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Terms of participation – photo contest “Unser Gera – gemeinsam noch schöner” (Our Gera – even more beautiful together)
1. Organiser and contracting party
The photo contest “Unser Gera – gemeinsam noch schöner” on Gera Tours is organised by Promenaden Service UG (haftungsbeschränkt), operator of the Promenaden Hotel am Theater, Theaterstraße 2–4, 07545 Gera, Germany, e-mail: info@promenaden-hotel.de (“organiser”). It is the contracting party of the participants, the recipient of the rights of use granted under these terms and is responsible for managing the entries.
ZS Holding EOOD operates the gera-tours.de platform technically. Insofar as it processes participants’ data in doing so (hosting, storage, sending e-mails), it acts on behalf of and on the instructions of the organiser (Art. 28 GDPR).
2. Idea and theme
Gera is as beautiful as we show it. We are looking for photo series and videos that show Gera from its most beautiful, most surprising or unknown side. Each round has its own theme. The jury gives special consideration to entries on the special theme “made by locals” – i.e. places that residents have improved themselves.
3. Rounds and period
The contest follows the seasons: winter (winners at the end of February), spring (end of May), summer (end of August) and autumn (end of November). The first round, “Our Gera”, is the winter round 2026/27; it already starts in September 2026 and ends with the announcement of the winners at the end of February 2027. Each round has a submission period, a subsequent public vote and a date on which the winners are announced:
- Our Gera: submissions 26 Sep 2026 to 15 Feb 2027, 23:59 · vote 16 Feb–26 Feb 2027 · winners on 28 Feb 2027
- Gera in bloom: submissions 1 Mar 2027 to 15 May 2027, 23:59 · vote 16 May–29 May 2027 · winners on 31 May 2027
- Summer by the Elster: submissions 1 Jun 2027 to 15 Aug 2027, 23:59 · vote 16 Aug–29 Aug 2027 · winners on 31 Aug 2027
- Old town & history: submissions 1 Sep 2027 to 15 Nov 2027, 23:59 · vote 16 Nov–28 Nov 2027 · winners on 30 Nov 2027
- Gera in winter light: submissions 1 Dec 2027 to 15 Feb 2028, 23:59 · vote 16 Feb–26 Feb 2028 · winners on 29 Feb 2028
The organiser may add further rounds. Themes and dates are published on gera-tours.de.
4. Participation
Only persons aged 18 or over may take part. By submitting an entry, the participant confirms that they are at least 18 years old; the organiser may request proof of age before handing over a prize. Entries from minors are not eligible. Employees of the organiser and their relatives are excluded. Participation is free of charge and does not depend on a booking or purchase.
5. Submission
Each person may submit one entry per round. You can take part with 1 to 10 photos of the same place (if several photos, ideally from different angles), with one video of 10 to 60 seconds, or with both. Photos in JPG, PNG or HEIC/HEIF format (e.g. from an iPhone), max. 25 MB each; videos in MP4 or MOV format, max. 300 MB, alternatively as a link to a cloud storage. Entries are submitted via the form on gera-tours.de. Entries without a photo and without a video are not eligible.
6. Requirements for entries
The photos and videos must have been taken in Gera by the participant themselves. Usual image editing is permitted; photo montages and AI-generated images are not allowed. Videos must not contain music or other copyrighted content of third parties. If people are recognisable, their consent to publication must have been obtained, for minors that of their parents or guardians. Entries with unlawful, offensive or objectionable content are excluded. All entries are reviewed before publication.
7. Rights of use, editing and author credit
7.1 Copyright
The copyright in the submitted photos and videos remains with the participant. By submitting, the participant grants the organiser the rights of use described below. The organiser may also have these rights exercised for the Gera Tours platform by its technical operator and may grant simple sub-licences to that extent.
7.2 Grant of rights of use
The participant grants a simple, non-exclusive right of use, unlimited in space and time, in the submitted photos and videos. The rights are granted for carrying out the contest, for public relations and tourism communication, for promoting and presenting the city of Gera, the Gera Tours project and the Promenaden Hotel am Theater, and for related events, offers, campaigns and projects.
The right of use includes in particular the right to publish, reproduce, distribute, exhibit, communicate to the public and make available to the public, to store and archive, and to use in digital and printed media. Use may take place in particular on websites, in apps, social networks (e.g. YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok), newsletters, press releases, presentations, brochures, flyers, posters, advertisements, calendars and other digital or analogue media.
7.3 Videos, reels, shorts and edits
The participant expressly permits the photos and videos to be edited editorially and technically and combined with other content. This includes in particular changes of size and format (e.g. 16:9, 9:16, square), cropping and enlarging details, corrections of colour, brightness and contrast, adding logos, texts, graphics and subtitles, combination with other photos, videos, animations, music, speech and sound, and the use of the photos and videos or details of them in videos, slideshows, social media posts, stories, reels, shorts, tourism presentations and advertising materials. The statutory moral rights of the author, in particular Section 14 of the German Copyright Act (UrhG), remain unaffected.
7.4 Author credit
When publishing, the organiser names the participant with first name and initial of the surname, or without a name at the participant’s request (option when submitting). Where naming the author directly on the work is technically impossible or would involve disproportionate effort (e.g. short clips in videos, collages), the credit is given in a suitable place (caption, post text, legal notice).
7.5 Third-party rights
The participant warrants that they are the author of the photos and videos or hold all rights required for participation and the uses described, and that the use does not infringe any copyright, personality rights, trademark rights or other rights of third parties. If people are recognisably depicted, the participant warrants that the consent of the persons depicted has been obtained where required by law (Sections 22, 23 KunstUrhG); for minors depicted, the consent of their legal representatives. In case of doubt, the organiser may request proof.
7.6 Indemnification
If claims are asserted against the organiser because of an infringement of third-party rights for which the participant is responsible, the participant shall indemnify the organiser against justified claims to the extent permitted by law, in particular claims for infringement of copyright, personality rights or rights to one’s own image.
7.7 Remuneration
To the extent permitted by law, no additional remuneration is owed for the use described. Participation and any award are governed by the other terms of participation.
7.8 Management and protection of entries
The organiser manages the submitted entries and the related proof of the rights granted and is responsible for compliance with the agreed terms of use. Photos and videos are used exclusively within the scope of the rights granted; the rights of persons depicted and of other third parties remain unaffected. The organiser takes appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect the entries and the related personal data against unauthorised access, unlawful alteration and loss, in particular in accordance with Art. 32 GDPR.
7.9 Consent
Granting the rights of use is a condition for participation. It is expressly confirmed when submitting by means of a separate checkbox; the date, time and version of these terms are stored. This version applies from 21 Oct 2026.
8. Winners
In each round, a jury appointed by the organiser awards places 1 to 3 based on idea, visual impact, relation to the theme and relation to the history of the place. In addition, the entry with the most confirmed votes in the public vote receives the title “Audience favourite” and is presented on the home page of gera-tours.de; no prize in kind or cash is associated with this. Anyone with an e-mail address can vote; one confirmed vote per e-mail address counts per round. If there are signs of manipulation, the organiser may exclude votes or entries. After the autumn round, the jury selects the “Photo of the year” from the winners of the four seasonal rounds – for the first time from the rounds winter 2026/27 to autumn 2027. The winners are notified by e-mail on the day of the announcement and published with first name and initial of the surname, or without a name at their request. If a winner does not respond within 14 days, another winner may be chosen.
9. Prizes
Per round: 1st place one night for two people including breakfast at the Promenaden Hotel am Theater; 2nd place a hotel voucher of the Promenaden Hotel am Theater worth 50 euros; 3rd place a hotel voucher of the Promenaden Hotel am Theater worth 25 euros. There is no prize for the audience favourite (see no. 8). Photo of the year: two nights for two people including breakfast at the Promenaden Hotel am Theater and publication on the cover of the Gera Tours calendar for the following year. Hotel vouchers can be redeemed for overnight stays and services of the hotel and are valid for three years. Overnight stays are valid for 12 months, can be redeemed from Sunday to Thursday subject to availability and are not transferable. A cash payment is not possible.
10. Data protection
Participants’ data is used only for carrying out the contest. Details can be found in the privacy policy.
11. Miscellaneous
The organiser may change, interrupt or end the contest for good cause, in particular if proper execution cannot be guaranteed. The contest is not connected with Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or other platforms. German law applies.