Wellcome Photography Prize terms and conditions
Terms and conditions that apply to entries for the Wellcome Photography Prize 2025.
About the competition
- The Wellcome Photography Prize ('the prize') is a competition run by the Wellcome Trust ('Wellcome'), a charity registered in England and Wales (no. 210183), whose registered office is at 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK.
- Any person in any country can enter the prize, except for people directly involved with organising and/or judging the competition. However, please note the condition relating to financial sanctions laws in the “Judging and prizes” section. Collaborative works will be accepted.
- The competition is free to enter.
- Submitting material to the prize constitutes acceptance of these competition terms and conditions.
Submitting entries
- Completed entries must be received by 23:59 (GMT) on 14 January 2025.
- Entries must be submitted through the online submission platform. Any entry submitted by any other method will not be eligible for the prize.
- Images must have been created after 31st December 2019.
- Submissions must be in digital format but the original imagery does not need to be, for example, high-quality scans are acceptable.
- There is no limit on the number of images an individual can submit.
- People under the age of 18 must have consent from a parent or legal guardian before submitting images into the prize and by entering are confirming that they have permission.
- Each image can only be entered once into the prize.
- Each image can only be entered in one category. Wellcome reserves the right to move any image into a different category if it feels that is more appropriate.
- Save for entries to the Series category, each image will be judged individually and must work as a standalone image. If submitting more than one image from the same series of work, please consider which images have the most impact and only submit those that each offer something unique.
- Each entry to a Series category must contain no fewer than three and no more than five images.
- Diptychs, triptychs and polyptychs may be accepted into the Series category as a single image.
- Images that have won or been shortlisted previously in the prize cannot be entered again.
- Any works originally commissioned by Wellcome are not eligible for submission.
- Images that have been previously published can be entered into the prize.
- Watermarks, names or other information identifying the image creator or copyright holder, their representative, or any institutional affiliations or publications, must not be visible in the images themselves. This information will be asked for as part of the submission process and can be included in the accompanying metadata.
- Any manipulations or alterations made to an image in post-production (such as false colouring or intentionally distorting part of an image for creative purposes) are allowed as long as they are clearly described in the accompanying image caption.
- Any image that is (or is based on an image that is) automatically generated by computer, or created by artificial intelligence (including but not limited to generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT, Dall-E or similar software applications) shall not be eligible for the prize.
- All images must be accompanied with accurate captions and metadata containing all the information described in the guidance provided during the submission process. For any submissions not provided in English, Wellcome reserves the right to translate these into English.
- In addition to captions and metadata, Wellcome shall have the right to see the relevant original unedited image file (digital negative), if requested. If you do not provide Wellcome with the relevant original unedited image file then Wellcome shall have the right to disqualify the relevant image(s) from the prize.
- All images must be submitted as high-resolution files suitable for printing as winning images will be reproduced including in print format. Images must be at least 15Mb in size (uncompressed file size) and use Adobe RGB (1998) colour model and profile. TIFF or high-resolution JPG formats are preferred.
- Wellcome reserves the right to disqualify any submissions not of acceptable quality or where the accompanying caption and metadata is insufficient, unclear or untrue.
Copyright and permissions
- For the purpose of this section on copyright and permissions, ‘image(s)’ includes image metadata and any written captions or other text submitted with the image(s).
- The entrant, or their representative submitting images on their behalf, must be the copyright holder or have permission from the copyright holder to submit images to the prize under the terms and conditions specified here.
- Copyright holders retain copyright in their work.
- Copyright holders grant to Wellcome a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable right to copy, adapt, distribute, perform and use their submitted images in any media (including social media, online and print):
- in connection with the operation, promotion and/or description of the prize for a period of 3 years from submission
- for shortlisted and winning entries only, on a perpetual basis in connection with the prize (as described above) together with use for merchandising purposes and for any uses connected with Wellcome’s charitable mission to improve human health. When using an image, Wellcome will reference the particular health, medical or scientific story or topic to which it relates, wherever it is reasonably practical to do so.
- The above licence will be royalty free, save in connection with use on merchandise which generates a revenue for Wellcome, for which use Wellcome will offer the copyright holder a reasonable fee.
- Wellcome may grant sub-licences to its partners and the third parties it works with, solely in connection with the purposes permitted above. For the avoidance of doubt, Wellcome no longer operates a commercial image library and will not sub-licence any images to third parties for a fee.
- Copyright holders will be credited when their image is used. Any failure to provide such credit shall not be deemed a breach as long as Wellcome makes reasonable efforts to rectify such a failure within a reasonable period from the date of notice of such failure.
- The entrant, or their representative submitting images on their behalf, warrants they have all third-party permissions and releases, including patient consent if relevant, necessary to have taken the image and to publish the image, including all the relevant personal and health related information shared with Wellcome. The entrant will provide details to confirm that these permissions are in place if requested by Wellcome to do so.
- The entrant, or their representative submitting images on their behalf, warrants that any material submitted is their own original work and does not infringe the copyright or any other rights of any third party.
Judging and prizes
- All judging decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into over these.
- The top 25 entrants (as determined by Wellcome) will be informed by email as soon as is practically possible to do so after judging has taken place, and it is anticipated that these entrants will be contacted in March 2025. After this, Wellcome will conduct its due diligence and other internal processes before announcing the top 25 and then the prize winners, which is anticipated to be in the summer months of 2025.
- If a prize winner or shortlisted entrant cannot be contacted within seven days of the judges’ decision, Wellcome reserves the right to award the prize to another entrant.
- Prizes are as stated on the webpage at the time of submission.
- Wellcome reserves the right to exclude an entry and revoke any prize made, at any time, in the event of a breach of these terms and conditions by the relevant entrant.
- Where financial sanctions laws, processes of banks or other financial institutions (or similar) prevent, or otherwise restrict, Wellcome, in accordance with its usual internal policies and processes, from awarding the prize (which may include but shall not be limited to Wellcome not being able to transfer funds to the country in which you are based) then Wellcome shall have the right to substitute the prize for an alternative prize of equivalent value, and if Wellcome determines that an alternative prize of equivalent value is not appropriate then Wellcome shall have the right to award the prize to another entrant instead.
Liability
- Insofar as is permitted by law, Wellcome will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate any entrant or accept any liability for any loss or damage arising from participation in the competition.
- If copyright or any third-party rights are infringed by any material provided by an entrant, then the entrant will take full responsibility for this.
- These terms and conditions and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with it or its subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the law of England and Wales.
- The terms set out here are binding, and Wellcome reserves the right to refuse or exclude any entries at its discretion.
- Wellcome reserves the right at its sole discretion to change the terms and conditions, make changes to the timetable, prizes awarded or other aspects of the competition. If you maintain your image in the competition after publication of these changes, you agree to be bound by those changes.
- Wellcome is not responsible for any misuse of images by third parties.
Data Protection
- Wellcome will process your personal information as set out in the Wellcome Privacy Statement (Privacy and terms | Wellcome).
