Hosting Company

Hamanasi Ltd., hereinafter referred to as Hamanasi.

Term

Begins May 17, 2024 and ends June 30, 2024 at 5:00 pm Belize Time.  By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest and states that he or she is 18 years old or older.

Who may enter

The 5 prizes are open to photographers who are 18 years old or older. Individuals affiliated with Hamanasi Adventure & Dive Resort, including employees, trustees, interns, volunteers, and their immediate families (children, parents, siblings and spouses) and others living in their households are not eligible for any prize. Hamanasi will determine winners’ eligibility at its sole discretion.

What to enter

The following three contest categories are drawn from subjects (of special interest to Hamanasi):

1. Macro Underwater species taken within the Belize Barrier Reef system or Glover’s Reef Atoll, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, or Turneffe Islands Atoll.
2. Micro Underwater species taken within the Belize Barrier Reef system or Glover’s Reef Atoll, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, or Turneffe Islands Atoll.
3. Diver(s) or snorkeler(s) taken within the Belize Barrier Reef system or Glover’s Reef Atoll, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, or Turneffe Islands Atoll.
4. Topside on a boat within the Belize Barrier Reef system or Glover’s Reef Atoll, Lighthouse Reef Atoll, or Turneffe Islands Atoll.

Entrants may submit up to 10 photographs for each category, for a maximum of 40 entries per person.

To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since October 18, 2000. This date applies to all images in a composite. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.  Cropped photos are eligible in all categories.  Images generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI) are not permitted.

For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you attest that the individual(s) has/have granted you full consent and permission to use their likeness in the photo.  You must be prepared to provide a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, to Hamanasi upon request. A sample model release is available here.

Photos must be taken in accordance with Belize laws.  Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.  

Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by Hamanasi in its sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.

Ethics

The welfare of a subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to capture a photograph. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.

How to enter

Please submit photographs and requested information online through our website at Hamanasi.com/photocontest. Entrants may submit up to 10 photographs per category for a contest total of 40 submissions.  photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg, .png, or heic format, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 25 MB.

Hamanasi does not accept photographs submitted through the mail and does not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.

Finalists must be prepared to submit an original digital file.  

Hamanasi reserves the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side or an original photo negative, print or slide. Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.

Hamanasi may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.  

You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Hamanasi (and those authorized by Hamanasi) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the hotel and its website, exhibition, and commercial products (this includes any sales of products utilizing the photograph), including but not limited to Hamanasi publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. Hamanasi will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Use of your personal data

Participation in the contest requires the collection of your name and email address. By entering this contest, you are consenting to the use of your name and email address for further communications regarding this contest and future updates from Hamanasi. To access our privacy policy, click here.

Entry deadline

The contest begins on May 17, 2024. All entries must be received through Hamanasi.com by 5:00 PM Belize Time on June 30, 2024.

Judging

Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt and overall impact. Hamanasi will select 3 finalists per category, a winner for each category, and a Grand Prize winner from among the finalists. The finalists will be notified of their status and appear on our website in July 2024.

Hamanasi will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; Hamanasi may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within 10  business days.

Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

Prizes

5 prizes will be awarded, as follows:

• Grand Prize: 3-night stay at Hamanasi in a run of house room including breakfast and one Barrier Reef adventure (snorkeling or diving).
• Category Winners: The winners of each of the 4 categories will receive a Hamanasi gift pack.
• All winners will be printed and  displayed at Hamanasi.

Winners must sign a release and license, as well as a declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any fees or taxes associated with the prize. All prizes are awarded “as is” and non-transferable.

Online Features

Hamanasi may select photos for display on its website or in a publicly accessible contest archive. Such selections will be made at Hamanasi’s sole discretion.

Conditions of Entry

All entrants hold Hamanasi and its respective regents, directors, officers, employees, interns, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred because of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.

The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. Hamanasi reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, Hamanasi reserves the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. Hamanasi reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Decisions of Hamanasi are final and binding.