2025 Through Your Lens Photo Contest - Official Rules
The 2025 Scuba Diving Photo Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Scuba Diving magazine, a publication of PADI (“Sponsor”).
The specific prizes will be announced at a later date. The administrator reserves the right to determine and substitute prizes of equal or greater value prior to the end of the entry period.
Once finalized, full prize details, including approximate retail value and any applicable restrictions, will be disclosed in an updated version of the official rules. No cash alternatives will be provided.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: JULY 7, 2025
All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply; void where prohibited or restricted by law. No purchase necessary. PRIZES MAY BE SUBJECT TO TAX; ALL APPLICABLE TAXES ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WINNER.
ELIGIBILITY: The Contest is open only to individuals, eighteen (18) years or older at time of entry, excluding residents of any jurisdiction where participation is restricted or prohibited by law. Employees, officers, directors and family members of employees of PADI Media (Sponsor), its parent companies, its subsidiaries and affiliates are not eligible for participation.
ENTRY: All entrants must submit at least one image as a .jpg, or .png file and must be less than 5 MB. You may enter electronically. Entries are limited to five per person per category resulting in a maximum entry of twenty photos total between the four categories; exceeding this may result in disqualification. All photos must be original works, taken by the Entrant. No third party may own or control any materials the photo contains. To enter visit our website at www.scubadiving.com/photocontest. All information provided by entrant must be complete, true and correct. Submissions to the Contest must be received by 11:59 p.m. JULY 7, 2025, Eastern Time (“ET”), in order to be eligible. Entries received after that date will be deemed ineligible to win. All submitted entries become the property of Sponsor and will not be acknowledged or returned. Sponsor is not responsible for lost, late, inaccurate, incomplete, damaged, illegible, or misdirected entries. Each entry must be submitted on an individual basis (i.e., no team, joint, or corporate entries) and all components of the entry must be the original creation of the submitting participant. Only non-commercial work may be submitted. Entries may not contain profanity, nudity, pornographic images, violent images, anti-competition messages, illegal material, or material that violates the rights of third parties. Entries may not include confidential information, trade secrets, trademarks or copyrighted material belonging to any person or entity other than the entrant absent a suitable license or permission agreement, proof of which is required. Entries containing any forbidden matter or material otherwise deemed by Sponsor to be inappropriate will be disqualified. Online entries will be deemed submitted by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry.
PHOTO MANIPULATION AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI): Post-processing of images is allowed. This includes global adjustments to exposure, contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, and tone. Minor cleaning of images is permitted, including the removal of backscatter, dust and scratches. HDR, panoramas, focus stacking or other techniques that involve using multiple images taken at the same time and place are also allowed. Adding, removing or moving animals, people, plants or other objects is not allowed. For example, moving a fish, removing a reef element or adding a glow to a diver’s torch is not acceptable. While digital manipulation is permitted, please keep in mind this not a Photoshop competition. All images should accurately represent the subject matter and nature. Images that appear to be overly processed may be disqualified at the judges’ discretion.
JUDGING: A panel of judges consisting of Scuba Diving editors and external judges will select the winning entry based equally upon the criteria of originality, skill, and relevance. By entering, you agree to be bound by these Official Rules, and that the decisions of the judges are final and binding in all respects. Judging will be completed by August, 1 2025, and potential winners will be notified by email on or before end of August 2025. Potential winners may be required to sign and return a sworn Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and Publicity Release. If required documentation is not returned within ten (10) business days of notification, or if notification is returned as undeliverable, any prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner will be selected.
PRIZE AWARDS: Prizes will be awarded within sixty (60) days after winner verification. No prize substitution or transfer is permitted, except that Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value, including cash, for any reason. Sponsor is required by law to report prize values to taxing authorities; all taxes and any other incidental expenses on prizes are the sole responsibility of each winner.
GENERAL RULES & LIMITATIONS: By entering, you represent and warrant that: (i) your entry is your own original work; and (ii) you have the legal right to convey the below-identified rights in your entry in perpetuity to Sponsor.
By entering, you grant to Sponsor a limited, non-exclusive, worldwide license to reproduce and republish your entry, along with your name and likeness, in any and all media, now known or hereafter devised for the purpose of promoting the Contest or future related contests by Sponsor, [SD1] [MH2] [CL3] [SD4] [CL5] [CL6] [MH7] [SD8] without further permission, notice or compensation (except where prohibited by law).
Photo Contest Winner will have the opportunity to have their photo featured on a limited edition PADI replacement card, available to divers globally. Such cards may be printed in a recycled physical card, on an eCard or both.
Entrant shall retain copyright in the entry; any use of an entry will be credited to the original entrant. By participating in the Contest, you agree to release Sponsor and its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, employees, directors, officers, and agents from any and all liability, claims or actions of any kind whatsoever for (i) injuries, damages or losses to persons and property which may be sustained in connection with the receipt, ownership, possession, use, or misuse of any prize, and for (ii) any claim for infringement from a third party. Sponsor is not responsible for technical, hardware or software failures, or other errors or problems which may occur in connection with the Contest, whether computer, network, technical, mechanical, typographical, printing, human or otherwise, including, without limitation, errors or problems which may occur in connection with the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of entries, the announcement of the prizes, in any Contest-related materials, or that may limit prize fulfillment or a participant's ability to enter the Contest. Sponsor reserves the right to amend these official rules and to disqualify permanently from the Contest any person it believes has intentionally violated these official rules. PRIVACY: By entering, you agree that the information you provide may be sent to promotional partners of the Sponsor. You may be contacted by the Sponsor and/or promotional partners with future promotional offers. Information provided by you to participate in this Contest is subject to the privacy policies of the Sponsor. (https://www.scubadiving.com/privacy/privacy-policy)
For any inquiries or a list of winners after (August 1, 2025), please write to:
PADI Media 30151 Tomas Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92676
