10^th UCLG ASPAC Congress – UCLG ASPAC Photo Competition

INTRODUCTION

The United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC) is the largest regional section of United Cities Local Government. Its members – representing local governments and their associations across Asia Pacific – have set a high priority on implementing and achieving the SDGs by 2030 and have been working with partners from around the world to accelerate its localisation. UCLG ASPAC also serves as the knowledge management hub for local government issues in the Asia-Pacific region, promoting democratic local self-government and fostering cooperation among governments and international communities.

As a part of the 10^th UCLG ASPAC Congress co-hosted by Goyang Special City, Republic of Korea, a Photo Competition will be held to: (i) promote the event, (ii) provide visual representation of urban sustainability; (iii) highlight local governance and community engagement; (iv) promote cultural and regional diversity; and (v) spark inspiration for future urban solutions. The competition is open to the publics and the participants are to submit their photos virtually/online. There will be five (5) categories in line with the theme and sub-themes of the Congress. A board of jury will review the open call submissions and select the winner for every category.

UCLG ASPAC invites publics to join the Photo Competition. Winners will be announced during the 10^th UCLG ASPAC Congress in 24-26 September 2025.

THEME

The main theme of the 10^th UCLG ASPAC Congress is “Sustainable Global Self-sufficient Cities and Regions for the Future”. The event itself will also focus to delve into five (5) subthemes related to the main theme.

Therefore, the photo competition will also has five (5) categories with 1 (one) winner for every category following the sub-themes, namely:

• Job Creation
  Job creation is a critical component of building self-sufficient cities. A city’s self-sufficiency isn’t just about environmental sustainability—it also includes economic resilience. Sustainable cities need to offer opportunities for green jobs and employment in sectors like renewable energy, waste management, eco-tourism, and sustainable agriculture. This category seeks photos depicting the process of job creation (from grassroots level to the strategies of economic development), work opportunities, and innovative projects that contribute to job creation in sustainable urban environments. This could include images of local markets, eco-friendly businesses, green job initiatives (such as renewable energy or sustainable agriculture), and community-led enterprises that create economic opportunities for the local population.

• Youth Leadership
  Empowering youth leadership is essential for building sustainable cities and regions that are self-sufficient in the long term. Young people bring new perspectives, ideas, and innovations to urban challenges, which is crucial for the future of cities. This category seeks photos depicting the youth (directly or indirectly) involvement and activities that promote growth in whatever aspects it may be. Capturing young leaders and youth-driven initiatives that focus on sustainability and urban innovation may suffices. This could include youth-led projects, events, or actions where young people are at the forefront of promoting environmental and social change in their cities and regions.

• Energy Self-sufficiency
  Energy self-sufficiency is a cornerstone of sustainable cities. Cities that are self-sufficient in energy are less reliant on external sources, reducing their vulnerability to energy crises and contributing to environmental sustainability through renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and geothermal power. This category seeks photos portraying the ability of cites and communities to be “self-reliant” and “self-sufficient” and/or activities the activities depicting that.

• Family-friendly Cities
  Family-friendly cities contribute to the overall sustainability and resilience of urban areas by ensuring that urban spaces are supportive of families. This includes affordable housing, accessible childcare, healthcare services, safe public spaces, and inclusive policies that support parents and children. This category could inspire participants to capture the family-oriented infrastructure and features that make a city more livable and sustainable for families. This could include accessible parks, community spaces, green playgrounds, public transportation that accommodates families, and infrastructure that supports parents and children.

• Urban Growth
  Urban growth needs to be managed sustainably to ensure that cities don’t become overburdened by population increases. Sustainable urban growth involves smart growth strategies, urban planning that prioritizes green spaces, sustainable infrastructure, and resilience to climate change. This category seeks photos capturing sustainable urban development in the face of growing populations. This could include images of smart city solutions, green buildings, urban planning that integrates nature (like green roofs or vertical gardens), and how cities manage their growth while keeping sustainability in mind

RULES AND REGULATIONS

• The photo/s must be original, created, and/or taken by the participant.
• No restriction of using any device for photography
• The submitted photo/s must be free of any binding agreement with a third party that might hold UCLG ASPAC liable for payment to any individual or entity in connection with the images’ copyright or their use.
• If the submitted images include minors, or models/subjects incapable of explicitly consenting to being photographed, the applying participant may be required to provide a written consent of the subject’s parents/custodians to use the image, according to circumstances.
• The submitted photo/s must not contain any symbol that represent any sensitive political issues.
• The applying participants accept the stipulations of the Event rules and regulations wholly and absolutely.
• UCLG ASPAC reserves the right to review the suitability of the participants to the criteria and to rule in any dispute that may arise at any time on this issue.

APPLICATION/SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

• All photos must be submitted via submission form no later than Friday, 8 August 2025 at 23.59 PM (Jakarta Time/GMT+7).             

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• Each participant (identified in by the email address and short bio provided) may submit a max of 3 (three) photos only.
• UCLG ASPAC staff members are restricted to participate in the competition
• Please provide the description of each photo (Max. 100 words/photo).
• Please enclose a Short Bio (Max. 450 words). This will not be provided to the Board of Jury.
• Photo description and participant bio must be in English.

AWARDS

• Each category will have one winner. Each winner will receive 500 USD (Taxes included) and certificate.

PHOTOS CRITERIA

The applying participant declares and undertakes to verify that the submitted photo/s correspond to the stipulations of the Photo Competition rules and regulations, and meet the following criteria:

• All photographs submitted must be original works by the applying participant.
• No restriction of using any device for photography.
• If the submitted images include minors, or models/subjects incapable of explicitly consenting to being photographed, the applying participant may be required to provide a written consent of the subject’s parents/custodians to use the image, according to circumstances.
• The photo/s must be free of any binding agreement with a third party that might hold UCLG ASPAC liable for payment to any individual or entity in connection with the images’ copyright or their use.
• The submitted photo/s must not contain any symbol that represent any sensitive political issues.
• The photo/s should be in high quality (Min. 10 MB), to be submitted in JPG format.

RELEVANT DATES

• Application opens on Wednesday, 7 May 2025 and closes at 23.59 on Friday, 8 May 2025, Jakarta time (GMT +7).
• Applying participants are responsible for determining the start and closing time of the competition in their time zone (insofar as they are outside Jakarta, Indonesia).
• The winner of every category will be announced during the 10^th UCLG ASPAC Congress on Wednesday-Friday, 24-26 September 2025.
• UCLG ASPAC reserves the right to change these dates, and to publish the new dates on the UCLG ASPAC’s website and/or social media.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

• The participant applying for the Photo Competition will maintain ownership rights of all the intellectual property (including ethical rights) related to the photo/s, subject to the rules and regulations.
• By participating in this Photo Competition, the participants give UCLG ASPAC, and through it to any third parties involved in marketing (hereinafter “The Authorized Users”) their irrevocable, non-exclusive, international, royalty-free permission, within legal bounds, to change, edit, copy, duplicate and adjust the images to the format required for internet product pages and for marketing materials only, to advertise and use the photos and their content and components, including any name, place or portrait they may contain, in every type of media, including, but not limited to, digital and electronic media, computers and audio-visual media (present or future), in any language, worldwide, and in any way, without need to check, notify or receive approval, without any return or compensation. All the above for the sole purpose of promoting and/or advertising the event(s) of UCLG ASPAC. Other than the purposes listed above, and other uses intended to promote the event, and the activities of UCLG ASPAC, no commercial use will be made of the photographs, and all the commercial rights will remain in the possession of the participants.

PRIVACY POLICY

By participating, the participant agrees that personal details provided as part of the application process, including name, mailing address and email, will be kept, processed and stored by the UCLG ASPAC team, and may be used for other purposes related to the congress. It is hereby stated that UCLG ASPAC may also use these data to verify the identity and personal details of the participating participants. If the applying participant has not provided full personal details during application, the UCLG ASPAC Team has the right to reject that participant’s application. The participant undertakes to negotiate fully and exclusively any lawsuit or claim of breach by a third party resulting from the publication of the submitted images.

GENERAL COMMENTS

• By participating in the Photo Competition, the participants accept de facto all the rules and regulation clauses.
• UCLG ASPAC reserves the right to change the listed dates and/or the jury members at its discretion.
• The decision of the board of jury is final and irrevocable.
• Choice of law, jurisdiction, arbitration: – The clauses of these rules and regulations are subject to and interpreted under the Indonesia Law. Should any of the listed stipulations be canceled or declared impossible to enforce, all the other stipulations will remain unchanged and valid.

CONTACT US

Should you have any questions and/or clarifications, please contact info@uclg-aspac.org with email subject: Photo Competition_Questions_[Name].

(E.g., Email Subject: Photo Competition_Questions_John Doe)