Japan Underwater Photo Contest 2019

Photo Contest Result!!!

Thanks to all the people who have participated in this contest.We now have a collection of stunning snapshots of Japanese endemic species through unique diving photos in Japan!

Gold Award

Ayako Okada (Suō-Ōshima, Yamaguchi)
Tomoyuki Ogawa (Suō-Ōshima, Yamaguchi)

Silver Award

@hirokoi825777 (Kushimoto, Wakayama)
NORIKO (Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido)

Bronze Award

@diving_shop_blueworld (Kinkou-wan, Kagoshima)
@divingshop_sb (Kagoshima)
@kazushige_oshita (Kerama Islands, Okinawa)
@makoto_shigehara (Notojima, Ishikawa)
Takuma Nishimura (Yakushima, Kagoshima)
@yuppi_yuka (Okinawa)

Special Award

@dive_redrabbit (Lake Shikotsu, Hokkaido)
@diving_love_tr (Toshima, Tokyo)
@divingshopnana.teru (Hayama, Kanagawa)
Hidesea (Mikomoto Island, Shizuoka)
@mizuho504 (Kinkou-wan, Kagoshima)
Ryohei Ito (Tateyama, Chiba)

Judge Award

@asu_chan_chan (Hayama, Kanagawa)
Daisuke Nakahodo (Maeda, Okinawa)
@diving_love_tr (Nago Bay, Okinawa)
Gotaro Takenaka (Minamata, Kumamoto)
Hiroshi Danjyo (Hakodate, Hokkaido)
@k.katano_ (Hachioji-shima, Tokyo)
@keisukeokasora (Minabe, Wakayama)
@mihontyu8 (Miho, Shizuoka)
@mikako1060 (Tokunoshima, Kagoshima)
@moto.san.moto (Ishigaki Island, Okinawa)
@n_tsukuda (Kushimoto, Wakayama)
@yushi___ nakamura (Amami Ōshima, Kagoshima)
@yaimasobi (Yonara River, Okinawa)
Yuta Shigeno (Ogasawara Islands, Tokyo)

Entry Guidelines

The photo contest is now closed. Thank you for participating!

The Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) is holding a diving photo contest to promote the undiscovered beauty and artistry of diving in Japan to the world.

We are seeking photos of Japanese endemic species which can only be found in Japan, and other unique diving photos taken in Japan by professional and non-professional divers alike.

Award winners will be announced in early November 2019 here on this page and on the official JNTO Instagram account. We will contact winners via direct message from @npo_japan_diving_experience.

Please follow the official JNTO Instagram account. Post your entry on Instagram using the two hashtags #visitjapanjp and #vj_dive_2019, and include the locations where the photo(s) was taken. We also accept entries via email.

Please kindly take your time to review and accept the Entry Guidelines of the contest when posting photos.

We look forward to seeing your wonderful photos of diving in Japan.

How to apply through Instagram

Step 1

Follow @visitjapanjp

Step 2

Upload photos taken at Japanese dive sites

Step 3

Add two hashtags
#visitjapanjp and #vj_dive_2019,
and include the locations where the photo(s) was taken.

Via email

Email to: event-office＠gplusmedia.com

Please write “Diving photo contest 2019 (Your name or nickname)” in the email subject line.

*The email can only contain up to 5MB in attachments. Emails that are larger than the size limit cannot be received.

Awards

Gold for 2 people

Genius dive computer + LED tank module

Silver for 2 people

SMART dive computer

Bronze for 6 people

MARES cruise dry bag

Special Award for 6 people

BSAC original Waterproof bag White for 3 people
BSAC original Waterproof bag Black for 3 people

Judge’s award for 14 people

JAL B773 model plane for 1 person
NAUI Knapsack for 10 people
NAUI sweat suit (grey) for 3 people (Sx1, Mx1, Lx1)

Contest Period

The photo contest is now closed. Thank you for participating!

5th August 2019 until 30th September 2019

Announcement of Winners

Award winners will be announced in early November 2019 here on this page. Winning entries are also planned to be introduced on the official JNTO Instagram account. *We will contact winners via direct message from @npo_japan_diving_experience

Judges

Mr. Koji Nakamura
(Underwater Photographer)

Mr. Nakamura is the Chairman ＆ CEO of Japan Underwater Films Inc. He was a previous judge for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 and is a professional international underwater photographer for both still photography and film.

Mr. Nakamura regularly appears on TV shows and gives lectures on diving and underwater media making in Japan and overseas.

Mr. Kazushige Horiguchi
(Underwater Photographer)

Having received awards from many diving photo contests, Mr. Kazushige is now a professional underwater photographer. His photos and articles have been published on diving magazines, websites, and newspapers. He currently holds photography seminars all over Japan and works for a nonprofit organization called Japan Diving Experience to promote diving tourism to foreigners.

Eligibility

Participant must have an Instagram account.
Applying via email is also accepted. We will notify you through Instagram Direct Message and also via event-office＠gplusmedia.com. Please check your spam filter just in case.
Participant shall be deemed to have agreed to the Entry Guidelines (including the Disclaimer and Act on the Protection of Personal Information) when their entry is complete.
Participant may use any equipment for their entry. Retouched images are also accepted.
Participant may submit as many entries as they wish. However, participants are not allowed to submit the same photos more than once.
Entries are limited to original works, of which only the participant owns all necessary rights (including copyrights), excluding publicity rights. The participant is not to use images posted on external websites and blogs without permission, which may constitute an infringement of copyright. Entries including images of other persons are limited to those that have cleared publicity rights in advance. As specified in the Entry Guidelines, entries are subject for Secondary Use. Participants shall clear publicity rights for Secondary Use as well.
Participant may be amateur or professional, regardless of nationality or age. When the participant’s entry is selected for an award, or selected by JNTO for promotional use, the participant will be requested to submit official confirmation of their date of birth.

Photo by NPO Japan Diving Experience

Act on the Protection of Personal Information

Personal information provided by the participant will be safely managed and only be used for the administration and publicity of the Contest, such as to contact participants regarding the Contest, award deliveries, manage entries, and display winning entries. We may also use non-personally identifiable information of participants to generate statistical data. Personal information will only be used within the scope permitted by the Personal Information Protection Law, and for no other purposes. The participant acknowledges that any data collected through the Contest (such as EXIF data) will be processed and analyzed as non-personally identifiable statistical information, and may be disclosed to third parties such as sponsoring companies.
Personal information provided by the participant will not be disclosed to third parties without the participant’s approval, excluding the following purposes: to announce contest winners or introduce entries, to outsource the administration and publicity of the contest to subcontractors, and when required by law.
Personal information provided by the participant will be shared and used within the following scope.
1. Collected Data
  Information such as name, date of birth, address, telephone number, e-mail address, etc. submitted by the participant when the participant’s entry is selected for an award, or selected by JNTO for promotional use.
2. Users
  The operator of “Japan Underwater Photo Contest 2019”, GPlusMedia Inc.
3. Purpose of Use
  Personal information of participants will only be used for the administration and publicity of the Contest, such as to contact participants regarding the Contest, award delivery, manage entries, and display winning entries. The organizer may also use non-personally identifiable information of participants to generate statistical data.
4. Personal Information Management
  Please check the Privacy Policy of “Japan Underwater Photo Contest 2019”, from here.

Disclaimers

When applying via Email, please do not include personal information in body of the email and do not send files that are not encrypted.
Photos must be taken at Japanese Dive Sites.
The participant must enter accurate information in each field of the entry form. The organizer does not accept responsibility for disqualification of entries, or any damages incurred due to submission of incorrect information.
Entries are not limited to previously unpublished works. However, to prevent trouble, the participant is encouraged to thoroughly check the Entry Guidelines of other photo contests when submitting a work that has previously won an award, or when submitting a work that is planned for submission to another contest. The participant may also enter works that have been previously published in non-commercial publications created by the participant. Works posted on participant’s personal blogs and social media such as Facebook and Flickr accounts are also accepted, as well as photos displayed at non-juried photo exhibitions.
In principle, copyright of entries belongs to the participant even after submission to the Contest. The participant shall not transfer copyright of entries to third parties.
The participant shall be solely responsible for resolving any disputes with third parties related to the entries submitted by the participant, at their own cost. JNTO and GPlusMedia Inc accept no responsibility.
The participant cannot withdraw entries from the Contest once submitted.
The participant shall be responsible for the backup of entries.
The participant shall be responsible for any cost incurred for applications.
The organizer will not accept works sent by mail or directly brought to the Contest office. Such works will not be returned to the participant.
The participant grants JNTO a free of charge license to publish, reproduce and broadcast or use their entry for an indefinite period of time for promotional use by JNTO, local governments and our sponsors under the conditions specified in this section. In such cases, participants will be notified via Instagram Direct from @npo_japan_diving_experience when possible.
Regarding the usage of entries as stated above, entries may be cropped, edited or modified using visual effects, music, and sound effects without prior approval from the participant.
When using the participant’s entry, the participant will be credited wherever possible. The participant agrees to waive all moral rights of the author in the use of submitted entries.
The participant warrants that the participant owns all copyrights appearing in the entry, and has been granted prior permission for use of publicity rights, including Secondary Use as stated in the Entry Guidelines. It is the sole responsibility of the participant to confirm that the entry does not infringe the rights of any third party and that prior permission is obtained to use the image of any person appearing in the entry. As specified in the Entry Guidelines, entries are subject for Secondary Use like JNTO’s website/app, SNS, official accounts, etc to promote traveling in Japan to foreigners. Participants shall clear publicity rights for Secondary Use as well. Participants may not submit entries that include advertisements and signboards of third party brands. Participants may not submit entries that offend public order and morals.
The organizer reserves the right to delete or disqualify, without prior notice, entries by participants who have been deemed by the organizer to have violated the Entry Guidelines or public order and morals or have defamed or caused disadvantage to other participants. The organizer may also rescind awards given to a participant.
The Entry Guidelines shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan, and the Tokyo District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction for the first instance over any lawsuit in connection with the contest or Entry Guidelines.
Although entries are handled with the utmost care, the organizer does not accept any responsibility in case of accidents.
No inquiries will be accepted regarding entries and selection of winners.
Awards are non-transferable and non-exchangeable for cash.
The Contest is organized by JNTO. Facebook Inc. and Instagram are not affiliated with the Contest, and do not sponsor, approve, or operate the Contest in any way. Moreover, participants are deemed to have agreed that Facebook Inc. and Instagram have no involvement with the participant’s entry and selection of awards.
Although the Contest uses Instagram’s system, JNTO will not answer inquiries regarding the usage and technical matters related to Instagram’s system and software or application or featured provided by Instagram and third parties. For inquiries regarding such matters, please directly contact Instagram or the relative third party.
JNTO reserve the right to change or cancel the Contest, in whole or in part, without prior notice to participants. Furthermore, when deemed necessary, the organizer may change the Contest’s overview, Entry Guidelines, and implement necessary measures for the fair operation of the Contest. Changes made to the Entry Guidelines are effective at the time of publication by JNTO.

Organizer

Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

Supported by

Instagram

Contact

Administration Office: event-office＠gplusmedia.com
*Please note that it will take 2 – 3 days to respond.