Rules, terms and conditions
The “My Favourite German Word” Photography Competition is open to the general public. Employees of the German Embassy, the Goethe-Institut, or affiliated with any institution of the Federal Republic of Germany, as well as their immediate families, are welcome to submit a photographs, but are not eligible for any of the prizes.
1. Administrator
The Administrator of this contest is the German Embassy Pretoria (called “The Administrator” in the following), 180 Blackwood Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, South Africa.
2. How To Enter
Any individual who submits a photograph in the “My Favourite German Word“ Competition will be entered into the contest. All submissions must be sent to gmail%27%com,GICfoto. The submission must be accompanied by a valid e-mail address.
There can be one entry per person/e-mail address only. Online entries will be deemed made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at the time of entry. All photographs submitted by entrants may be published on the GIC Africa website, the Goethe-Institut website, and both organization's Facebook pages. The GIC Africa and the Goethe-Institut will have full rights to use the photographs on their internet offerings. The photographer will retain the copyright, however by submitting the photo into the contest, agrees to the above described usage rights of the GIC Africa and the Goethe-Institut.
The Administrator reserves the right at its sole discretion to disqualify any individual that tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the contest or website; violates the official rules; or acts in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner, or with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other person. By entering, the entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these official rules and the decisions of the judges.
3. Prizes
Via online voting on the GIC Facebook page (www.facebook.com/gicpretoria), for the photographs with the highest number of votes, the entrant will receive a voucher for a German language course, redeemable at any Goethe-Institute or Goethe-Zentrum in the sub-Saharan Africa region that teaches German. There will be at least six language course winners. For the photographs with the next highest number of votes (with total winners equalling no more than ten), GIC memory sticks will be awarded to these entrants.
The Administrator reserves the right to any final decision with regard to contest rules and rule changes, and to the prizes awarded to the winners. Prizes may not be endorsed, transferred, substituted or redeemed for cash, except at the Administrator’s sole discretion. Specifics of the prizes are subject to change at the Administrator’s sole discretion. The Administrator reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if the awarded prize is unavailable for any reason.
The Goethe-Institut offers specific courses at distinct times of the year. Winners must adhere to the schedule offered at the relevant Institute or Zentrum. Vouchers may be redeemed only at the eleven Southern African Goethe Institutes (Abidjan, Accra, Addis-Abeba, Dakar, Daressalaam, Johannesburg, Lagos, Lomé, Luanda, Nairobi, Yaoundé) or Goethe-Zentrums (Cape Town, Antananarivo, Kampala, Windhoek, Harare and Maputo). Vouchers are valid for courses only and do not include transportation or accommodation costs. Vouchers must be redeemed before December 31, 2013.
The Goethe-Institut is not liable in any way if a winner cannot attend the course offered or if course desired is not available.
4. Winner Selection
Each entrant must comply with all terms and conditions set forth in these rules, and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements.
A winner will be selected from all eligible entries received. Photographic submissions received will be mounted on the GIC Africa's Facebook page and visitors to the page will be asked to vote online for the best photograph. The images with the highest number of votes will be awarded the ten prizes listed above. Decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the selection. Selection of the winner will be conducted after the final voting takes place, latest by August 31, 2012.
The Administrator assumes no responsibility/liability for damages, losses or injury resulting from acceptance or use of the prize. The winner must complete the winner verification process and/or execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and a Liability/Publicity Release/Transfer of Copyright within a period of time designated by the German Embassy Pretoria.
In the event that the winner is unable to comply with the terms and conditions set forth in these official rules, the German Embassy Pretoria reserves the right to deem such individual ineligible and to select a new winner from among the remaining entries.
5. Notification
Winners will be notified by e-mail, however if there is no response within a week of notification, the e-mail address will be considered invalid and another winner's name will be declared. Only entrants who provide a valid e-mail address will be eligible to win. Additionally, entrants may provide a contact telephone number. The phone number would only be used to contact the winner and will not be shared with any third party.
Winners of the language course and the GIC Africa memory sticks should expect to receive prize by mail within eight weeks of notification. If the prize is returned as undeliverable, the German Embassy Pretoria will attempt to re-send the prize once. If the prize is returned as undeliverable twice, the winner’s rights to the prize will be forfeited.
6. General Rules
The Administrator is not responsible for technical, hardware or software malfunctions, telephone failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, or failed, incorrect, inaccurate, incomplete, garbled or delayed electronic communications whether caused by the sender or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this vote which may limit the ability to participate or by any human error which may occur in the processing of the entries in this contest. The Administrator reserves the right to cancel the promotion if it becomes technically corrupted, and award prizes from eligible entries received prior to cancellation. By entering, entrants agree that all issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these official rules, entrant’s rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of the Administrator in connection with the contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules. The Administrator does not submit to the jurisdiction of a South African court, and does not waive its sovereign immunity by entering into this Agreement or submitting to a dispute resolution mechanism.
CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A CONTESTANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND, SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, ADMINSTRATOR RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH CONTESTANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
7. Privacy Notice
Entrants must submit their full name, address, e-mail account and telephone number. By submitting a contribution, entrant agrees to correctly and completely state the data requested. The Administrator reserves the right to remove any entrant from the competition not complying with these terms without prior notice. The contact information provided by entrant is to enable the Administrator to contact the entrant in case of technical problems or if entrant is selected a winner. The Administrator values the privacy of entrants and will use entrant data only for the purposes described above. In particular, the Administrator will not pass on the data to third parties.
8. Winners
The names of the prize winners will be published on the German Embassy Pretoria's, the German information Centre Africa's as well as the Goethe-Institut's websites: www.southafrica.diplo.de, www.gicafrica.diplo.de and www.goethe.de/ins/za/joh/enindex.htm.
9. Any recourse to courts of law is excluded.
