Terms of Service | IPPAWARDS

Last updated: June 2026

Please read these Terms of Service ("Terms") carefully before using the IPPAWARDS website and competition platform (the "Service") operated by IPPAWARDS ("us", "we", or "our").

1. Acceptance of Terms By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree with any part of the Terms, you may not access the Service.

2. Competition Entry By submitting a photograph to the IPPAWARDS competition, you confirm that:

You are the sole owner and author of the submitted image.
The image does not infringe upon the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party.
The image has not been previously submitted to IPPAWARDS and has not won an award in any other competition that prohibits re-entry.
You are at least 18 years of age, or have obtained parental or guardian consent.

3. License Grant By entering the competition, you grant IPPAWARDS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish, exhibit, and promote your submitted image solely for purposes related to the competition, including but not limited to announcements, exhibitions, publications, and marketing materials. You retain full copyright ownership of your work.

4. Use of Images & Disclaimer Copyright and all other rights remain that of the photographer. Any photograph used by IPPAWARDS shall carry the photographer's credit line. Use may include publication in any IPPAWARDS media sponsor publication. All entrants understand and agree that any image submitted to the competition may be used by IPPAWARDS for marketing and promotional purposes including in any media such as exhibitions, print and digital media directly related to the IPPAWARDS competition. Participants represent and warrant that (1) the Photographs are original and that they own the rights to their Photographs, (2) the Photographs do not violate the rights of any third party, (3) the Photographs do not convey a false or misleading impression, and (4) any additional information they submit about the Photographs is accurate.

5. Entry Fees and Payments Entry fees are non-refundable except as described in our Refund and Cancellation policy below. All fees are charged in USD. We reserve the right to change entry fees at any time without prior notice.

6. Refund and Cancellation After the deadline of each year, no refund will be issued for the entry fees. In some cases a submission entry credit may be used for the following year's entry.

7. Return of Entries Entries will not be returned. Only winning entries will be kept on file for promotional purposes. IPPAWARDS will not be responsible for any damaged or lost submissions.

8. Judging and Awards All judging decisions are final and binding. IPPAWARDS reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not comply with these Terms or the competition guidelines. Winners will be notified by email.

9. Prohibited Content You may not submit images that contain:

Obscene, pornographic, or sexually explicit material.
Content that promotes hatred, discrimination, or violence.
Images that violate any applicable laws or regulations.
Watermarks, borders, or signatures that identify the photographer (unless the competition guidelines expressly permit them).

10. Disqualification IPPAWARDS reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who attempts to manipulate or interfere with the competition process, or who violates these Terms in any way. Entry fees will not be refunded in the event of disqualification due to a violation of these Terms.

11. Privacy Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

12. Limitation of Liability To the fullest extent permitted by law, IPPAWARDS shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the Service.

13. Changes to Terms We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. Changes will be effective upon posting to the website. Your continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

14. Governing Law These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

15. Contact Us If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us.