Contest Terms & Conditions

§1 — Eligibility

1.1 The VisitPenang Weekly Photo Awards (“Contest”) is open to all individuals worldwide, aged 18 years and above.

1.2 To be eligible, entrants must follow the Instagram account @visitpenangmy at the time of submission and at the time of winner selection.

1.3 Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of VisitPenang.com and any Contest sponsors are not eligible to enter.

1.4 Entrants under 18 years of age require written consent from a parent or legal guardian. VP reserves the right to request proof of consent.

§2 — Photo Requirements

2.1 All submitted photographs must be original works taken by the entrant personally.

2.2 Photographs must have been taken in Penang, Malaysia.

2.3 Photographs must not contain watermarks, copyright notices, or third-party branding.

2.4 Photographs must not have been previously published on any third-party website or publication prior to submission. Publication on the entrant’s own personal social media accounts is permitted.

2.5 Minimum resolution: 2000 pixels on the long edge. Maximum file size: 20MB. Accepted formats: JPG, PNG. Submissions below minimum resolution are rejected automatically.

2.6 Minor colour/exposure adjustments, cropping, and lens correction are permitted. The following are not permitted and will result in disqualification: generative AI image creation or fill, AI sky replacement, composite images from multiple source photos, heavy manipulation that materially alters the original scene. If the editing would not be achievable in Lightroom with standard adjustment sliders, it likely does not qualify.

2.7 Entrants who submit a photo must be the copyright owner. Submitting someone else’s photograph, even with their permission, is not permitted. VP may request proof of authorship for any submission.

2.8 Photographs must not contain identifiable faces of private individuals unless the entrant has obtained consent from those individuals. Photographs of public figures in public settings, and crowd shots where no individual is identifiable, are permitted.

2.9 Photographs must not contain nudity, offensive or discriminatory content, or content that violates any applicable law.

2.10 VP reserves the right to disqualify any submission that, in its sole judgment, does not meet these requirements.

§3 — Photo Licence Grant

3.1 By ticking the licence grant checkbox on the submission form, the entrant grants VisitPenang.com a perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, and display the submitted photograph across all of VP’s owned and operated platforms, including: visitpenang.com (web), VP mobile application, VP social media accounts (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube), VP email newsletters and press releases, VP partnership materials shared with tourism bodies, hotels, and sponsors.

3.2 “Use” and “display” in §3.1 include: cropping for aspect ratio, resizing for web delivery (hero, card, thumbnail, OG image formats), and minor exposure/white balance normalisation for visual consistency. They do not include: applying artistic filters, compositing with other images, or using the photograph in a context that a reasonable person would consider derogatory to the photographer or the subject.

3.3 The licence in §3.1 is granted on the condition that VP attributes the photograph to the entrant by their preferred name or Instagram handle in every instance of publication.

3.4 The entrant retains full copyright ownership of their photograph. This licence does not limit the entrant’s right to use, sell, or licence their photograph independently.

3.5 VP will not sell or sub-licence individual photographs to third parties without the entrant’s separate written consent.

§4 — One Entry Per Person Per Week

4.1 Each entrant may submit one photograph per weekly contest period via the on-site form. Duplicate submissions for the same week will result in all entries from that entrant for that week being disqualified.

4.2 There is no limit on the number of weekly contests an individual may enter in different weeks.

§5 — Judging

5.1 All eligible on-site form submissions are reviewed by VP’s editorial team against the criteria published on the Contest page.

5.2 The monthly grand prize winner is selected from the four weekly winners of that month. There is no additional editor’s pick or wildcard entry for the monthly prize.

5.3 The judges’ decision is final and binding. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the outcome of any judging decision.

5.4 VP reserves the right to withhold a weekly prize if, in the judges’ sole opinion, no submission meets the minimum quality threshold for that week.

§6 — Winner Notification

6.1 Weekly winners will be notified by email and by Instagram direct message within 48 hours of the submission deadline.

6.2 Winners must respond within 7 days of notification to claim their prize. Non-response within 7 days results in forfeiture of the prize, at which point VP will select a runner-up from that week’s submissions.

6.3 VP will announce winners publicly on its Instagram account and contest page, including the winning photograph with attribution. Entrants who do not wish to be named publicly must state this at the time of submission.

§7 — Prize Payment

7.1 Cash prizes are paid by bank transfer to a Malaysian bank account, or via Wise or PayNow for non-Malaysian winners. All transfer fees are borne by VP.

7.2 Winners must provide valid bank account details within 7 days of notification. Prizes will be processed within 7 business days of receiving valid details.

7.3 Prizes are non-transferable and no cash alternative is available.

7.4 VP is not responsible for delays caused by the winner’s bank or payment provider.

7.5 All tax obligations arising from the receipt of a prize are the winner’s sole responsibility.

§8 — Sponsor Disclosure

8.1 Where the Contest is sponsored, the sponsor’s name and logo will be displayed on the Contest page and in winner announcement posts.

8.2 Sponsors have no involvement in and do not influence the selection of winners.

§9 — Privacy

9.1 Personal information collected in connection with the Contest (name, email address, bank details) is used solely for administering the Contest and paying prizes. It is not shared with third parties except where required for prize payment processing.

9.2 Entrants who opt in to the VP newsletter will receive periodic Penang travel content from VP. They may unsubscribe at any time.

9.3 VP’s full Privacy Policy applies.

§10 — General

10.1 VP reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest at any time, for any reason, with reasonable advance notice published on the Contest page.

10.2 VP reserves the right to amend these Terms & Conditions. Material changes will be announced on the Contest page with at least 7 days’ notice.

10.3 These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of Malaysia. Any disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Malaysia.

10.4 If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.