- Purpose
- Terms of participation, categories and theme
- Judging
- Prizes - announcement - exhibition
- Intellectual property and liability
- Processing of personal data
- Disputes and decisions
Purpose
Article 1: purpose of photography competition
This photography competition is organised by Visit De Panne, Zeelaan 21, 8660 De Panne, CBE number 0778.951.768.
This competition aims to highlight the beauty and the brilliant example of architecture that is the Westerpunt structure.
Terms of participation, categories and theme
Article 2: cost of participation
Participation in the photography competition is free.
Article 3: participants
The competition is open to all, both professional and amateur photographers can participate.
Judges may not participate in the competition.
We have created categories for young people and adults.
- Category 1: youth: under 16 years of age on 1 January 2025
- Category 2: Adults
Minors may participate in this competition only if they have the express permission of both parents or their guardian. If a minor participates in this competition, the organiser will assume that they have permission from their parents/guardians. If the minor is unable to present this consent, they may be denied further participation in the competition or forego their right to a prize at any time.
Each participant can submit a maximum of 1 photograph for this competition, and as such participate a maximum of 1 time.
By submitting a photograph, the participant declares that they own the rights to the submitted material and expressly authorises the organiser to use these images in accordance with Article 16 of these competition rules.
Article 4: theme
Photographs submitted within the youth and adult contest must depict Westerpunt as the main object.
There are no set themes within this photography competition, we give each participant free rein to let their creativity run wild.
Article 5: Competition duration and submission of photographs
- Photographs can be submitted from 03/05/2025 to 31/07/2025 23:59 via the entry form on page depanne.be/westerpunt-fotowedstrijd
Participants should include their name, date of birth, address and phone number.
- You will receive confirmation once we receive the photographs. All correspondence is via e-mail, so an active e-mail address is required.
- The jury will make a selection from the submitted photographs. The best 50 photographs will be exhibited in the exhibition, the number of photographs per youth or adult category is in proportion to the number of entries. These photographs will be displayed during the Westerpunt expo (11/10/25-7/12/25) at De Scharbiellie cultural centre. The photographers of the selected photographs will receive an e-mail in advance informing them that their photograph has been selected.
- From this selection of photographs, the following winners will be chosen:
- Jury prize - adults: 1 main winner
- Jury prize - youth: 1 main winner
- Audience prize - adults: 1 main winner
- Audience prize - youth: 1 main winner
- The winners will be announced at the private viewing of the Westerpunt expo on 11/10/25 at De Scharbiellie cultural centre. Only the main winners of the jury prizes and the main winners of the audience prizes will be announced.
Article 6: naming
The submitted files are anonymised on upload, the file name is given the sequence number from the web form submission.
Article 7: technical requirements
- Submitted photographs can be black-and-white or colour photographs.
- Original photographs should be sent in jpeg format only, with a resolution of at least 2,500 pixels on the longest side.
- Before judging, all photographs are automatically anonymised by the organisation so that judging can be neutral.
- Save the high-resolution originals of your work. If a photograph is nominated for the retrospective exhibition, you should later provide it to us in high resolution with DPI 300 for printing.
Article 8: disqualification
Photographs should depict the subject as truthfully as possible.
- The photo must have been taken by the participant. Images created by artificial intelligence are not eligible to enter this competition.
- All photographs submitted must be taken with respect for the subject and its surroundings. Photographs should not contain offensive content. Photographs which the jury suspects caused serious disturbance or damage to the subject or surroundings by the photographer’s doing will be disqualified
The following editing features are therefore not allowed
- Watermarks, names, text or graphics on the photograph.
- The jury will judge the photographs anonymously. Any photograph containing a personal reference will be disqualified
- Excessively manipulated images will be disqualified
- Collages
- Manipulations to the structure of the Westerpunt
As long as the natural character of the photo is preserved, general editing is allowed. By this we mean
- General adjustments such as contrast, saturation, sensor spot removal, photographic operations
- Cropping, conversion to black and white and inversion (for black-and-white images only)
- Panoramic photographs from camera or composed afterwards
- HDR manipulation and focus stacking
If these basic conditions are violated, disqualification will follow. The organisation and the jury cannot discuss the interpretation of the basic rules.
Judging
Article 9: Jury
There is a professional jury for this edition, and 2 audience prizes will also be awarded.
Professional jury
The professional jury may include staff members from the Tourism team, local businesses, the Culture and Heritage team, the Communications team, amateur and professional photographers and the mayor.
Public jury
From 01/09/25 until 30/09/25, the public can vote for the photographs selected by the professional jury, on the visit.depanne.be website
Article 10: winners
There will be 1 main adult winner and 1 main youth winner, in addition there will also be an adult audience prize and youth audience prize.
- Jury prize - adults: 1 main winner
- Jury prize - youth: 1 main winner
- Audience prize - adult: 1 main winner
- Audience prize - youth: 1 main winner
If the main winner of the jury prize is also the main winner of the audience prize, first place for the audience prize will go to the first runner-up of the audience prize. As such, the main winner of the jury prize cannot also be the winner of the audience prize.
Article 11: criteria
The professional jury will judge all photographs anonymously, based on the following criteria: originality, link to the theme, aesthetic quality.
Article 12: Correspondence with the jury
The jury will decide in secret. Any correspondence with the jury is prohibited.
Jury decisions are final. Matters that may give rise to dispute and are not covered by these regulations will be settled by the organiser.
Prizes - announcement - exhibition
Article 13
The grand prizes and audience prizes consist of Panne vouchers (local trade vouchers).
- Jury prize - adults: Pannebon €300
- Audience prize - adults: Pannebon €250
- Jury prize - youth: Pannebon €300
- Audience prize - youth: Pannebon €250
Article 14
The photographers of the selected photographs will receive an e-mail in advance informing them that their photograph has been selected.
These photographs will be displayed during the Westerpunt expo (11/10/25-7/12/25) at De Scharbiellie cultural centre.
From 15/12/25, photographers can purchase and collect their exhibited photo at a preferential rate of €50 from the town hall (Tourism desk).
The result of the competition as well as date and place of the award ceremony will be posted on social media, in the newsletter and via https://www.depanne.be/westerpunt-fotowedstrijd
Participation in the competition implies full and unreserved acceptance by the participants of these rules and any decision taken by the organiser to ensure the smooth running of the competitions.
Article 15
Visit De Panne will organise the printing of the selected photographs for the exhibition. To do so, participants should be able to provide us with high-resolution files of their photographs.
Intellectual property and liability
Article 16
Each participant declares, under penalty of exclusion, to be the sole and original author and full copyright holder of the submitted works. Photographs may not be reproductions or copies of existing works. The use of artificial intelligence in taking the photograph is not allowed.
Each participant also has all required permissions from any persons depicted or from the owners of the photographed objects, goods.
Participants remain the owner/author of the submitted photographs but do grant the organiser the following property rights: the right to Visit De Panne to reproduce and use the submitted works, without compensation, in publications and on the website or social media, both in print and online format, both during the competition and for a period of 10 years after the end of the competition. Naturally, participants will always be listed as author/photographer.
Article 17
- Visit De Panne cannot be held liable for loss or damage to the submitted works. It will never hand over the photos to other organisations or pass them on to third parties. Publications and reproductions will always include copyright, and the author's name. Visit De Panne accepts no responsibility for possible infringements of third-party copyrights.
By submitting his/her entry, the participant indemnifies Visit De Panne against all possible third-party claims in this regard (including GDPR and liability).
- Visit De Panne also cannot be held responsible for any damages, bodily injuries, accidents or incidents arising from participation in the competition or the awarding of prizes.
- If the competition has to be cancelled, suspended or adapted due to force majeure or other unforeseen circumstances, or if the prizes are modified or withdrawn, the organiser shall not owe any compensation to the participants or winners.
- The organiser cannot be held liable in any way if the organiser is forced to postpone, shorten or withdraw the competition, change the competition rules or adjust the competition formula.
Processing of personal data
Article 18
Participants in this competition agree that their personal data provided to the organiser in the context of their participation will be processed in accordance with the GDPR legislation of 25 May 2018.
The following personal data are processed: name, first name, date of birth, e-mail address, phone number, based on consent.
The data requested are for the purpose of identifying the participant and the correct running of the competition. The data will be kept as long as the competition is running and will be deleted afterwards.
In case of queries or complaints regarding the processing of personal data, the data protection officer can be contacted at privacy@depanne.be.
Disputes and decisions
Article 19
No correspondence (no letters, e-mails, and/or telephone calls) will be conducted about the rules, organisation and/or binding and irrevocable result of the competition.
In the event of a dispute, Visit De Panne will take a final decision. There is no recourse against decisions by the organiser, who decides autonomously. Complaints about the competition will not be accepted.
These rules may be amended throughout the duration of the competition. Provisions can be added or removed. The rules will be available for consultation on the visitdepanne.be website as a PDF document throughout the duration of the competition.