"Rosetta, are we there yet?" competition rules
By entering this competition, you agree to the following:
Ownership, original works
Participants certify that their photo submission is their original work, that they have full legal right to use any portion that is not their original work, that they have permission from anyone identifiably shown in the photo submission to submit the photo. The image remains the property of the submitter and they retain copyright, however, by submitting a photo, participants grant ESA and its partner Agencies permanent permission to publish the photo in any channel at any time for the purpose of promoting the Rosetta mission and this competition, with proper credit and without any remuneration. The participant’s name, home town and social media names may also be published by ESA and re-published by media.
Permissions
In addition to the rules outlined here, participants also agree to abide by the terms and conditions of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Disclaimers
Be creative but be safe! You are responsible for taking the photos and ESA accepts no liability for any injuries, illnesses or death that may occur as a result of entering this competition.
The rules may be updated or added to without notice, reflecting any questions we receive to clarify rules. Dates may change due to unforeseen events that are out of our control. The competition is run on a best-effort basis.
Entering:
How old do I need to be to enter?
I don’t live in Europe, can I still enter?
I don’t speak English, does it matter?
How many images can I upload?
I’ve entered but I can’t see it in the competition page. What should I do?
Can I use photo-editing software to enhance my photo?
What are the opening and closing dates of the competition?
Does it have to be a selfie?
I don’t use social media, can I still enter?
I work at ESA, NASA or a Rosetta mission partner space agency, can I enter or win?
How old do I need to be to enter?
You must be at least 13 years old on 9 July 2014 to enter, but anyone of any age can be in the photo. If you are under 18, by entering we assume that you have permission from your parent or legal guardian. Similarly, if you are an adult and the photo includes children, you must have the permission from the parent or legal guardian for each child in the photo. (Other adults in the photo must also be aware they are in the photo!)
I don’t live in Europe, can I still enter?
Yes! Anyone in the world can enter but only the top prize of the trip to ESOC can be awarded to participants who are a citizen of, or a regular permanent resident of an ESA Member State, an ESA Cooperating State, an EU Member State, or the United States of America. Anyone in the world can win the runner-up or spot prizes.
ESA Member States: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Canada takes part in some projects under a Cooperation agreement.
ESA Cooperating States: Slovakia, Lithuania, Cyprus, Malta, Hungary, Estonia, Slovenia and Latvia.
EU Member States: http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/
I don’t speak English, does it matter?
No, however, communication about the competition on the social media channels, and the entry form, will only be in English.
How many images can I upload?
We appreciate that you might be making a few journeys in the time frame of our competition so we allow three images per person. However, in the event that all three images are in the top ten voted images, only the one with the most votes will be counted and only one prize awarded. Please note that only one image upload per email address is possible.
I’ve entered but I can’t see it in the competition page. What should I do?
Please allow 24 hours for your image to register on the competition page. If you entered via the hashtag #RosettaAreWeThereYet, please double check that you spelled it correctly! Each photo will be screened to ensure there is no objectionable, inappropriate or illegal content. Our competition organisers work primarily on European time, so if you are entering from elsewhere, please allow a little extra time. If your image has not appeared within 24 hours please try uploading the image again. In the event of a repeated failure, please send us a message via the Rosetta Mission Facebook page or via Rosetta.Competition@cosmos.esa.int. Note that no correspondence will be entered into on any other matter regarding the competition, including voting, general requests to attend the landing event or the final decision on the winners, unless it is to clarify a rule.
Can I use photo-editing software to enhance my photo?
Photos with Instagram-style filters are welcome, and if you want to add text to your images for example, a speech bubble with “Are we there yet?, feel free.
What are the opening and closing dates of the competition?
You can enter a photo anytime between 14:00 CEST on 9 July and 09:00 CEST on 6 August. Voting will open as soon as Rosetta’s arrival is confirmed on 6 August, and in any case no later than 13:00 CEST, and will remain open until 16:00 CEST on Thursday 21 August.
Does it have to be a selfie?
No. It can include your friends or family, or no people at all. Animals are welcome, too! The photo just needs to represent an “Are we there yet?” moment. If you like, you can print out and make a Rosetta model to feature in your photo, or print out a Rosetta “I’m going to….” banner. If you like a challenge, we’d like to see you include Rosetta mission themes in your photo. For more tips, and to download these props, please read the competition article via esa.int/RosettaAreWeThereYet
I don’t use social media, can I still enter?
Yes! Although the competition is hosted in the Facebook environment (the Rosetta Mission page uses a customised campaign application provided by WooBox.com) you don’t have to be a member of Facebook – or any other social media platform – to enter. Just visit esa.int/RosettaCompetition to upload your image.
I work at ESA, NASA or a Rosetta mission partner space agency, can I enter or win?
While they may submit images, ESA, NASA or partner space agency staff members and contractors working on site at these establishments, and their immediate families residing with them, are not eligible to receive prizes.
Voting
How will I know when Rosetta has arrived at the comet and the voting has opened?
How many times can someone vote on a photo?
Can I vote for my own photo?
Can I share the photo I’ve submitted to the competition on my social media profiles?
How will I know when Rosetta has arrived at the comet and the voting has opened?
Voting will open as soon as Rosetta’s arrival is confirmed on 6 August, and in any case no later than 13:00 CEST. On the day, an event will be held at ESA’s spacecraft operations centre, which will be streamed live for anyone to watch. The URL will be advertised closer to the date – please look to esa.int/rosetta for the announcement. The announcement of Rosetta’s arrival at the comet will be made live from this event, but also in parallel on our social media channels (primarily Twitter (@ESA_Rosetta), the Rosetta Mission Facebook page and the Rosetta blog). There will also be a formal press release published on the esa.int/rosetta website. Voting will remain open until 16:00 CEST on Thursday 21 August.
How many times can someone vote on a photo?
One vote per day per photo per IP address is permitted. There is no restriction on the number of photos you can vote on.
Can I vote for my own photo?
Yes. You can vote on your own photo once per day per IP address.
Can I share the photo I’ve submitted to the competition on my social media profiles?
Yes, absolutely! This will help you collect more votes, too.
Winning
How will the winning photos be chosen?
When will I receive my prize?
What does the main prize of a trip to the landing event actually mean?
If I win the main prize, how will it be organized and is there anything I need to consider?
If there is more than one person in my photo, who wins the prize?
I won a prize in the “Wake up, Rosetta!” competition, can I win in this competition, too?
I don’t live in Europe, can I still win?
When and how will the winners be announced?
How will the winning photos be chosen?
One top prize will be awarded to the entry that receives the largest number of public votes on their photo. The second top prize will be picked by a panel of judges comprising members of the Rosetta mission team and communications team at ESA, and will be independent of how the public has voted. Ten runners up will also be decided by public vote. Small spot prizes of Rosetta goodies will be awarded for images that stand out to the judges as being particularly unique, perhaps managing to incorporate one or more Rosetta mission science themes, like “water” or “life”, or including a comet-like landscape. These spot prizes will be awarded ad-hoc during the submission period and are independent of the top and runners-up prizes and neither qualify or disqualify anyone from winning a top or runner-up prize.
When will I receive my prize?
For the spot prizes, as soon as we have your contact details we will prepare the prize pack to be sent out – but please allow a week for delivery. If you win the main or runner up prizes, we will contact you shortly after the voting period of the competition closes. If you enter directly via the Woobox link in Facebook, or through the esa.int/RosettaCompetition page, you’ll be prompted for your email address, which is how we will contact you. If you entered by Twitter we’ll contact you from the @ESA_Rosetta account to ask for your mailing address by private message. If you use Instagram to enter the competition we will send you a direct photo from our rosettamission Instagram account page, and request that you get in touch with us if you’d like to claim your prize.
What does the main prize of a trip to the landing event actually mean?
Your prize entitles you to join VIPs, media and other guests to follow the landing of Philae live at ESA’s Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt, Germany. This is currently due to take place on 11 November, but may well shift as we arrive at the comet, select the landing site, and make the operational preparations for landing. The actual date will only be confirmed around the end of September. An ESA member of staff will meet you and other competition winners at a pre-determined time on the landing day and will be on-hand to show you around and answer any questions. There will be a dedicated area at ESOC where you can sit and watch on screens and/or listen to live talks from mission experts during the day. Entry will only be granted to ESOC if you bring valid identification – a passport or an identity card is a must. There is ground-floor access for wheel-chair users.
If I win the main prize, how will it be organized and is there anything I need to consider?
You will be contacted by ESA after the voting period ends. The prize will be a grant of up to 1000 Euros if you are travelling within Europe, or 1500 Euros if travelling from the U.S that you can claim back upon presentation of receipts. You must be able to provide your bank account details to receive the grant. The grant is redeemable against travel to and from Darmstadt and up to 2 nights accommodation only; all other expenses (e.g. food, additional nights stay) are at your own expense. It will be your responsibility to book and pay for travel and hotels in the first instance and to arrange visas and travel insurance as required. We will provide you guidance on where to stay and how to get to ESOC. Please note the date of the landing event is not yet confirmed, and won’t be until the end of September. We therefore recommend that your travel is flexible. If you are under 18 and are being accompanied by an adult, then we will provide an additional grant of the same value to cover the cost of the travel/accommodation of the accompanying adult, along with additional access to ESOC, upon presentation of valid identification.
If there is more than one person in my photo, who wins the prize?
The person who uploaded the photo and whose contact details we have will be contacted as the prize winner. It is up to them if they will take the prize, or if they nominate someone in their photo. If the winner is under 18, they will need to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. In this case, the accompanying adult will also receive the same travel/hotel grant. It is not possible for additional guests to pay to attend the event.
I won a prize in the “Wake up, Rosetta!” competition, can I win in this competition, too?
You are welcome to enter but winners of the two top prizes in the “Wake up, Rosetta!” competition are not eligible to win another trip to ESOC, although are eligible to win runner up or spot prizes in the “Rosetta, are we there yet?” competition. Runners up in the “Wake up, Rosetta” competition are eligible to win any prizes in the “Rosetta, are we there yet?” competition.
I don’t live in Europe, can I still win?
Top prizes can only be awarded to participants who are a citizen of, or a regular permanent resident of an ESA Member State, an ESA Cooperating State, an EU Member State, or the United States of America. Please see the answer to I don’t live in Europe, can I still enter? for a list of eligible countries.
Runner-up and spot prizes can be won by anyone in the world.
When and how will the winners be announced?
The spot prizes will be announced via our social media channels (primarily Facebook and Twitter) and via a dedicated webpage on the Rosetta website (esa.int/RosettaCompetition). The announcements will most likely be made during the morning for any spot prize winners on the previous day.
For the first top prize and overall 10 runners up, the progress of the voting is visible to the general public. Voting will close at 16:00 CEST on Thursday 21 August and the competition page will be temporarily suspended while the competition judges contact and verify the winners.
The overall winning photo as decided by the judges will be made ‘offline’ and the winner will also be contacted. This winner is independent of votes and therefore will not necessarily be in the top ten as decided by the public vote.
Once all winners have been contacted and verified, we will reopen the gallery, with the photos arranged in vote order, and only then will we make a formal announcement of the winners. This will be presented in a wrap-up article published on the main Rosetta website and via our social media channels no earlier than 25 August.
The jury’s decision is final and no correspondence shall be entered into to discuss the final winners.
