1. Theme

Dubbed as the city of swans, Sanmenxia in Henan province is, as the name would suggest, home to thousands of migratory swans every winter. To promote the city's colorful characteristics and help further the local government's efforts to shape the leisure culture there, Sanmenxia Daily is holding a photo competition.

With swans as the central theme, the contest hopes to display people's insights into the city's ecological environment and historic culture.

To take part in the contest, please email your photos of Sanmenxia to jsj3198331@126.com under the subject line "works for Sanmenxia Daily White Swan Photo Contest". For detailed information, please call Mr Xia on 0398-3198331.

2. Guidelines of Entry

2.1 Entries should be relevant to the theme of swans in the Sanmenxia Yellow River Wetland Park. Photos must have been taken between October 2015 and Feb 29, 2016. Color and black and white (including monochrome) images are eligible for entry.

2.2 A maximum of five images can be submitted as single images or a maximum of six images can be submitted as a series.

2.3 Photos should be in JPG format with minimum width of 3000 pixels (individual image files must exceed 3 MB).

2.5 Name each image after your name and the title of the work, and provide a caption with no more than 500 words for each image to suggest the time, place and key words, among others.

2.6 Submissions will be open to the public until Feb 29, 2016.

2.7 Entries are not permitted to have been subject to post-processing techniques; however, mild adjustments of color and tone are allowed.

2.8 Works received for this contest will not receive payment and will not be returned.

3. Prizes

First place: one winner will receive 10,000 yuan ($1,578) in cash or other objects with the same value and a certificate of award.

Second place: two winners will respectively receive 5,000 yuan in cash or other objects with the same value and certificates of award.

Third place: five winners will respectively receive 2,000 yuan in cash or other objects with the same value and certificates of award.

Merit awards: 20 winners will respectively receive 200 yuan in cash or other objects with the same value and certificates of award.

Participants are only permitted to be awarded once. Individual income tax shall be deducted from the award by the organizer.

4. Evaluation Process

Submissions deemed to meet the standards of the contest will be assessed by professional judges from the photographers associations of China, Henan and Sanmenxia and the photojournalist societies of China, Henan and Sanmenxia in March 2016. The selected works will be published on the front page of Sanmenxia Daily's West Morning Breeze publication. A designated column will be opened on Sanmenxia Daily Gold Triangle Vision's official public Wechat account (jsjsj3198331), from Nov 2, 2015 until Feb 29, 2016. The works published on the newspaper of Sanmenxia Daily will be displayed during the 2016 China (Sanmenxia) International Yellow River Tourism Festival, which is to be held at the Sanmenxia International Culture and Exhibition Center.

5. Notice to Participants

5.1 Participants forsake all rights to images submitted by them to the organizer. The organizer retains unrestricted rights to use all of the awarded works and display them in exhibitions, shows and other events.

5.2 Participants accept that all submitted works may be exhibited online.

5.3 Participants guarantee that the works submitted to the contest were created independently by the participants themselves, and that the works in the contest shall not violate others' copyright and interests, including portraits, damage to reputation, loss of privacy, infringement of copyright and other rights. In the event of legal action being taken in response to infringements of the aforementioned rights, the author of the works assumes sole legal responsibilities.

5.4 Entrants agree that the contest organizers have the final interpretation of the activity's rules. Upon contributing, contestants are deemed to be in agreement with and expected to comply with the above provisions. Any works in violation against the guidelines shall be excluded from the contest.