"Photos of France" Photo Contest RULES

Article 1 – Subject
The Maison de la France EIG, headquartered at 23 place de Catalogne, 75014 Paris, hereinafter "the Organiser," is holding a photo contest entitled "Photos of France" with no purchase obligation (hereinafter "the Contest"), open to any individual of any nationality, with the exception of employees of the Organiser, any company it controls or that controls it or under joint control with it, and any person involved in implementing the contest, as well as members of their families (forebears or issue). Minors may participate under the responsibility of their legal guardian holding parental authority.

Article 2 – Contest Duration
The photo contest entitled "Photos of France" will begin on December 11, 2008, at 12:00 noon (Metropolitan French time) and will close on December 31, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. (Metropolitan French time).

Article 3 – Contest Principles and Terms and Conditions
1. Participation in the Contest implies complete acceptance of and compliance without reservation with the present Rules in their entirety, which constitutes a contract.
The present Rules can be consulted and downloaded via the http://photogame.franceguide.com site (hereinafter "the Site").
2. Participants may play beginning on the date specified in article 2 above, solely by means of an Internet connection to the http://photogame.franceguide.com site from which they will be directed to the page where they can vote for the photos of their choice or enter a photo.
To participate in the Contest, Internet users must send a photograph illustrating "France" in the space reserved for this Contest on the aforementioned Internet site, or vote for one or more of these photographs.
Players wishing to enter a photo or vote for a photograph must register, giving the following information: alias, e-mail address, password, title, last name, first name, postal code, city, country, telephone number, birth date and whether they wish to receive business offers from the Organiser via e-mail. Users may then enter any photo taken by them (and only them). They must check the box certifying that they are the author of said photograph. Once the photo is validated by the site moderator, it will be put online and opened to voting by Internet users.
No inaccurate or incomplete registration will be considered and will render participation null and void. In particular, registrations containing incorrect or incomplete coordinates or those not complying with the provisions of the present rules, duplicate entries and those made after the end of the Contest will not be considered.
The photo entered must have a direct connection with the theme of the http://fr.franceguide.com site: France. Any photo not directly connected with the site’s theme will be rejected by the moderator. This photo must not exceed a maximum weight of 3 Mb and must be in gif, jpeg or png format.
Participants may enter their photos in the four featured categories: Nature and Sports, Holidays and Fun, Culture and Trends, Relaxation.
3. The initial jury will consist of Internet users who will vote from among all the photos placed online on the Site for the ten (10) best photos in each category. The 40 best photographs (10 in each category) will be those having earned the most votes as of the Contest closing date specified in article 2 above.
Participation in the voting implies familiarity with and acceptance of the characteristics and limitations of the Internet, particularly with regard to technical performance, response times for consulting, querying or transferring information, risks of interruption, risks associated with the connection, the lack of protection of certain data against possible misuse, and risks of contamination by any viruses circulating on the Net.
4. A second jury, consisting of Maison de la France executives (Marketing Director, Assistant Marketing Director, Product Head in charge of youth tourism, president of the Club Français du Tourisme des Jeunes, two members of the office of the Club Français du Tourisme des Jeunes), will choose from among these 10 photos the 4 best photos to win, taking into consideration the following criteria:
- originality of the photography
- focus on a modern image of France
- technical quality of the photo
No claim may be made regarding the decisions of the jury, which will rule independently and without appeal.
Only one award will be made per household (same surname, same postal address, same e-mail address) for the entire duration of the Contest.

Article 4 – Contest participants’ guarantees
Participants declare that they hold the necessary rights to the photographs they enter, namely all copyrights worldwide, in order to exploit the photographs in favour of the Organiser.
As such, participants declare that they are the sole holders of the rights under the present Rules and guarantee the Organiser of the enjoyment of those rights granted to it against all disturbances, claims or ejectments.
In particular, if the photographs placed online as part of the Contest include subjects likely to give rise to copyright, to a right of personal portrayal or to a right of ownership, participants guarantee that they have verified that the object or subject of the photograph is free of any right, or guarantee that they have obtained the written consent of the holders of the relevant copyright, right of personal portrayal or ownership right.
Participants undertake to comply with all laws and regulations in force concerning in particular prohibition of the dissemination of pornographic, paedophile, violent or obscene content, or content that seriously violates human dignity. Candidates are solely responsible for the content of the photos they enter.
The Organiser cannot be held liable for any illegality under current laws and regulations.
Unless they have requested in writing and obtained in writing the express consent of the Organiser, candidates having participated in the Contest by entering a photograph are not authorised to exploit it, commercially or otherwise, nor to transfer to third parties the relevant rights, for the entire duration of the Contest as specified at article 2 of the present Rules.

Article 5 – Organiser’s Guarantee
The Organiser undertakes to reproduce or represent the photographs entered as part of the Contest solely in those media dedicated to promoting the Contest, for the duration set at article 2 above. At the conclusion of the Contest, the Organiser may contact the participants to negotiate with them the exploitation of some of their photographs.

Article 6 - Award of Prizes:
The following prizes are offered:
1st Prize:

A one-week trip exploring France from east to west, with a total value of 874 Euros including tax (eight hundred seventy-four Euros including tax), including:

- a weekend of exploring Strasbourg, 4 days/3 nights (offered by Ciarus). The package includes: 3 nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) in a double room for two people with breakfast and 2 Strasbourg Passes.
- 3 days in Paris (offered by St Christopher’s Inn). Two nights in a private room (shared bathrooms), breakfast included, for two people.
- 3 days in St Malo (offered by the Brittany Regional Tourism Committee and Ethic Etapes St Malo) including 2 nights in a youth hostel (double room, breakfast included) with a Sensation Pass for a water sport to be chosen by the winner.
Paris-Strasbourg / Strasbourg-Paris / Paris-Saint-Malo / Saint-Malo-Paris train tickets are included in the package (2nd class).
This package is for two people. Offer valid between May 1 and September 30, 2010, by reservation and subject to availability.
Not included: round-trip transport from the country or region of origin to Paris, tours, activities, meals (except breakfast), conveyance not included in the programme.

2nd Prize:

A one-week French-language study package in Salignac (Périgord Noir) for two, with full pension, with French class and cultural, sports or gourmet activities with a total value of 2,030 Euros TTC (two thousand thirty Euros including tax), offered by Ethic Etapes Salignac. Validity: subject to availability and by reservation, valid from 01/01/2010 through 31/12/2010.
Not included: round-trip transport from the country or region of origin to Salignac, tours, activities, meals (except breakfast), conveyance not included in the programme.

3rd Prize:

A 4 day / 3 night whitewater vacation in the Alps for two, with half pension at the Séez-les-Arcs Youth Hostel, with a total value of 435 Euros including tax (four hundred thirty-five Euros including tax) offered by the Fédération Unie des auberges de Jeunesse. Kayaking, rafting, and introduction to whitewater swimming. Package valid from June 26 through August 31, 2010.
Not included: round-trip transport from the country or region of origin to Salignac, tours, meals (except breakfast), conveyance not included in the programme.

4th Prize:

A 4 day / 3 night vacation in Clermont Ferrand (Friday-Monday) worth 264 Euros including tax (two hundred sixty-four Euros including tax) (offered by Ethic Etapes Hors Dôme) .Two people in a single room in a B&B. Valid from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2010.
Not included: round-trip transport from the country or region of origin to Clermont Ferrand, tours, activities, meals (except breakfast), conveyance not included in the programme.

If the winners are minors, they must be accompanied by an adult.
Winners may in no case receive the value in cash of the prize awarded or exchange that prize against a service or benefit in kind of the same value or a different value.
Only the exact quantity of the specified prize will be awarded.
If not all the prizes are awarded during the contest period because of a number of players fewer than four, the prizes may not be claimed and the Organiser will not be obligated to make them available again.

Article 7 – Prize Allocation Conditions
The winners and their respective prizes will be announced by mail (electronic or postal) no later than one (1) month after the close of the Contest.
The winners’ names and their prizes will be published on the following site: http://photogame.franceguide.com no later than fifteen (15) days after announcement of the winners. As a general rule, the Organiser may in no case be held liable if the e-mail address does not correspond to that of the winner when the information relating to his/her prize is sent, or if there are network problems or a blackout prevents the forwarding of this information.
Prizes will be accepted as they are announced. They may not be exchanged, taken back or transferred to a third party, nor be the subject of a financial compensation or a financial equivalent of the prize. The Organiser may not provide any guarantee or assistance services; the prizes consist solely of the award of the prizes called for by the Contest.
If the first-place winner rejects his prize, it will be awarded to the second-place candidate. If the second-place candidate rejects it in turn, it will then be awarded to the third-place candidate, and so on.
In the event of occurrences beyond its control, associated in particular with its partners or with unforeseeable circumstances, the Organiser reserves the right to replace the announced prizes by prizes of an equivalent value. Winners will be kept informed of any changes and may object to them.

Article 8 – Reimbursement of expenses associated with the Contest
The present Contest is free of charge to enter and carries with it no obligation of purchase. Each participant may request reimbursement for his/her communications by presenting the Telecom bill.
- For participation by Internet:
If and only if the participant accesses the Contest by Internet using a modem and a telephone line billed pro rata to the communication time or by the call, he/she may receive reimbursement for said communications based on a total connection time of three minutes, at the full France Télécom RTC rate. To qualify, the participant need only:
* reside in Metropolitan France (including Corsica) or in Monaco,
* provide a detailed bill from France Télécom or other telecom operator, specifying the date and time of the communications on the site, and most especially the Contest entry and exit times. For its part, the Organiser stores the entry and exit times for each Contest entry, for a given identifier (surname, address, cell phone number and secret code).
It is agreed that any access made to the site on a fixed-rate basis (cable, ADSL, specialised link) will be similarly reimbursed on a fixed-rate basis for a maximum connection of three minutes per Contest session.
Only those persons subscribing to unlimited Internet connection services will not be reimbursed, since the subscription is contracted by the Internet user independent of his/her participation in the Contest, and since accessing the site incurs no supplemental charge, as these are unlimited fixed rates.
Telephone communications will be reimbursed only within this limitation.
- It is also imperative that any request for reimbursement of the costs incurred be made no later than one month (30 calendar days) after receipt of the telephone bill. The name of the person seeking reimbursement must be the same as that on the Telecom bill. The accepted date is that indicated on your invoice.
These requests for reimbursement, as well as the postage costs deriving from them (reimbursed at the current slow rate, with a maximum of one request per household, same surname, same address), must be sent in writing to the Contest address: ViralGames SA, "Photos of France" Customer Service, 23 bis rue Edouard Nieuport 92150 Suresnes. Any incomplete or illegible request sent to any other address than that above, or received after January 31, 2010 at midnight (Metropolitan French time), or one month after the Contest closing date, as attested by the postmark, will be considered null and void.
In the event of any extension or postponement of the present Contest, the deadline for obtaining the game Rules and reimbursement of the costs of postage and Internet connections will be extended by an equal period.

Article 9 – General information
In the event that the present Rules and the entire text of the Contest are translated, the French version prevails over any other version for any matters of interpretation.
Any question regarding the application or interpretation of the present Rules, or any unforeseen issue that may arise, will be handled independently, without appeal, by the Organiser, by the jury, or by Frédéric Nadjar, clerk of court, 8 avenue du Général de Gaulle, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine, according to the nature of the question, in compliance with French law, but may not be taken into consideration after January 31, 2010, at midnight (Metropolitan French time).
You may send us your questions at: Maison de la France – Club Français du Tourisme des Jeunes – 23 place de Catalogne – 75014 PARIS, or to damien.berel@franceguide.com

Article 10 – Personal information
1. Each participant authorises the Organiser to verify his/her identity, coordinates and birth date.
2. Winners of the "Photos of France" Photo Contest authorise the Organiser to communicate their full names and/or images in any medium (in particular: on the http://fr.franceguide.com Internet site, the Contest site: http://photogame.franceguide.com, a newsletter sent to players and registered site members, internal and external Maison de la France publications) without restriction or reservation, and without this entitling them to compensation or any advantage other than award of the prize indicated at article 6 of the present Rules.
3. In accordance with the Information Technology and Freedoms Act of January 6, 1978, however, participants are entitled to access, correct and delete personal data concerning them, which they may exercise by sending a written request to:
ViralGames SA
"Photos of France" Customer Service
23bis rue Edouard Nieuport
92150 Suresnes

Article 11 – Force Majeure / Reservation of extension or cancellation
1. The Organise incurs no liability if, in the case of force majeure or events independent of its will, it is forced to cancel, curtail, extend, postpone or modify the conditions of participation and the terms of operation of the present Contest. The Organiser cannot be held liable for any incident relating to telephone and/or Internet interruptions, management of the Internet, or power outages preventing an Internet user from filling out the form enabling him/her to participate in the operation before the deadline. Neither may the Organiser be held liable for disturbances or losses of mail that may occur in postal or e-mail services.
2. Participation in the "Photos of France" Contest implies acceptance of the present Rules. Any fraud or attempted fraud manifested by an act undertaken and committed in order to receive a prize unduly, or non-compliance with the present Rules, or any malicious attempt to disturb the sequence of the operation, may lead to disqualification of its perpetrator; if necessary, the Organiser reserves the right to undertake legal action against the perpetrator.
3. In the event of force majeure, the Organiser reserves the right to make any change in the Contest Rules, at any time, without notice or obligation to justify its decision, and without its liability being thereby engaged. Participants are considered to have accepted these changes by the simple fact of participating in the Contest as of the date when the modification takes effect.
4. Additions or amendments to these Rules may be published during the Contest. They will be considered riders to the present Rules.

Article 12 – Registration of the Contest Rules
The complete Rules for the "Photos of France" Contest are available at the http://photogame.franceguide.com site and have been filed with Frédéric Nadjar, clerk of court, 18, avenue Charles de Gaulle 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine. The Rules will be sent by regular mail only, to any person requesting them at the following address:
ViralGames SA
"Photos of France" Customer Service
23bis rue Edouard Nieuport
92150 Suresnes
Postage costs will be reimbursed according to article 7 of the present Rules upon simple request (at the current slow rate) by attaching a postal or bank account identification document, sending the request before March 31, 2009, at midnight (Metropolitan French time). Only one reimbursement may be obtained per person (same first and last names, same e-mail address, same postal or bank account identification document. Any incomplete or illegible request sent to any other address than that of the Contest, or received after March 31, 2009 at midnight (Metropolitan French time), as attested by the postmark, will be considered null and void.

Article 13 – Applicable law
The present Rules are subject to French law.
In the event of persistent disagreement over the application or interpretation of the present Rules, and failing amicable agreement, any dispute will be submitted to the competent Paris court, which is attributed exclusive jurisdiction.