Be in to win! Again. We were overwhelmed by engagement on the February Love Letter to yourself competition – and will be carrying on and running that in 2025 as it was an inspiring endeavour.

Feedback was that the brief was too loose and it was far too difficult for most people to write kind and encouraging words about themselves. So let’s take the lens off deep and difficult inner work and capture images of our natural world this time instead shall we?

We listened, and have changed trajectory for this next competition and we hope you are happy with our planned promotion and enter in droves!

In very simple terms:

Submit an image/reel/clip/gallery of something in Aotearoa’s naturally wonderful and bountiful natural realm and be in to win.

We want you to share your love of the beautiful biodiversity and breathtaking natural wonder here in this antipodean paradise. Feel free to take an up close pic of a leaf or bird or share a clip or reel of you on your favourite tramp/hike through any of New Zealand’s naturally awe inspiring landscapes. Must be under a minute long, and can be a single image or a clip or video you stitch together.

Here are the long form Terms and Conditions – We will be accepting entries from April 1st until April the 30th. The timing coincides also with international Earth Day (April 22nd) and so we want to help celebrate and promote nature in all its glory here in Aotearoa as a part of this celebration.

Aotearoa is Amazing – Nature Photography, Reels, and Clips Competition Terms and Conditions 

ENTERING A PHOTO, REEL, OR CLIP IS CONSIDERED AND DEEMED ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS: 

1. PROMOTER: The Promoter is Deemon Creative Limited (also trading as Matakana Retreat). Prizes and funding is provided through the sponsorship of Deemon Creative.
   
2. ELIGIBILITY: The competition is open to anyone who resides in New Zealand, except employees/contractors/trustees associated with or employed by Matakana Retreat, Deemon Creative Ltd or the Dee West Trust. This includes any competition sponsors and judges and their immediate families. 
   
3. HOW TO ENTER: To submit a photo, reel, or clip for entry in the competition the submitted content must meet the terms and conditions of the competition and adhere to one or more of the following upload/submission criteria:
   
   Uploaded to one or more of the Deemon Creative/Matakana Retreat or Dianna Joan Birchfield West or Damon James Birchfield West social media platforms or tagged to one or more of those pages INCLUDING the hashtag(s) (#) #deemoncreative #matakanaretreatphotocomp24.  
   
   Sent directly by email to Dee or Damon through the Deemon Creative website
   
4. PHOTO SUBMISSION PERIOD: Entries into the competition will be accepted from April 1^st through to April 30^th 2024.  The competition period may be changed at the promoter’s discretion.  
   
5. PHOTO, REEL, OR CLIP REQUIREMENTS: Any content submitted must clearly include nature and the natural world of Aotearoa/New Zealand and meet reasonable standards of decency as well as clearly meet the following requirements.
   • Photographs must be taken in New Zealand and be specifically related to admiration/celebration of the natural world/nature.
   • Amateur and professional photographers/videographers alike are encouraged to engage in this competition.  Prizes will be allocated to winners who are chosen by an anonymous panel of judges throughout the competition, and final prizes will be subject to votes tallied. All decisions are final.
   • Photographs and videos can be submitted as reels or clips and in any safe and secure format the entrants are happy to use.
   • Entries must not have been a winner in any other photographic or other image competition or be currently submitted for any other competition.
   • Content can be landscape or portrait and must be suitable to be used for further promotional purposes for any/all of the aforementioned promoters and sponsors.  In simple terms, if you submit we can share your picture on our pages.
   • Content can have humans or animals or no humans or animals.  There must be a clear and present connection to the natural world in your entry.  Take a picture of a spider web, a timelapse of a moonrise, a snap of a beautiful vista, a selfie of you and your main squeeze in your favourite forest in Aotearoa.  Just celebrate the natural world here in New Zealand and you are in to win!
   • The description of the content must specify the date and place of the submission.
   • As a winner the content’s name and image may be used by Deemon Creative Ltd for promotional purposes. Deemon Creative, Matakana Retreat and Dianna and Damon Birchfield West have discretion to determine whether or not a photo meets the above requirements
   • Deemon Creative retains consent from entrants for commercial use of winning images, including the overall winner.  Deemon Creative does require exclusivity or sole ownership, it is the submitters copyright; however entry means you consent to our use of your submission for our own promotional materials (and to show the world how beautiful our island nation and its natural wonders are).
     
6. Single visual/digital images or clips of up to 60 seconds (one minute) long are eligible to win.
   
7. NUMBER OF ENTRIES:  Individuals can enter up to one photo per week for consideration as a top ten finalist.  
   
8. HOW TO WIN: 10 finalist photos will be selected by the promoter and sponsor. We will be looking for diversity, originality and creativity of the composition, and how much joy and calm is piqued by your pics and framing of your photo (words you use in your post/submission).
   
9. Thumb drives or links to drop box or any other storage platforms can also be accepted (you can mail us a thumb drive or email us a link, we will distribute and promote top 10 images/clips as long as you get it to us and make it clear that the image is intended as an entry and you are complicit to the terms and conditions of this competition.
   

Once the 10 finalist photos or clips are chosen, all content will be made accessible in a gallery on the Deemon Creative website and also posted across various social media sites for one calendar month – the month of May 2024.  Anyone can vote on their favourite through the website or by likes and comments on social media postings of the 10 finalist pictures/clips.  The grand prize winner and runners up will be announced before June 30^th 2024.

The decision of the promoter is final and no correspondence will be entered into concerning the competition’s judging and organisation. Once each winner is announced, all ownership rights to non-successful entrants will return to those entrants.

Weekly spot prizes throughout April may be issued by the judging panel.  Winning a spot prize does not guarantee a spot in the finalist line up.

• VOTING PERIOD: The competition will conclude at the end of the month and voting will open at the start of the next month at the discretion of Deemon Creative, Matakana Retreat and Dee (Dianna) and Damon Birchfield West.
  
• HOW TO VOTE: Each of the 10 finalist winning submissions from the month’s competition will be posted to www.deemoncreative.com and also across any number of the Matakana Retreat/Deemon Creative Facebook and Instagram pages.  Promoters are dedicated to posting all content evenly and together across any/all channels to ensure fair and reasonable exposure of finalist content.

Anyone on earth with access to the finalists digital submission can vote for their choice by liking the photo or sending a vote through the website.  

1. NUMBER OF VOTES: A voter can only vote (like) once for an individual submission on each channel/platform but may vote for as many submissions as they like. A person may vote for their own work.
   
2. SOLICITING VOTES: A monthly winner may share their photo on their own pages or on any page they like and solicit votes from their friends and family. Soliciting votes from online “vote for me” websites or buying likes on Facebook is not allowed and will be deemed invalid. In any sort of large scale voting, the promoter will investigate to make sure there has been no foul play. The promoter reserves the right to discount any votes deemed invalid or to disqualify the entrant all together.
   
3. WINNER NOTIFICATION: We will contact you on DM or through email to let you know if/when you win a minor or spot prize and we will also let you know if you make it to the final 10 top submissions.
   
4. PRIZES: The organisers can issue spot prizes of their choice throughout the competition.
   
5. The grand prize winner (submission with most votes) of the overall competition will receive $500 into a nominated account of their choice.

The runner up will win a $250 voucher to be put toward accommodation at the Matakana Retreat’s awesome Glamping site and is subject to availability and can be transferred/gifted to the person of the winners choice or used by the ultimate winner.  The prize must be redeemed within 12 months of being awarded.  

1. ANNOUNCEMENTS: By submitting a competition entry, each entrant hereby agrees to participate in any publicity related to the competition. Entrants and winners in the competition agree that their identity may be disclosed in winner announcements and promotional material. Winners also agree to have their image used for publicity purposes without any payment being made.
   
2. PRIZE ELIGIBILITY: The promoter cannot be held responsible for the winner being unable to redeem their prize.
   
3. PHOTO, CLIP, REEL ENTRY USAGE: By making a submission the entrant agrees to allow the promoter permission to use the image for the purposes of promoting Deemon Creative and Matakana Retreat New Zealand or the competition, now and into the future, at no cost to the promoter. 
   
4. CONTENT TALENT: By making a submission the entrant declares that they have the permission of all individual(s) captured in photo(s) to share and publish their image (where the image shows any persons under 18, the consent of their parent/guardian has been obtained) for full usage rights by Deemon Creative and Matakana Retreat and indemnify against any claims made by any third parties in respect of such infringement. 
   
   By submitting an entry, the entrant declares that they have received any necessary permissions from the owner(s) of depicted background objects including land, and buildings included in submitted images for the usage rights required.
   
5. IMAGE COPYRIGHT: In submitting an entry, the entrant declares that they have taken the content and own and have sole and complete intellectual property rights for their work. The entrant will indemnify the promoter against any claim, loss or costs incurred by the promoter where a third party claims ownership of the rights to an image or other form of content supplied. The promoter reserves the right to request proof of ownership.
   
6. INSTAGRAM/ FACEBOOK: By entering this contest you agree to release Instagram/Facebook of any liability or obligation related to the entry and you acknowledge the promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram/Facebook.
   
7. CONTRACT LAW: All agreements and contracts shall be subject solely to New Zealand law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts.
   
8. ENTRY FORMAT: Acceptable entries will be supplied as files from either digital cameras or smart phone cameras or electronic scans. No images supplied in hard copy can be accepted.
   
9. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Entries may not be acknowledged or returned. Participants have the obligation to ensure entries are received on time. The promoter can choose to keep or remove images from the gallery on completion of the competition should they wish to do so. Entrants can request removal of their images by contacting the promoters and/or sponsors.  
   
10. CHANGES TO COMPETITION: The promoter reserves the right to change the prizes throughout the competition.
    
11. PERSONAL INFORMATION: The collection, use and disclosure of personal information provided in connection with this competition is governed by the Privacy Laws of New Zealand. Your personal information shall not be provided to any third parties without your prior consent but you do authorise the promoters and sponsors to be able to contact you with information pertaining to the competition or related promotions.