Rules & Terms Transparency – Our Criteria
Understanding Our Grading for This Section
For Rules & Terms Transparency, we evaluate the accessibility, readability, and comprehensiveness of all rules and terms for your competition. This also includes checking for consistency across your website. Our internal evaluation uses a 0 to 5-point scale. A score below 3 stars indicates a fundamental failure to meet our standards for fair practice. Should your competition’s terms fall into this ‘Non-Compliant’ category, they indicate a failure to meet the minimum standards for fairness and photographer protection as defined by TRUST PCS.
- Non-Compliant: For terms that fail to meet minimum standards of transparency.
- 3 Stars: Good Practice – Meets Expectations
- 4 Stars: Very Good Practice – Exceeds Expectations
- 5 Stars: Excellent / Exemplary Practice
Use this comprehensive guide to understand what defines each level of performance and to pinpoint areas for improvement in your competition’s terms.
Understanding Transparency: What Good Looks Like
Clear and transparent rules and terms are the bedrock of a trustworthy photo competition. They empower photographers to make informed decisions before entering and help avoid disputes by setting clear expectations. For organisers, well-drafted terms protect you from potential legal issues and demonstrate your commitment to fairness. It’s crucial to resist the temptation to simply copy terms from other contests, as they may not be appropriate for your competition, could be unfair, or might leave you vulnerable.
Transparency in terms means they should be:
- Accessible: Easy for entrants to find on your website.
- Readable: Written in plain, unambiguous language, avoiding excessive legal jargon.
- Comprehensive: Covering all essential details an entrant needs to know.
- Consistent: Matching information across all parts of your website.
Exemplary Practice: ★★★★★ (5 Stars)
To achieve an exemplary rating, your competition’s terms and conditions must demonstrate:
Incredibly Easy Location: Terms are exceptionally easy to locate on your website, typically on a single, dedicated, prominently linked page.
Highly Readable Format: Presented in a highly readable format with intuitive headings and subheadings, facilitating quick understanding.
Exhaustive Comprehensiveness: All essential details—from eligibility and entry specifications to judging criteria, timelines, prizes, and disqualification processes—are covered exhaustively and unequivocally.
Absolute Consistency: There is absolute consistency in information across your entire website and all communication channels.
Clear Explanation of Complex Concepts: Any potentially complex legal concepts (e.g., copyright assignment, non-exclusive licence) are clearly explained within the terms themselves, ensuring entrants fully understand their obligations and your commitments.
- “All competition rules are located on a single, dedicated page, clearly linked from the homepage, and are written in plain English, covering all aspects from eligibility to prize delivery.”
- “Our comprehensive T&Cs are presented with an FAQ section to clarify common questions, ensuring full understanding before entry.”
- “Every detail, including image requirements, judging stages, and winner notification dates, is clearly outlined and consistent across all official communication channels.”
Very Good Practice: ★★★★☆ (4 Stars)
To achieve a very good rating, your competition’s rules and terms must demonstrate:
High Consistency: There is a high degree of consistency across your website regarding competition details, with only minor, easily resolvable discrepancies if any.
Very Clear & Well-Structured: Terms are very clear, logically structured, and easy to find on your website.
Generally Plain Language: Written in generally plain language, successfully avoiding excessive legal jargon.
Comprehensive Essential Details: Cover most essential details that an entrant would need to know to participate confidently.
- “Rules are available via a prominent link on the entry page, clearly detailing submission format, deadlines, and prize structure.”
- “Our terms use straightforward language, explaining eligibility and judging methods without excessive legal jargon.”
- “The competition timeline, including the closing date for entries, is prominently displayed in both the terms and on the competition homepage.”
Good Practice: ★★★☆☆ (3 Stars)
To achieve a good rating, your competition’s terms must demonstrate:
- Generally Clear & Discoverable: Terms are generally clear and can be discovered on your website.
- Covers Essential Details: Cover essential details necessary for entry, such as eligibility and basic submission requirements.
- Minor Ambiguities or Jargon: May contain some minor ambiguities or a moderate amount of legal jargon, but not to the extent of hindering understanding.
- Navigable Information: Entrants may need to navigate a few pages to find all relevant information, but it is ultimately discoverable.
- General Consistency: Consistency across the website is generally maintained, though minor inconsistencies might exist.
- “Rules are linked from the footer and cover basic entry requirements and judging criteria.”
- “Terms are mostly clear, though some sections use technical language. Deadlines are stated on the entry form.”
- “Information on eligibility and prizes is available within the terms, which can be accessed via the main menu.”
Non-Compliant
- This category applies if your terms fundamentally lack transparency, falling significantly below our compliance standards. This includes instances where:
- Terms are difficult or impossible to find: The rules and terms are hidden, buried deep within the website, or require excessive searching, making it difficult for entrants to review them adequately.
- Critical information is missing: Essential details required for fair participation, such as eligibility criteria, clear entry specifications, timelines (e.g., closing date), judging process outlines, or prize specifics, are entirely absent or highly vague.
- Inconsistent or contradictory information: Different sections of your website or terms provide conflicting information, creating confusion and uncertainty for entrants.
- Unreadable or overly complex language: The terms are written predominantly in dense, impenetrable legal jargon without explanation, making it impossible for the average entrant to understand their obligations or rights.
- Implied blind acceptance: Entrants are implicitly required to agree to terms without being given a fair opportunity to review them, or the terms are subject to change retrospectively without notification.
IMPORTANT LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This content provides general best practices and illustrative examples for understanding photo competition terms. It is not legal advice. Competition organisers MUST seek independent legal advice from a qualified legal professional to draft, review, and ensure their specific Terms & Conditions comply with all applicable laws.
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