Photo Contest

2022 Edition

The 43^rd MEM photo competition – Montreal fauna and flora

In 2022, the competition’s theme is an invitation to capture Montreal’s fauna and flora in images. Photograph the plants and animals – domestic and wild – that bring so much life to the city! Keep your eyes peeled for urban forests and colourful flower beds, and for creatures ranging from alley cats to red foxes.

Since 1991, the objective of the photo competition of the MEM – Montrealers’ Memory Centre has been to reveal the city through the eyes of both residents and visitors. When the competition ends, the photos will be conserved in the MEM collection and in the image bank of Tourisme Montréal.

The competition is organized by the MEM in collaboration with Tourisme Montréal, Photo Service, Space for Life (Espace pour la vie), and the Conseil jeunesse de Montréal.

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Prizes

First prize offered by Tourisme Montréal

A photography contract with Tourisme Montréal valued at $2000 (see below for details regarding the first prize.)

Second prize offered by Photo Service

A gift certificate for $1000 redeemable at Photo Service.

Third prize offered by Space for Life (Espace pour la vie)

A Space for Life Multi Pass for one year to the five Space for Life museums, valid for a maximum of 2 adults and 3 children.

A VIP visit to the Jardin botanique which includes access to the nursery greenhouses, for a maximum of five people. The prize includes a visit to the outdoor gardens (during the high season, May 1 to October 31) and the greenhouses. The value of the third prize is $500.

The Special Prize offered by the Conseil jeunesse de Montréal

This prize is awarded to a competition participant between the ages of 12 and 30.

A gift certificate of $250 for use at a bookstore belonging to the Coopérative des librairies indépendantes du Québec.

A Discovery Plus card, valued at $260, grants the winner and one other person one visit to each member museum of Montréal Museums. This card is valid for one year starting after the first visit.

Competition rules

Eligibility of the participants

The competition is open to all photographers, amateur, semi-professional, or professional.

It is open to Montreal residents as well as visitors, including tourists, no matter where they come from. However, the first-prize winner must be able to honour the photography contract awarded by Tourisme Montréal (see below for details regarding the first prize).

The minimum age to participate is 12 years old.

Territory covered

The photographs entered must have been taken on the Island of Montreal, i.e., the boroughs of the City of Montreal and the other municipalities on the Island of Montreal.

Competition dates

February 15 to September 15, 2022

Participants must submit their photographs between 00:01 on February 15, 2022 and 23:59 on September 15, 2022.

The selected photographs will be exhibited starting October 26, 2022, at Complexe Desjardins.

Dates of the photographs

An eligible photograph may be taken on any date as long as it is taken by the person entering it, is taken in the territory covered by the competition, is original, and meets the technical requirements.

How to enter

To enter the competition, fill out the online participation form, indicating the address or location of the subject of your photograph, as well as your name and address, and attach the photograph in digital format. If there are recognizable people in the photo, you must obtain their prior written permission to disseminate their image (see Image Dissemination Rights, below).

Maximum number of photos

A maximum of two photographs per year can be entered by a participant in the competition.

Technical requirements

The photographs must be submitted in digital support in JPG format. The files, in high definition, must not be greater than 25 MB. Photographs that are of poor quality or show a major visual defect will be withdrawn from the competition.

Terms and conditions concerning author’s rights

Agreement to the terms and conditions concerning author’s rights is mandatory for any person who enters one or more photographs in the competition.

This agreement constitutes the free and unlimited assignment of a use and reproduction licence that allows the City of Montreal and Tourisme Montréal to reproduce, use, and publicly display the photograph in any manner and on any support whatsoever. The reproduction, use, and dissemination of the photographs are, however, restricted to the platforms and communications and promotional tools pertaining to the City of Montreal and Tourisme Montréal, in particular, the exhibitions and publications produced by the MEM.

This agreement concerning author’s rights also constitutes the guarantee by the participant that the photograph is original and that he or she took the photograph.

The City of Montreal and Tourisme Montréal shall indicate the name of the photographer in any and all uses of the photograph.

Image dissemination rights

The photographer must ask any person or persons identifiable in the photograph to sign an authorization form that allows their image to be used, reproduced, or disseminated by the City of Montréal and by Tourisme Montréal. The photographer must provide the full name and address of such persons in the participation form for the competition; otherwise, the photograph will not be submitted to the jury. This condition does not apply to a photograph of a crowd scene or a public event, or when the faces of the people in the photograph are not visible or identifiable.

Judging the photographs

The jury is made up of representatives of Tourisme Montréal, the MEM, Photo Service, Space for Life (Espace pour la vie), and the Conseil jeunesse de Montréal.

A photograph that does not comply with any of the above rules or is deemed degrading or harmful to other persons will be eliminated from the competition without prior notice.

Details regarding the first prize

Le premier prix consiste en un contrat de photographie pour le compte de Tourisme Montréal (valeur de 2 000 $). Le prix sera payé sous forme d’honoraires professionnels.

The winner shall:

• provide and use his or her own photography equipment and material without charging additional fees;
• attend an information session at the offices of Tourisme Montréal;
• produce the photographs requested within the time limits set by Tourisme Montréal, i.e., 60 reportage-style photographs or 4 “beauty-shot” photographs (as determined by Tourisme Montréal);
• transmit the photographs to Tourisme Montréal on a digital support within 15 business days after the date they are taken;
• sign a use and reproduction licence of unlimited duration allowing the City of Montreal and Tourisme Montréal to reproduce, use, and disseminate the photographs taken in the framework of the photography contract which comprises the first prize of the competition in any manner and on any support whatsoever;
• guarantee that the photographs are original;
• declare to be the true author of the photographs or to be authorized to hold the above-mentioned licence.

Tourisme Montréal shall:

• provide the guidance and support needed for the winner to carry out the mandate;
• pay the winner fees totalling $2000;
• include photo credits whenever his or her photographs are used.