1.         Introduction

1.1       Murray Dickie was one of the founding fathers of the Forth Naturalist and Historian (FNH) in the 1970’s when he worked for the Education Dept of Central Regional Council.  He was a continuing member of the board from that time, a past chair and editor of the FNH Journal.  He sadly passed away in January 2024.  In consultation with Murray’s family, the Board thought that it would be a fitting tribute if each year, FNH ran a photography competition, with the winning entry appearing on the cover of the following years journal.

1.2       The Murray Dickie Commemorative Photography Competition is being run by the Forth Naturalist and Historian, a registered charity (SC013270), University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA.

1.3       All entrants to this competition are deemed to have agreed and accepted these terms and conditions.

1.4       The theme for the competition is – The natural and cultural heritage of the Forth Valley

2.         Competition Entry

2.1       The competition is open to everyone and submissions from amateur photographers and school students are welcome.

2.2       All entries must be submitted by email (fnh@stir.ac.uk).  There is no limit on the number of entries from an individual.  However, each individual submission must include their name, email address and title of the photograph.

2.3       Any entrant under the age of 18 on the closing date, must have the consent of a parent or guardian above the age of 18.  When submitting an entry, entrants under the age of 18 must check the relevant box, by doing so we will assume your parent’s/guardian’s permission has been given.

2.4       The closing date for entries is 23:59 on 31st July 2025.  Any entries received after this date will not be included in the competition.

2.5       Entry to the competition is free

3.         The Photograph

3.1       Entries must be a digital photograph submitted as jpg files, no larger than 2Mb.  It is recommended that they should be in SRGB colour space and no smaller than 1600 X 1200 pixels in order to be able to be printed and displayed on the front cover of the FNH Journal.

3.2       The photograph must be from a location within the Forth Valley area (ie within the council areas of Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling)

3.3       An entry must be the original work of the individual making the entry.  Entries may not be the work of others or use other peoples’ images.

3.4       You can withdraw your entry at any time up to the closing date.  After the closing date, should you want to withdraw your entry you must contact FNH by email using the email address used to submit the entry.

4.         Judging

4.1       The winning entry will be selected by a panel of judges appointed by the FNH Board.  The judging will be entirely subjective.

4.2       The decision of the judging panel is final

4.3       The winning entrant will be notified by e-mail after the judging panel has made its decision.

5.         Copyright licence, Usage and Permissions

5.1       By entering the competition you grant FNH free of any charge, an unrestricted and unlimited non-exclusive licence to display, use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute and/or sell on any media, the image for all purposes and to share the image with our partners.  Such purposes include but are not limited to:

  • The FNH and partner websites and social media channels and in marketing materials (including at exhibitions)
  • In conjunction with sponsors, promotion of this photography competition
  • External print and digital press to publicise the competition and/or the work of FNH and partners
  • Any FNH and partners promotional materials, including but not limited to information leaflets, booklets or posters
  • Merchandise, including but not limited to greeting cards, calendars, prints and posters for sale by FNH

5.2       Copyright will remain with the entrant.  Any funds raised from related sales will be used by FNH to further its charitable aims.  The organisers will make every reasonable effort to ensure that name credits are given to any image published in any medium for any purpose but accept no liability for failing to do so.

5.3       FNH agrees that it will not use the image without appropriate acknowledgement to you, the entrant and will arrange for an appropriate release form should an image be used for commercial purposes.

5.4       FNH will not accept an image that infringes on any trademark, copyright, trade secret, right of privacy, patents, right to publicity or any other applicable law or right.