Releases (as defined in Section 7 below) from any claims to the contrary. 

By entering, you acknowledge that Sponsor has no obligation to use or post any Photo you submit. 

Entrant agrees that all applicable taxes, fees and other levies on any prize are solely the winner’s responsibility. 

5.  COMPETITION CATEGORIES:    

Entrants can enter their photos into one (1) of four (4) categories using the below hashtags on Instagram or X. There will be one (1) winner in each category, equalling a total of four (4) Finalists. 

6.  JUDGING:    

This is a skills-based competition and eligible Photos will be evaluated by the Judges as a panel in accordance with the following skills-based judging criteria which shall be weighted and balanced in the sole and absolute discretion of the Judges (“Judging Criteria”):   

Judging will take place in January-March 2025 and the Judges’ decision will be final. There will also be one (1) people’s vote winner chosen by the public using a voting website. 

For Photos submitted by an entrant that is over 18, the one (1) Photo that receives the highest total scores based on the Judging Criteria for each category will be deemed finalists (each, a “Finalist” and collectively, the “Finalists”). Each category will have one (1) winner. Each Finalist will receive a Prize and will be eligible for consideration as a potential Overall Best ‘Concrete in Life’ Photo of the Year Winner as well as a people’s vote prize. The Finalist selected for the Overall Best ‘Concrete in Life’ Photo of the Year prize will not receive an additional Prize for the category it entered, although it will retain the title of category finalist.  

There will also be one (1) people’s vote winner chosen by the public using a voting website (overseen by the judging panel). If the winner of the people’s vote is one of the category winners or overall winner, the winner will receive the highest single prize amount, not a combined total. 

Entrants under the age of 18 will not be considered for any category or prize. 

Each Finalist will only be permitted to retain the highest value prize they are awarded, and will be required to forfeit any other prizes of lesser value that may have been awarded. 

As a condition of entering, entrants further agree to these Official Rules and to the judges’ decisions, which are final and binding in all respects. 

Photos may be reviewed prior to announcement of the winners to ensure winning photos do not violate third party rights including intellectual property rights or privacy rights in any relevant jurisdiction. An entrant may not be awarded a prize if it is found in the Sponsor’s reasonable opinion that a photo has breached any such laws or regulations, or otherwise fails to comply with these Official Rules.  

7.  PRIZES:  

A. Prizes: 

B. Delivery of Prizes 

Expenses and Taxes. Winner is solely responsible for all expenses and incidental travel costs not expressly stated in the prize description, all out-of-pocket costs, and all applicable taxes.   

Winner Notification.  In March 2025 (or as soon as practicable thereafter), the potential winners will be notified via Instagram, X or email. The Sponsor will not amend contact information once entries have been submitted. 

It is a condition of the Competition that winners may be required by the Sponsor to complete, sign, and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, evidence of consent to publication of any third party whose PII is included in the entrant’s Photo, and, where lawful, a Publicity Release within seven (7) calendar days of first notification attempt, and before the prize is awarded. No substitution, cash equivalent or transfer of prize by the entrant is permitted, but Sponsor reserves right to substitute prize with prize of equal or greater value if advertised prize is unavailable for any reason. Limit one Prize per person. 

Prizes cannot be claimed by a third party on behalf of a winner. GCCA will contact all the winning entries via the Instagram or X account that submitted the entry. GCCA reserves the right to replace any winner who fails to respond within five working days of first notification of their success. All published authors will receive their prizes once communication is established.  

8.  HOLD HARMLESS AND RELEASE:    

Hold Harmless. To the maximum extent permitted by law, entrants and winners agree that Sponsor and its parent, subsidiaries and affiliated companies and advertising and promotion agencies, and all of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents (individually and collectively “Releasees”) will have no liability whatsoever for, and are released and shall be held harmless by entrants and winners against, any liability, for i) any losses or damage or violation of intellectual property or personal rights (such as but not limited to, copyright, trade name/trademark, and/or rights of privacy or publicity or portrayal in a false light) and ii) any losses, damage, or injury arising out of or related to the use of the prize or entry in this Competition. 

9. General/Miscellaneous.    

• ENTRIES POSTED TO THE WEBSITE AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA ARE NOT EDITED BY SPONSOR AND ARE THE VIEWS/OPINIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL ENTRANT AND DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF SPONSOR IN ANY MANNER.    

• Any waiver or non-use of any rights hereunder by Sponsor does not constitute a general waiver of any other Sponsor rights.      

• Releases are not responsible for lost, late, misdirected, incomplete, or non-received Photos or e-mail, for any reason whatsoever.    

• Any Persons who engage in unlawful activities in connection with the operation of the Competition, as solely determined by the Sponsor, will be disqualified. 

• Any entrant not complying with the conditions of participation or with the remaining requirements and conditions of the present terms and conditions may be eliminated/disqualified from the competition. 

• Neither Sponsor nor its agencies are responsible for injury or damage to entrant’s or to any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating in this Competition or downloading materials from or use of the Website.    

• Should any portion of the Competition be, in Sponsor’s sole opinion, compromised by technical or other failures, Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to suspend, modify or terminate the Competition, and select the prize winner from Photos received prior to action taken or as otherwise deemed fair and appropriate by Sponsor.    

• In case of dispute, the authorized account subscriber of the Instagram account used to enter the Competition at the actual time of entry will be deemed to be the entrant, and must comply with these Official Rules. 

All age restrictions are applied as at the date of an entry being submitted. 

If any provision(s) of these Terms and Conditions (or any part thereof) are held to be invalid or unenforceable, all remaining provisions (or any part thereof) hereof will remain in full force and effect. 

10.  CHOICE OF LAW AND JURISDICTION:  

A.  Choice of Law. These Official Rules and the Competition shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, English law.  

B.  Jurisdiction. The courts of England shall have the non-exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute that may arise out of, under, or in connection with the Competition, these Official Rules, or the legal relationship established by them. 

11. USE OF DATA: 

Sponsor will be collecting personal data about entrants online for the administration of the Competition, in accordance with its privacy policy.  Please review the Sponsor’s privacy policy at https://gccassociation.org/privacy-policy/.  By participating in the Competition, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor’s and its group companies collecting and using of their personal information and transferring such information overseas including to the United States of America in accordance with Sponsor’s privacy policy and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Sponsor’s privacy policy.  Entrants also agree that if they are selected as a winner, the information they have provided to the Sponsor may also be included in a publicly-available winner’s list.   Sponsor may also use your name, image and town or country of residence as part of the announcement and for any other reasonable promotional purposes. 

By entering the Competition you agree that any personal information provided by you with your entry may be held and used by the Sponsor or its agents and suppliers to administer this Competition. 

By entering the Competition you also agree that Sponsor may use your personal data to contact you in future if Sponsor or its group companies are running a similar contest. 

12. WINNERS LIST: 

For a list of the winners, visit the Website and the GCCA’s social channels after March 2025. The decision will be final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into. 

13. SPONSOR: 

GCCA Inc. 

Paddington Central, 6th Floor, 2 Kingdom Street, London, W2 6JP, United Kingdom 

14. CHANGES TO THE OFFICIAL RULES: 

Sponsor reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel or amend the Competition where it becomes necessary to do so. 

Sponsor reserves the right, at its discretion, to make changes to any part of these Official Rules. Due to its policy of updating and improving these Official Rules, Sponsor may wish to change these Official Rules. If an entrant uses this Website or chooses to participate in this Competition after Sponsor has published or notified entrant of the changes, entrants are agreeing now to be bound by those changes. If an entrant does not agree to be bound by those changes, an entrant should not use the Website or participate in the Competition