SeaScape™ 2022 Official Guidelines and Rules

Revised February 3, 2022

Revision Note: Since we announced our new contest on October 1, 2021, we have received lots of feedback from the aquascaping community and have made some adjustments to clarify the submission requirements so that members may be able to enter more than one contest with the same aquarium, although the photograph taken must be timely and original. We have also eliminated the size restrictions to make the contest more inclusive. As part of our revisions, we have raised the prize money available for the first place winner, and the final award date has been moved to October 21, 2022 due to venue considerations. The rules have been revised accordingly. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to support@seachem.com for further information.


I. CONTEST

Seachem Laboratories, Inc. is proud to announce and sponsor a worldwide aquascaping competition for contestants of all nationalities and experience to showcase an aquarium as a work of art. Please read all contest rules carefully prior to submission.

II. SCHEDULE
  1. Contest Announcement October 1, 2021
    Contest Open for Submissions April 1, 2022
    Contest Closes for Submssions June 30, 2022
    Preliminary Evaluations July 1- August 15, 2022
    Final Evaluations August 15 – September 15, 2022
    Award of Prizes September 30, 2022
III. PRIZES

The Sponsor will award to the winners based on highest and best ranked aquascape as determined by a panel of independent judges:

  1. First Place Prize USD $20,000
    Second Place Prize USD $ 3,000
    Third Place Prize USD $ 1,000
    4th – 20th Place Prize USD $50 Gift Card and Certificate of Top 100
    Remaining Top 100 Certificate of Top 100
IV. APPLICATION INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS
  1. Online Only Submission. Applicants may only submit entries via online application at www.seachem.com. The application will not be available until April 1, 2022.
  2. General Information to be provided by the contestant, subject to Seachem’s privacy policy at https://seachem.com/privacy-policy.php:
    Name Phone
    Address Email Address
    City Postal Code
    State/Province Country
  3. Tank description
    Work Title Volume (Liters)
    Length x Width x Height (cm) Animals
    Water Plants Photographs
    Additional Info  
V. SUBMISSION AND PHOTOGRAPH RULES
  1. Applicant Entry: Applicants shall submit no more than one (1) photograph of the work. For purpose of this contest, a “work” shall be defined as an aquascape set in an aquarium. Applications may only be submitted in the name of the creator of the aquascape.
  2. Size Restrictions: There is no restriction in aquarium tank size.
  3. Entry Period: Only entries submitted between April 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022 will be considered.
  4. Competition Photo: Applicants shall submit one original (1) competition photograph taken from the front side of the aquascape with the camera positioned so line of sight from the camera is perpendicular and centered to the center of the aquarium. This image will be used for ranking and scoring purposes. Image quality, format and file size will be determined at the opening of the submission period and announced on the submission platform. Entrants are permitted to resize the image to meet the megapixel, file size and file format requirements specified at submission time on the online submission platform. Photos not in the correct format or the correct size shall not be accepted. The image data may be created by a compact digital camera, smartphone, tablet or similar digital photographic device. The image must have been taken and created on or after the contest announcement date of October 1, 2021.
  5. Original Unprocessed Raw Image Photo: Winning entrants shall also be required to submit the original raw image file, unprocessed, unedited, and unresized, to assist with authentication of the photograph. Entrants who are unable to submit a raw original image file may have to provide additional authentication to the Sponsor. Unauthenticated submissions will be disqualified. The raw original image must not be processed by trimming, cropping, reversal, retouching, ‘photoshopping’ or similar processes that edit or modify the image.
  6. EXIF Data: For all photos, all Exchangeable Image File Format (“EXIF”) data/information must not be deleted and remain intact. Please see the paragraph on alterations below under Disqualifications.
  7. No Extraneous Images: No accessories or equipment should be visible in the photo. Do not include titles, borders, descriptive text, copyright notifications, symbols, or other personally identifying information in the photographs.
  8. Color Photos: Photos must be in color. Black-and-white or greyscale photos will not be accepted.
  9. Publication by Sponsor: Photographs, whether competition or original, from winning works may later be used in a high-resolution publication. Additionally, the Sponsor may request a short video of the winning work(s).
  10. In consideration of entry into the contest, providing a submission constitutes entrants consent and agreement to transfer and forever assign the copyrights in the submitted photographs to Seachem Laboratories, Inc., contestants hereby convey, transfer, release and quitclaim all rights, title and interests in the photographs to Seachem Laboratories, Inc, free of any other licenses for use. Contestant warrants to Seachem Laboratories, Inc. that the photographs or rights therein have not otherwise been conveyed to any other party, and are not subject to any outstanding encumbrances or licenses.
VI. DISQUALIFICATIONS
  1. Failure to follow the rules and guidelines of the competition.
  2. Using any photo-editing that adds or subtracts elements form the original image (examples: artificially adding plants, fish, or hardscape; adding photos to the original image, layering photos over each other). The submitted competition must be from the original raw image.
  3. Processing, modification or editing of the competition photograph to subvert the judging criteria.
  4. Plagiarizing other works.
  5. Supplying false or misleading information as part of the application process. This includes, but is not limited to: 1) applying under a name other than the name of the creator of the aquascape, including the name of a family member or others; 2) multiple submissions of the same work from the same contestant; and 3) submission of different photos of the same work under different applicant names.
  6. Submitting a photograph of a work where the rights to that photograph have already been or simultaneously conveyed or licensed to to any other entity or person.
  7. Submitting a photograph that was created prior to the competition announcement date as defined above.
  8. Publication or display of the submitted photographs, or other photographs of the work, by any party other than the Sponsor prior to announcement of the winner of the competition.
  9. Publication of the submitted photograph on social media by any party except the Sponsor. For clarity, contestants may publish other photographs of the work, although they are strongly encouraged not to do so prior to announcement of the winning entry for this contest.
  10. Alterations, including but not limited to selective compositing of multiple images to improve a part or the whole image; selective colorization to enhance color of aquascape elements; selective blacking out of areas of the image to cover equipment, persons, or flaws.
  11. Works that hurt or offend the dignity of the competition:
    1. The Submission must not contain material that violates or infringes any rights of any other party, including but not limited to copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity or any other intellectual property rights or civil rights;
    2. The Submission must not in any way disparage Sponsor or any other person or party;
    3. The Submission must not contain material that is inappropriate, indecent, obscene hateful, tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
    4. The Submission must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group, or individual; or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age;
    5. The Submission must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of or contrary to the laws, regulations or, if applicable, social morals of any jurisdiction where Submission is created;
    6. The Submission cannot promote illegal drugs or firearms (or the use of any of the foregoing), or any activities that may appear unsafe or dangerous, or any particular political agenda or message; and
    7. The Submission must be consistent with the image and values of Sponsor and be consistent with and satisfy the purpose of the Contest.
  12. Submissions by persons who have been banned from other internationally recognized competitions are ineligible for this contest.
VII. JUDGING AND SCORING
  1. All works will be anonymized prior to presentation to judges and identified only by a number known to the Sponsor.
  2. Preliminary evaluations will be conducted by a committee of industry experts and Sponsor representatives to eliminate disqualified entries and identify the top 300 entries from all submissions.
  3. Final evaluation of the top 300 entries will be conducted by panel of expert aquascape judges. Each judge will evaluate the aquascape based on the below criteria, awarding up to 100 total possible points:
    1. Criterion Points Available
      Artistic Composition 35
      Depth and perception 10
      Balance of hardscape and plants 10
      Harmony of layout and aquarium inhabitants 10
      Plant selection size, shape, color 15
      Plant health 10
      Aquarium Maturity 10
      TOTAL 100
  4. For finals evaluation, each judge’s score will be harmonically averaged with all other judges’ scores to determine the overall placing of the aquascape.
  5. In the event of a tie in the rankings, a vote will be held to resolve the rankings by a majority of judges.
VIII. GENERAL RULES
  1. SPONSOR

    The contest is sponsored by Seachem Laboratories, Inc., 1000 Seachem Drive, Madison GA 30650. 1-800-SEACHEM, support@seachem.com

  2. ELIGIBILITY

    The Seachem Aquascaping Contest (the “Contest”) is open to persons of any country where such contests are not prohibited and who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry. Employees of Seachem Laboratories, Inc. and other companies associated with the promotion of the Contest, and their respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates and advertising and promotion agencies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. The contest is subject to applicable laws and regulations of the jurisdiction of the contestant, and void where prohibited.

  3. AGREEMENT TO OFFICIAL RULES

    Participation in the Contest constitutes entrants full and unconditional agreement to and acceptance of these official rules and the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding. Winning a prize is contingent upon being compliant with these Official Rules and fulfilling all other requirements set forth herein.

  4. CONTEST PERIOD

    The Contest begins on April 1, 2022 at 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time and ends on June 30, 2022 at 11:59 PM, Eastern Standard Time (the “Contest Period”). Entries that are submitted before or after the Contest Period will be disqualified.

  5. HOW TO ENTER

    Submissions will be accepted for the duration of the Contest only via our online platform at https://www.seachem.com. Photographic film, recording media and printed photographs are not acceptable. By entering, each entrant warrants and represents the following with respect to their Submission: (a) entrant is the sole and exclusive owner of the Submission; (b) the Submission will not infringe on any rights (including, without limitation any intellectual property rights) of any third parties; (c) any third parties appearing in the Submission have given entrant appropriate consent to be photographed and used as permitted herein; and (d) all information the entrant provided herein is true and accurate. Sponsor reserves the right to request third party releases / authorizations from any third party included in any Submission at any time, without any payment or consideration to be paid by Sponsor. Failure to produce fully executed third party releases / authorizations (if applicable) may result in disqualification of the Submission and from the Contest, in Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion. By entering, each entrant consents to the Sponsor dealing with their Submission in any way that may otherwise infringe the entrant’s moral rights, and agrees not to assert their moral rights (wherever such rights are recognized) in respect of their entry against the Sponsor or its assigns, licensees or successors.

  6. WINNER SELECTION

    On or about September 15, 2022 the Sponsor will attempt to notify the potential via the information provided at registration. If the potential winner cannot be contacted within five (5) business days after the date of the first attempt to contact him/her, the Sponsor may select an alternate potential winner in his/her place based on the next highest ranked aquascape from the remaining, eligible entries. Each potential prize winner may be required to complete, sign and submit a Declaration (or Affidavit) of Compliance, Media Release and Liability Release (or such equivalent documents as determined by the Sponsor in its sole and absolute discretion) within five (5) days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, in order to claim his/her prize. The Sponsor may require additional information and photo images as part of the Declaration. If a potential winner cannot be contacted or fails to submit the Declaration of Compliance within the required time period, if applicable, or prize is returned as undeliverable, potential winner forfeits prize. If the potential winner is at least 18 but still considered a minor in his/her jurisdiction of residence, Sponsor reserves the right to award the prize in the name of his/her parent or legal guardian who will be required to sign the Declaration of Compliance on the potential winner’s behalf and fulfill and other requirements imposed on winner set forth herein. Potential winners must continue to comply with all tenets and conditions of these Official Rules and winning is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will aware the applicable prize to an alternate winner by selecting the entry with next highest ranking from among the remaining eligible entries. Prizes will be fulfilled approximately 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the Contest.

  7. OTHER GENERAL CONDITIONS

    In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Contest is impaired in any way for any reason, including but not limited to fraud, virus, bug, worm, unauthorized human intervention or other technical problem, or in the event the Contest is unable to run as planned for any other reason, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, the Sponsor may , in its sole discretion, either (a) suspend the Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Contest in a manner that best conforms to the spirt of these Official Rules, or (b) terminate the Contest , and , in the event of termination, award the prize based on rankings of the judges as of the date of termination. The Sponsor reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest, or to be acting in violation of these Official rules or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Any attempt by any person to damage the website or undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and should such an attempt be made, the Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages (including attorney’s fees) and any other remedies from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law. Failure by the Sponsor to enforce any provision of these Official rules shall not constitute a waiver of that Provision.

  8. RELEASE AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

    By participating in the Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the Sponsor, and each of their respective parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising and promotions agencies, other companies associated with the Contest, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees shareholder, representative and agents ( the “Release Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Contest or receipt or use of the prize (including any travel or activity thereto) including, but not limited to (a) any technical errors associated with the Contest, including lost, interrupted or unavailable Internet Service Provider (ISP), network, service, wireless service provider, or other connections, availability or accessibility or miscommunication or failed computer satellite, telephone, cellular tower or cable transmissions, lines, or technical failure or jumbles, scrambles delayed or misdirected transmissions or computer hardware or software malfunctions, failure or difficulties, (b) unauthorized human intervention in the Contest; (c) mechanical, network, electronic, computer, printing, or typographical errors; (d) any other errors or problems in connection with the Contest, Including without limitation, errors that may occur in the administration of the Contest, the announcement of the winner, the cancellation or postponement of the event and/or the flyover if applicable, or in any Contest related materials, or (e) injury, death, losses or damages of any kind, to persons or property which may be caused directly or indirectly, in whole or in part from entrants participation in the Contest or acceptance, receipt or misuse of the prize (including any travel or activity related thereto). Entrants further agree that in any cause of action, the Released Parties liability will be limited to the cost of entering and participating in the Contest, and in no event shall the Entrant be entitled to receive attorney’s fees. Released Parties are also not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by site users, tampering, hacking, or by any equipment or programming associate with or utilized in the Contest. Entrant waives the right to claim any damages whatsoever, including but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

  9. LICENSING

    Where transfer of ownership of submitted photographs by entrance into this contest may be restricted or prohibited by law, providing a Submission shall nevertheless constitute entrant’s consent to give Sponsor a royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, publish and display such Submissions in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed for one year for purposes of implementing the Contest. For any winner, providing a Submission constitutes the winner’s consent to give Sponsor an irrevocable, exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works from, and display such Submissions in whole or in part, on a worldwide basis, and to incorporate it into other works, in any form, media or technology now known or later developed, for the legal term of protection of copyright including future legal extensions thereof, including but not limited to on any and all Internet media. Notwithstanding the above, all photos submitted will be credited to the entrant of the submission as the creator of the aquascape.

  10. DISPUTES

    Except where prohibited, each entrant agrees that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court of competent jurisdiction located in Morgan County, Georgia, U.S.A. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, entrants, rights and obligations, or the rights and obligation of the Sponsor in connection with the Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Georgia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of laws rules, which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Georgia, U.S.A. If any provision of this Agreement is held illegal or unenforceable in a judicial proceeding, such provision shall be severed and shall be inoperative, and the remainder of this Agreement shall remain operative and binding on the Sponsor and the entrant(s). Each entrant acknowledges that other entrants may have used ideas and/or concepts in their Submission that may be similar in idea or concept to what is included in entrant’s Submission. Each entrant understands and agrees that he/she shall not have any claim against any other entrant or Sponsor arising out of any such similarity or be entitled to any compensation because of any such similarity. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters relating to this Contest, including, but not limited to, interpretation and application of these Official Rules. By entering the Contest, entrants fully and unconditionally agree to be bound by these rules and the decisions of the judges, which will be final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest.

  11. PRIVACY

    Information collected from entrants is collected subject to Seachem’s privacy policy, found at https://www.seachem.com/privacy-policy.php By participating in the Contest, entrants hereby agree to Sponsor’s collection and usage of their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted Sponsor’s privacy policy.

    We may change this Privacy Policy at any time and from time to time. The most recent version of the Privacy Policy is reflected by the version date located at the bottom of this Privacy Policy. All such updates and amendments are effective immediately upon notice thereof, which we may give by any means, including, but not limited to, by posting a revised version of this Privacy Policy or other notice on the Websites and the Mobile Application(s). You should view this Privacy Policy often to stay informed of changes that may affect you, as your continued use of the System signifies your continuing consent to be bound by this Privacy Policy. We expressly reserve the right to make any changes to this Privacy Policy at any time, without prior notice to you. The version of this Privacy Policy posted on each respective date you visit the System shall be the Privacy Policy applicable to your access and use of the System on that date. Our electronically or otherwise properly stored copies of this Privacy Policy shall be deemed to be the true, complete, valid, authentic, and enforceable copy of the version of this Privacy Policy which were in force on each respective date you visited the System. This Privacy Policy is not intended to and does not create any contractual or other legal right in or on behalf of any party other than Seachem.