Annual Area IV Cherry Blossom Photo Contest – Official Rules & Regulations

By entering the Annual Area IV Cherry Blossom Photo Contest, you hereby accept the Terms and Conditions listed below. All participants are required to acknowledge that they have read and agreed to the conditions outlined throughout these rules.

ENTRY DEADLINES:

Photos must be submitted by 8 April 2026, at midnight (KST).
Voting will commence on the USAG Daegu MWR facebook page on 10 April 2026, at noon (KST) and will close on 16 April 2026, at midnight (KST).
Winners will be announced on the official USAG Daegu MWR social media pages after all winners have been confirmed.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Each participant may submit one (1) photo.
Photos must depict cherry blossom landscapes in Korea and may have been taken at any time during the participant’s time in Korea.
Post-production editing and digital manipulation are allowed, provided that the integrity of the original scene is maintained. Excessive alterations, such as adding or removing significant elements, will result in disqualification. Basic edits (color correction, cropping, sharpening) are permitted.
Photos must be submitted using the official submission form available HERE.
Submitted photos must be the original work of the participant, with no identifying marks, borders, watermarks, or signatures.
AI-generated photos are prohibited.
Photos containing recognizable individuals, including faces, distinctive clothing, or personal features, are not permitted. Distant or obscured figures (e.g., silhouettes or people in crowds) may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Personal or family photos are prohibited.
Photos that are offensive, contain nudity, hate speech, or violate or infringe upon another person’s rights (including copyright violations) will be disqualified.
Entries must be submitted through the official contest channel. Entries submitted through any other method will be disqualified.
Late submissions will not be accepted.
USAG Daegu MWR reserves the right to remove or disqualify any entry that does not comply with contest rules or is deemed inappropriate.
If a submission is disqualified for any reason, USAG Daegu MWR will not retain any rights to the image, and it will not be used in any official capacity.

PRIZES:

1st Place: 3-night free stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge.
2nd Place: 2-night free stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge.
3rd Place: 1-night free stay at the Dragon Hill Lodge.
Prizes must be collected in person at Camp Walker, USAG Daegu. If a winner cannot collect their prize, they may designate a representative with prior written consent, subject to USAG Daegu MWR approval.
Prizes are non-transferable and cannot be substituted or exchanged for cash.

JUDGING & VOTING:

Winners will be determined by public voting, with the highest-voted photos receiving prizes.
Participants may share their photos on social media to encourage voting.
Fraudulent voting (e.g., bot votes, fake accounts, vote-buying) will result in disqualification, and USAG Daegu MWR reserves the right to investigate and void any suspicious votes.
Photos will be displayed without the photographer's name or any identifying information during the voting period to ensure fairness.
In the event of a tie, a panel of USAG Daegu MWR judges will anonymously vote for the winner based on artistic merit, composition, and adherence to the contest theme. All decisions are final, and any disputes regarding the outcome will be resolved according to USAG Daegu MWR's discretion.

WINNER NOTIFICATION:

Winners will be contacted via the email provided during submission.
If a winner does not respond within three (3) business days, a new winner will be selected, and the previous winner will forfeit the prize.
All judging and voting decisions are final.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

The contest is open to both professional and amateur photographers.
Participants must be 18 years or older as of the date of entry.
Contest is open to Area IV (Camp Walker, Camp Carroll, and Camp Henry) Community Members Only.
Employees or volunteers of USAG Daegu MWR, Command Team members, and their direct family members are not eligible to participate.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:

USAG Daegu MWR reserves the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the contest due to technical issues, unforeseen circumstances, or any factor that may affect the contest's fairness or integrity.
Participants retain copyright ownership of their submitted photos but grant USAG Daegu MWR a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the images for promotional and marketing purposes, including but not limited to:
- USAG Daegu MWR social media pages
- USAG Daegu MWR website
- Indoor/outdoor displays at USAG Daegu MWR facilities
- Photographers will be credited where possible.
USAG Daegu MWR and its affiliates are not responsible for lost, late, or misdirected entries or for any technical malfunctions that affect submissions.
By entering, participants waive any claims against USAG Daegu MWR related to the contest and agree to abide by all rules and decisions.
Personal information collected through this contest (name, email, etc.) will only be used for administering the contest and will not be shared with third parties.