A collaboration between National Geographic and Greenpeace

Show Us Your Green World!

Beautiful nature shots? Share them! Participate in the National Geographic and Greenpeace photo challenge and celebrate the beauty of our planet.

The idea

Our natural world is unique! Together with you, Greenpeace and National Geographic want to celebrate the beauty of our planet.

This is how you can join the challenge!

Show us your green world! Post a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ourplanetourfuture and breathe some green energy into your followers’ Instagram feed. It’s up to you whether you want to show nature in all its green and dazzling facets, or share an idea with us on how we can protect our planet and how we together can all make sure that it stays green in the future.

⇨ You can join from 12 September 2017 to 31 October 2017 using #ourplanetourfuture and don’t forget to mention @greenpeace.de and @natgeodeutschland in your post. ⇦

All you need to join this challenge is a smartphone; there’s no need for any kind of professional equipment. What counts for us is your green idea.

It’s worth your while to join!

A jury of National Geographic editors, Greenpeace activists and well known bloggers will award prizes to the five best posts, which will then be published in the National Geographic and Greenpeace Nachrichten magazines. And you too can vote for your own favorite post—the picture with the most likes will receive the sixth prize, the public choice award.

These six winners will get to experience an exciting day in Hamburg, spending time with the editor-in-chief of National Geographic in his office, and visiting Greenpeace’s headquarters, including a tour of the action warehouse with its inflatables, diving suits, and banner workshop.

What’s more, we’ll be showing a larger selection of your ideas as part of an exhibition in Hamburg and Berlin.

We look forward to exploring your green world! Together, let’s make sure that people rediscover the beauty of our planet!

Who’s on the jury?

Florian Gless, editor-in-chief of the National Geographic magazine in Germany

Florian Gless has worked in journalism for over 25 years at NDR, Der Spiegel and Stern. He has been editor-in-chief of the German edition of National Geographic since 2014.

Florian Gless says: “Experts aren’t the only ones who can protect our planet; it starts at home and we can all do our part. Discovering the beauty of nature in our immediate surroundings might be much easier than we think. I’m can’t wait to see your challenge pictures!”

Michael Pauli, director of communications at Greenpeace Germany

Michael Pauli studied political science and has worked in several radio and TV editorial offices, including as writer and director at ARTE, NDR and Ki.Ka. Today, Michael Pauli is the director of communications at Greenpeace Germany.

Michael Pauli says: “Ninety-nine percent of the news we hear every day is so-called ‘bad news’: conflicts, wars, violence, threats, disasters. Is the world really that dark and negative? I doubt it. There’s lots of positive news. That’s why I’m looking forward to other points of view. I really want to see them.”

Jannik Obenhoff, member of the Germanroamers and Instagram blogger

Jannik Obenhoff started taking pictures three years ago thanks to the Instagram app. At the time, he was in eleventh grade at the Carl Orff High School in Unterschleißheim. Jannik has more than 650,000 Instagram followers. In the future, he would like to travel more and explore the world while taking as many photographs and producing as many videos as possible.

Jannik Obenhoff sasy: “I’m very motivated to be part of the photo challenge because I personally think it’s really important to protect nature and the environment so we can preserve the ecology of the future.”

Charlotte Schüler, blogger, plastikfreileben.de

Charlotte, currently a student in media design, is 22 years old. She started writing about her plastic-free life on plastikfreileben.de a year ago; she gives her readers advice on how they too can make sure they use less plastic in their lives.

Charlotte Schüler says: “I’m especially happy to be on the jury because being creative is a very good way of drawing attention to environmental problems. There are so many aspects involved that everyone can draw attention to whatever they think is most important.”

Andreas Pufal, creative director at National Geographic magazine, Germany

Andreas Pufal’s professional life spans more than twenty years of working as a book cover designer and art director in advertising and print journalism; he has also been involved in developing many magazines. In early 2015, he became creative director for all the National Geographic brand’s editorial offices in Germany.

Andreas Pufal says: “I love photography. It stops time for us in a fast and fleeting world and sometimes it makes an instant last forever. I’m curious to see who succeeds in accomplishing this.”

Eva Petschull, media editor at Greenpeace Germany

Eva Petschull studied photography in New York, completed her apprenticeship as photographer in Germany, and then took charge of photography projects around the world. In 2013, she founded her own agency for photographers and illustrators. In addition to working as media editor at Greenpeace, she is an agent for visual art professionals (advertising).

Eva Petschull says: “Images can tell stories without words. They have their very own language, which can have an impact on people, widen their horizons and even change their point of view. I’m curious to see what your thoughts on the future of our planet are and the stories you have to tell.”

Lisa Maria Otte, digital campaigner at Greenpeace Germany

Lisa Maria Otte studied environmental science and came to Greenpeace more than ten years ago. At that time, she gave up working in radio and television because she was much happier being a Greenpeace activist in an inflatable. She began full-time work at Greenpeace in 2014, first as an expert on protecting the Arctic and our oceans, and now as a digital campaigner on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. She is in charge of @greenpeace_foodstories on Instagram.

Lisa Maria Otte says: “I’m curious to find out what you want and what makes you happy! Sometimes it’s the little things that make a big difference. I’m looking forward to an exciting tour of your world on Instagram.”

#ourplanetourfuture

Terms and conditions

Terms and conditions and privacy policy for the Instagram “ourplanetourfuture” photo challenge contest sponsored by NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC and Greenpeace

TRANSLATOR’S DISCLAIMER This is a courtesy translation into English of a text originally written in German. All translations are carried out to the best of our knowledge. We do not assume any liability for translation errors, not even if the translation was carried out by us or on our instructions. The original German text remains solely binding.

1. Sponsors
The sponsors of the photo challenge contest are NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC  Magazin Deutschland (G+J NG Media GmbH & Co. KG), Am Baumwall 11, 20459 Hamburg, and Greenpeace e.V., Hongkongstrasse 10, 20457 Hamburg, both in Germany and hereafter referred to as "we" or "NAT GEO and GP". The National Geographic website and social media channels are operated by NAT GEO licensor National Geographic Partners, Washington DC, but content is produced in cooperation with NAT GEO and used by NAT GEO for this photo challenge contest.

2. Eligibility
The contest is open to all natural persons residing in Germany who hold the necessary rights to the images submitted and are entitled to grant these rights as set forth below in Section 8, especially in regard to the use of the uploaded photos in NAT GEO and GP publications, and for exhibitions. Employees of NAT GEO, GP and subsidiary companies or affiliate organizations, as well as all other persons involved in the design and production of the contest, as well as their first and second-degree family members and/or any persons living in the same household, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate. The participation of minors requires the permission of a parent or legal guardian.

3. Entry period
The photo challenge contest begins on 12 September 2017 and ends on 31 October 2017 at 12 midnight Central European Time. Multiple entries may be submitted.

4. Acceptance of these terms and conditions
Participation takes place the moment a photograph is uploaded and publicly posted on Instagram. The photo caption must include the contest hashtag #ourplanetourfuture and mention @natgeodeutschland and @greenpeace.de. By submitting an entry, in particular in the case of winning entries, entrants agree to the publication of the winners’ first and last names and photos of the winners in NAT GEO and GP publications, on NAT GEO and GP websites, and on NAT GEO and GP social media channels. All entrants grant permission for photos submitted to be shown in an exhibition. The exhibition will be open to the public in Hamburg and Berlin. Furthermore, by submitting an entry, entrants warrant that they are the sole authors of the photographs they submit and that they hold all relevant property rights in regard to their publication (see Section 8 below for more details).

5. Photo challenge contest rules and procedures
To participate, entrants need to have a public Instagram account. Participation is successful if:
- the photo is uploaded to Instagram.
- the photo is relevant to the theme of the contest.
- the contest hashtag #ourplanetourfuture is used.
- @natgeodeutschland and @greenpeace.de are included in the photo caption.
- the photo was posted on Instagram during the entry period specified in Section 3.
The first five winners will be selected by a panel of judges. The judges are contest sponsor representatives. The sixth prize will be awarded to the entry with the highest number of Instagram user likes. Printed photos submitted by mail, or photos stored on any kind of data storage device, regardless of format, will not be accepted. Photos submitted via email cannot be accepted. Participation is possible only through Instagram. Entries submitted by any other means shall not be sent back.

6. Declaration of consent
Participation constitutes agreement to these terms and conditions and to the use and storage of personal information in accordance with Sections 11 to 14 of these terms and conditions.

7. Rights and legality
(1) The entrant agrees to observe all exploitation and ancillary copyrights, as well as any other rights to the photograph, and warrants that the photograph does not infringe any copyright, trademark, property rights, rights of privacy or publicity of any person, or any other right of any third party, and that he/she has the full and unrestricted right to submit the photograph free and clear of any claims or encumbrances.
(2) The entrant warrants that he/she has observed the rights of all persons recognizable in the photo, in particular their publicity rights and all other personality rights; that these persons consent to the uploading, publication and use of the photograph, the entrant having obtained the necessary permission from these persons to use and distribute the image (see below, Section 8). This applies to any person who appears in the photograph even in cases, for example, where a person in the background happens to be recognizable.
(3) The entrant also warrants that the photograph does not violate applicable law and does not give cause for any other complaint. In particular, the entrant is responsible for ensuring that the photograph is free of any pornographic, racist, or otherwise offensive or illegal content and does not infringe upon copyright or trademark law. The entrant shall not use any clearly recognizable images of copyrighted works, brands or labels in his/her photograph.
(4) At the request of the sponsors, the entrant shall provide written proof of permission given by third parties, and for his/her part, issue a written release for the corresponding rights of usage.

8. Transfer of rights
(1) The entrant grants NAT GEO and GP, without compensation, the unlimited—in terms of geographic location, duration and content— and non-exclusive rights of usage; this includes the right to edit submitted photographs with the purpose of displaying them on nationalgeographic.de and greenpeace.de; in publications belonging to the NAT GEO brand family (NAT GEO magazine, NAT GEO TRAVELER) and GP; in media coverage of the contest, regardless of media, but including both print and online media; in all NAT GEO and GP social network channels, including for use as background images for text boxes; and for presentation in an admission-free exhibition curated by NAT GEO and GP and open to the public. Should photographs be used for commercial purposes beyond the above-mentioned types of display and presentation, for example in the production of merchandising products, the entrant will receive an offer to conclude an agreement in this regard.
(2) The entrant gives NAT GEO and GP permission to combine the photograph with other works for all of the above-mentioned purposes, and to alter or edit the photo, while respecting the entrant’s personality rights. Edited or altered versions of the photo, in particular details, may also be used as described above.

9. Contest prizes
The first six winners will spend an exclusive day with representatives from the National Geographic editorial offices and Greenpeace in Hamburg, where they will enjoy a glimpse behind the scenes. In addition, the six winning photos will be published in the German edition of National Geographic magazine and in Greenpeace Nachrichten. The prize consists of two nights’ board and lodging in a hotel. The contest sponsors will be in charge of booking accommodation. The winners are responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from Hamburg; travel expenses will be reimbursed up to a maximum of EUR 250. Expenses for air travel will not be reimbursed and are explicitly excluded. The contest sponsors will set the date, which will be communicated following award notification. The six winning images will be publicly exhibited along with other photographs selected by the panel of judges. Some of the selected images will also be published on the NAT GEO and GP websites and social media channels.

10. Judging criteria and winner selection
(1) Users can find out more about the photo challenge on the NAT GEO and GP contest page http:/www.nationalgeographic.de/ourplanetourfuture.
(2) The winners will be announced through Instagram. In the comments under the winning photographs (the sender is NAT GEO’s Instagram profile @natgeodeutschland or GP’s Instagram profile @greenpeace.de), the winners will be requested to send an email to fotochallenge@greenpeace.org within two weeks. In the event a winner does not make contact within the specified time limit, he/she will forfeit any claims to the prize.
(3) Participation is free of charge, except for the cost of submitting the photos, in other words any mobile phone costs which the entrant may incur. There are no other hidden consequential costs.
(4) Prizes cannot be exchanged, transferred to other persons, or redeemed for cash value.

11. Acceptance of the data privacy policy
By entering the photo challenge contest, the entrant expressly agrees to and accepts the use of his/her personal information within the context of the contest as outlined in Sections 8, 10 and 11. Furthermore, the entrant expressly agrees that any names submitted may be shared with third parties, such as media editors involved in the publication of the photographs by nationalgeographic.de and greenpeace.de, and disclosed in publications of the NAT GEO group and GP (reporting, award ceremony, and so on), and to persons involved in organizing the exhibition.

12. Collection, storage and processing of personal information
In the event of a winning entry, the following personal information will be collected and stored: first and last name, email address and mailing address. Entrants agree to the use and storage of their personal information for publication purposes on nationalgeographic.de and greenpeace.de and all NAT GEO and GP social network channels, as well as in NAT GEO group and GP print publications. Collection, storage and processing of data will be undertaken by NAT GEO and GP. Personal information will not be disclosed to third parties, other than for the purposes outlined in Section 11. Any personal information made available will be treated with absolute confidentiality, used exclusively for the proper execution and staging of the contest and deleted, at the latest, three months following full completion of all contest-related activities.

13. Revocation of consent
Entrants have the right to withdraw their consent regarding the use and storage of their personal information at any time with no explanation required. To do so, entrants must notify the sponsors by sending an email to anfotochallenge@greenpeace.org. Entrants may also rectify or update their personal information by sending an email to the same address. Once consent has been revoked, all personal data submitted by the entrant will be immediately deleted from the databank. Upon request, entrants will receive confirmation of cancellation and be notified of the deletion of their personal information via email. If an entrant revokes his/her consent before the contest is completed, he/she will be excluded from further participation and forfeit any chance of winning.

14. Liability
NAT GEO and GP do not accept any liability for the loss of or possible damage to the photographs submitted.

15. Release and indemnity of Instagram Inc.
As per Instagram rules, this promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram Inc. Instagram Inc. is not responsible for any content posted as part of this contest. The recipients of the information made available by entrants are NAT GEO and GP, not Instagram. The information provided will be used solely to contact entrants in the event of a winning entry. We indemnify Instagram against any claims by third parties in connection to this contest. Any questions, comments and complaints related to this promotion should not be addressed to Instagram, but to the sponsors at fotochallenge@greenpeace.org.

16. Miscellaneous
We reserve the right to change these terms and conditions and/or the prizes at any time. In case of good cause, we reserve the right to cancel, modify, terminate or suspend this promotion without prior notice. Good cause exists in particular when the contest cannot be staged as planned due to technical or legal reasons that corrupt or affect its proper conduct. We reserve the right to exclude any individuals from participation on reasonable grounds, such as violation of these terms and conditions or (attempted) tampering; we also reserve the right to take legal action. Furthermore, NAT GEO and GP reserve the right to exclude any photograph submitted from the photo challenge contest without specifying any reasons. Prizes can also be retroactively disallowed or reclaimed if criteria for exclusion become apparent. Exclusion for good cause does not entitle entrants to make any claim against us. Should any provision of these terms and conditions be found invalid or unenforceable, the legal validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not affect any other provision, which shall all remain in full force and effect. The invalid provision shall then be replaced with a legally valid provision, which is as close as possible to the intent of the invalid provision. The court of jurisdiction is Hamburg, Germany. Only German law applies. There is no right of appeal.

17. Contact
Entrants agree to receive email notifications from NAT GEO or GP regarding the “ourplanetourfuture” photo challenge contest on Instagram.

18. Final provisions
The decisions of the judges are final and not subject to legal recourse. These terms and conditions are governed by the law of the Federal Republic of Germany.