Official rules and guidelines for the Hawaiʻi Public Health Workforce Catalyst Lab (HPHWCL) 2025 Public Health Photo & Video Contest

1. ELIGIBILITY: Open to the public residing in Hawai‘i.

 

2. PERIOD OF SUBMISSION: Between February 14, 2025 until March 15, 2025 midnight HST.

 

3. TERMS OF SUBMISSION: As conditions of entry into this contest, and by providing photos or video, each entrant (“you”) agrees to abide by the rules of submission:

 

a) You as the entrant agree that your submission: (a) is original to the entrant and has been legally obtained and created; (b) does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy or publicity rights or any other legal or moral rights of any third party, or violate applicable laws or regulations; (c) has not been submitted to or won previous contests or awards; and (d) has not been published. By submitting photo(s) or a video, you confirm that you are the legal owner of the photo or video and have the authority to enter it in the contest. Photos or videos taken by and/or purchased from professional photography studios or professional photographers are not eligible for submission.

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4. PARTICIPATION CATEGORIES: There are three participation categories. Entrants may participate in more than one category.

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a) 1-photo entry

b) 3-photo essay entry

c) Short video entry (less than 60 seconds)

 

5. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS:

 

a) Professional/commercial photos/videos are prohibited. Photos may not be electronically altered through programs such as Photoshop. AI use to generate or alter photos/video is prohibited. Participants must maintain the safety of themselves and others when taking photos. You assume unlimited responsibility for the successful electronic transmission of your work to the contest and waive any right or claim against HPHWCL in the event of a failure of technical systems, whether you, HPHWCL, or a third party may be responsible for such a failure. Once you submit your photo or video electronically, your submission is final and may not be modified or edited further. HPHWCL may, at its sole discretion, remove, delete and/or disqualify submissions deemed to be inappropriate or otherwise non-compliant, and HPHWCL may delete, in its discretion, all submissions received after the end of the submission period, without notice to you.

 

b) All submissions will be reviewed for content before being published or judged; however, such review does not relieve entrants from responsibility for compliance with the terms of use and these official rules. Submissions that do not comply with the terms of use or these official rules or that otherwise contain prohibited, or inappropriate content as determined by the sponsor, at its sole discretion, will be disqualified and will not be considered. The HPHWCL makes the final determination as to which submissions are eligible to take part in this contest.

 

c) Participants will retain ownership of their photograph. However the project PI and Co-I reserve the right to use submitted photographs and videos in materials with credit to the photographer/videographer.

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d) Captions Photos: Provide a caption for each photo (up to 150 words). Include the story/message behind the image, its context. Also include the photo and photographer's name.

 

e) Captions Videos: Provide a video credit at the beginning or end of the video. In the narration or captions within the video, Include the story/message behind the reel and its context. Also include the videographer's name, and others who may have contributed to the video’s production.
 

6. ETHICAL GUIDELINES:

a) By submitting here, you certify that you have obtained oral permission from any human subject photographed or videoed in the submitted materials and have followed the ethical guidelines:

 

b) ⚠️ Obtain verbal consent from the person or people you wish to depict before you take the photograph.

 

c) ⚠️ If you are taking pictures of children, obtain verbal consent from their parents or guardians; if they are not present to consent, do not take the photo.  

 

d) ⚠️ Be especially careful when taking pictures of people who are receiving health care — respect their privacy, and follow the photography rules of their health care facility.

 

e) ⚠️ Potential participants of photos should be informed in advance, how photos will be used.  They can cancel their participation at any time and if photos were taken, they would need to be destroyed.  

 

f) ✅ Respect the person you are depicting and treat that person with dignity. Be sure to show them your image to ensure they are comfortable with it.

 

g) ✅ Be mindful of whether or not you are representing the person accurately and/or the community accurately.

 

h) ✅ Be mindful of your intent in taking the photograph (e.g., are you taking it to document a situation, raise public awareness, capture something beautiful, tell a story, etc.)

 

i) ❌ Do not take pictures of people, including children, when they are unclothed out of respect for their privacy.

 

j) ❌ Do not take pictures of people when they are unconscious because they cannot provide their consent.

 

7. SELECTION OF WINNERS: The photos and videos will be judged for quality, applicability to preparedness, and general appeal. The judging committee will select first, second, and third place winners per category. The winners will be announced in April during National Public Health Week (NPHW) through the HPHWCL Instagram, website, and newsletter, along with various other local celebrations of NPHW. 

 

8. PRIZE: To receive a gift card as a prize, a WH-1 tax form will be required. Gift cards are subject to tax rules and cannot be issued to some individuals due to tax rules. An alternative prize can be offered. 

 

9. PHOTO/VIDEO CONTEST MEDIA USE AGREEMENT: As the entrant, you consent to the HPHWCL and its PI/Co-I to use your name, likeness, biography, picture, and photo/video entries.

 

a) You are of the legal age of consent and you have the full legal power and authority to complete this agreement. 

 

b) HPHWCL and its PI/Co-I can delete, destroy, reproduce, encode, store, copy, transmit, publish, post, broadcast, display, adapt, alter, modify, combine, create derivative works of, exhibit, and/or otherwise use or reuse:

i) Your submitted photo(s) or video(s)

ii) You name, image, statements, and biographical material

iii) Your contest submission

iv) Any additional photographic images, portraits, interviews, or other materials relating to you and arising out of your participation in this contest (collectively, the "Additional Materials")

 

c) HPHWCL and its PI/Co-I may use the above-mentioned items with or without using your name, in any media, without limitation, and without additional review, compensation, or approval from me or any other party.

 

d) HPHWCL and PI/Co-I can use, reuse, publish, and republish the Additional Materials in whole or in part, individually or in conjunction with other photographs or images, in any medium or form of distribution, and for any purpose whatsoever, including (but not limited to) advertising, trade, promotion, and publicity.

 

e) You waive any right to inspect or approve the finished product or products and the advertising copy or other matter that may be used in connection therewith or the use to which it may be applied.

 

f) You hereby release, discharge, and agree to hold harmless HPHWCL and its PI/Co-I, their legal representatives, licensees, and successors from all claims and demands whatsoever arising out of or in connection with the use of the Additional Materials, including any and all claims for libel and invasion of privacy.