IKI Viet Nam Photo Contest

Background and rationale

Since 2008, the German government has been promoting climate action and biodiversity conservation in the Global South through the International Climate Initiative (IKI).

Being one of IKI’s priority countries, Viet Nam is home to numerous programmes and initiatives that promote climate action and protect biodiversity. IKI projects across the country are making positive changes for local communities through their sustained efforts and commitments.

To highlight the impacts of IKI implementation in Viet Nam and raise awareness of green growth and climate resilience, the IKI Interface Project in Viet Nam organises a photo contest for IKI projects. Under the theme “From Global Commitments to Local Implementation to Protect Climate and Biodiversity”, the contest aims to harness the creative power of images to showcase on-the-ground results, lessons learned, and inspiring stories of change from IKI initiatives across Viet Nam.

Eligibility

All IKI projects in Viet Nam, both active and completed, are welcome to participate in this contest. Each project may submit a maximum of two (02) photos with captions and project name.

The prerequisite for participation is that the photo must reflect the results or the activities funded by IKI.

By sending the photo(s) to the IKI Interface project and confirming the terms and conditions of participation and the data protection provisions, the submitting participants declare that they fulfil the conditions of participation.

Submission

Participation takes place exclusively by digital means via an online form in the invitation sent to IKI projects. (*)

The submission deadline is from 16 July 2026 to 15 August 2026 at 11:59 p.m. (GMT+7). Contributions submitted after this deadline will not be considered for the contest. The organiser reserves the right to extend the submission period.

The following information is required as part of the submission:

Photo title or caption (maximum 50 words) (**)
Full name of the project’s contact person
Email address of the project’s contact person
Link to the IKI project profile on the IKI website (to be found at https://www.international-climate-initiative.com/en/search-project/#/) (***)
Consent of recognisable persons in the photo
Copyright information

The following information is optional as part of the submission:

Full name of the photographer

Participation is only possible if all required fields have been completed in full.

(*) Please use your project’s name followed by the number 1 or 2 to name your photos (e.g. VN-SIPA 1, VN-SIPA 2) to help us identify your submissions and avoid missing any photos.

(**) We would suggest that a photo caption should go beyond simply describing what is visible in the picture; it should tell the story of the project’s activity and its real-world impact.

(***) Select Viet Nam from the “Countries” menu, then find your project in the list below

Technical requirements

The photo submitted must meet the following technical requirements:

Image files may be submitted in colour or grayscale. They must be a maximum of 10 MB in size and in JPEG, JPG, PNG, TIFF, or RAW format
Minimum resolution: min. 12 MP (Megapixel) or a minimum length of 2828 pixels on the short side of the image
Originality: The uploaded file must be original to the submitting project or organisation, or the submitting project or organisation must have explicit permission to reproduce and/or distribute the photo.
Photos that have been published or won awards in other photographic contests or use artificial intelligence will not be considered.

Get to know the Jury

Prizes and publication

The following prizes will be awarded:

Submitted photos will be exhibited and three winners will be announced at the IKI Workshop 2026
The top 10 highest-scoring photos: Promotion on the IKI Vietnam website and Newsletter
Submitted photos will be shown at different exhibitions and events throughout the year

Note:

Participants whose submissions are chosen as winners will be contacted via the email address provided in the submission form in order to make arrangements for sending the awards, and other promotion activities

Rights of use and publication

With their participation in the contest, participants grant GIZ, the German Embassy in Viet Nam, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN), the Federal Foreign Office (AA) and ZUG a simple right of use to the submitted image material free of charge and without temporal, spatial, and content-related limitations.

Use comprises in particular:

Use in exhibitions and other IKI Viet Nam and German Embassy in Viet Nam events
Publication on the websites and social media channels of the IKI Viet Nam
Editorial use as part of public relations work

Revocation of publication is possible at any time. If this is the case, the photo and all associated data will be removed from all channels controlled by the IKI Interface Viet Nam project as soon as possible after receipt of the revocation, but at the latest within 14 days. The revocation can be sent by email to iki.vietnam@giz.de. Complete erasure from external platforms (e.g. in media reports) cannot be guaranteed.

The name of the originator will be mentioned in every publication.

Upon submission, the participants affirm that:

They hold all rights to the submitted photo,
Any persons depicted or their legal representatives have agreed to publication (declaration of consent has been provided), unless the photo was taken as part of a documentary.
No third-party rights are violated.

Data protection

The personal data collected for the submission will be processed exclusively for the purpose of implementing the contest and communicating with the participants.

Details on data processing are regulated in the separate data privacy policy, which is accessible on the IKI Viet Nam website

Disqualification, liability, cancellation and legal action

IKI Interface project reserves the right to disqualify participants from the contest if:

The submissions do not correspond with the technical specifications,
The submission violates applicable law or third-party rights,
The reference to an IKI project is not recognisable,
The photos submitted are related to content and presentations that glorify violence, show contempt for humanity, are of racist, sexist, pornographic or discriminatory nature, or that indicate right-wing or left-wing extremist, or anti-constitutional positions.
Participants attempt to interfere with or manipulate the contest process,
Participants attempt to gain an advantage by unauthorised means.

Participation in the photo contest is at your own responsibility. IKI Interface Viet Nam project is not liable for any damage or loss incurred to participants as a result of their participation or in relation to the creation or transmission of their submissions.

IKI Interface project reserves the right to change, suspend or terminate the contest at any time on organisational, legal or technical grounds. In such cases, there is no entitlement to indemnification or compensation.

IKI Interface project also reserves the right to make amendments to these terms and conditions of participation if this is necessary for justified reasons. IKI Interface Viet Nam project will inform participants of any amendments by sending a notification stating the content of the amended regulations to the last known email address of the participants.

An entitlement to participation, publication, assessment or awards does not exist.

Legal action is excluded.