Come and experience the beauty and charm of the Niyodo River deep within your soul.

Channel your inner creativity and capture an awe-inspiring photograph of the Niyodo River!

July 1st, 2024 (Mon.)1:00 PM (JST)―January 10th, 2025 (Fri.)1:00 PM (JST)

Winners will be notified directly in late February 2025 and will also be announced on the website.

[Judges] Photographer Mr. Nobuyuki Takahashi, A Representative of 6 Municipalities in the Niyodo River Basin

3 photos allowed per participant (submission is free).

Submitted photographs must be taken between July 1st, 2024 and January 10th, 2025 in the 6 participating municipalities in the Niyodo River Basin.Photographs must also include the Niyodo River and/or its tributaries.

Anyone can participate regardless of experience, age, or nationality.

※Participation for those under 18 require the consent of a parent or guardian.

We will consider works submitted by those under 18 to be submitted with the consent of a parent or guardian.

Submissions are to be submitted digitally in files under 10MB each.

Please note that if your photograph is selected as a winning work, you will be asked to resubmit the photograph in a higher resolution.

Prize recipients will be required to provide proof that they visited Niyodo River during the time of the competition.

(For example: Plane ticket, lodging receipts, dated public transportation tickets, dated receipts from within the 6 municipalities in the Niyodo River Basin, etc.)

※If you are unable to provide proof, you will be unable to receive the reward.

※Proof within two days of when the photograph was taken will be accepted.

●The submissions must be an original, unpublished work photographed and exclusively owned by the applicant.(It must not have been displayed in an exhibit, posted on social media, uploaded to the internet, or resemble other works)

●he submitted photograph and its composition must not be altered with the use of generative AI. (Interval photography and long-exposure photography to express the trajectory of light are acceptable.)

●Compositing images (combining photos from other locations, drawings, or computer graphics) is not allowed

●Photos must be taken on or after July 1, 2024. (Photos taken before this date are not allowed)

●Winners will be asked to submit proof that they visited Niyodo River on the day of the photo shoot. (e.g. airline tickets, lodging certificates, dated public transportation tickets, dated shopping receipts within the six basin municipalities, etc.)

　※Failure to provide proof will result in revocation of the award.

　※Proof of two days before or after the shooting date is also valid.

●No composite photos are allowed.

●The copyright of the submitted works belongs to the applicant, but they may be used (including editing or altering 　the submitted works such as cropping, image effects, etc. without the applicant's consent) or provided to a third 　party without compensation for Niyodo Blue's publicity and promotion.(e.g., exhibitions, collections, posters, calendars, etc.)

●Applicants shall not exercise their moral rights with respect to their submitted photographs.

●Submitted data will not be returned.

●Submissions that are currently being submitted to other contests, including those similar to this contest, will not be accepted. Entries submitted to other contests after the entry in this contest will also be considered as entries in other contests.

●Photographs that were taken by trespassing, taken on private property without permission, immoral works, or works that do not align with the theme of this competition are ineligible for submission.

●For entries that use one's right of likeness, copyrighted works, or other materials for which others have rights, please obtain permission to use such materials in advance. If the subject of the work includes a person, it is the responsibility of the applicant to obtain the prior approval of the subject, etc., to ensure that there are no issues of infringement of their rights in the entry.

●In the event of any complaints, claims, or objections from third parties regarding infringement of rights or compensation for damages, the entrant shall handle all such complaints, claims, or objections, and shall not cause any trouble to the sponsors of the event.

●The sponsor shall not be liable for any damages incurred by the submitter due to or in connection with network malfunctions, computer viruses, unauthorized access to the server, or any other circumstances beyond the sponsor's control.

●The Sponsor shall not be liable for any loss or damage incurred by the participant in connection with his/her participation to this contest.

●In the event of any problems regarding the similarity of the submissions, the parties involved shall resolve any and all such issues among themselves. The sponsor will not be liable for any complaints or objections arising from such issues, and all such issues must be handled by the submitters.

●The Sponsor reserves the right to cancel the prizes and demand the return of the prizes if any violation of the terms and conditions by the submitter is discovered after the prizes have been awarded.

●No appeals will be accepted regarding the results of the screening.

If any of the following is found to be the case even after submission, the submitter will be eligible to receive the award.

❶Items that violate laws and regulations ❷Items that are offensive to public order and morals ❸Anything contrary to the public welfare ❹Items intended to advertise the name of a company or a specific product ❺Items related to political or religious activities ❻Any material that defames or invades the privacy of individuals, companies, organizations, etc. ❼Inappropriate content ❽Any contents or expressions that are offensive or objectionable. ❾Other, items that the organizer deems inappropriate for the purpose of this contest.❿Works that are not qualified for this competition

Head Judge

Nobuyuki Takahashi, Photographer

• 1947 Year

  Born in Kochi City, Japan

• 1969 Year

  Studied in Zaragoza for three years as an honorary student of the Spanish Government.

• 1972 Year

  After returning to Japan, produced photographic works on themes such as "the sea" and "the landscape of Tosa" while working as a freelance commercial photographer. These were published in camera magazines and other media.

• 1987 Year

  Moved to Punta Arenas, a town on the Strait of Magellan, Chile.

• 1988 Year

  With the cooperation of the Chilean Navy, visited Cape Horn, the southernmost point of the continent, and with the cooperation of the Air Force, visited Antarctica in the winter.

• 1989 Year

  Created works themed around the "beauty of nature" and "the Niyodo River".

• 2010 Year

  Portfolio made appearances in television programs such as "NHK Special Niyodogawa Ao no Shinpi".