Awards Terms & Conditions
Awards Terms & Conditions
This competition is organized by the Data Visualization Society (“DVS”). Those electing to submit works for consideration are defined throughout this document as “Participants” to include individuals and organizations.
Except where indicated otherwise, all copyright and other rights that subsist in the home page and in the sub-domain pages of the www.informationisbeautifulawards.com website (“the Site”) are owned by the Data Visualization Society.
Eligibility of entries
The Competition is open to all those who submit their work according to the Awards categories and rules, but have not entered or nominated the work into the Awards previously including in the current year’s Awards cycle. Any data visualization creator is eligible to submit work for consideration, including individual practitioners, organizations, students, and individuals whose work was not professionally commissioned.
Participants must complete the entry form and pay the required entry fee. A reduced fee is available for entries from non-profit organizations, students, and any member of the public whose work has not been professionally commissioned or published.
The main requirement for entries is that they are based on data and have some visual component. Beyond that, we welcome entries of any type, such as infographics, data journalism, maps, interactives, information art, video, animation, app, site, sculpture, or artwork. Entries can be created in any software, platform, or medium, using any type of materials.
Entries must be created or published between September 1, 2022 and August 15, 2023, except for the “Test of Time” category, which is described below.
Work that has been previously submitted or nominated to the IIB awards is not eligible.
In circumstances where a Participant’swork is not eligible for the Awards for any reason, DVS will inform the Participant who submitted the work for consideration in a timely manner with the reason for disqualification.
All work must be submitted through the ‘Information Is Beautiful Awards’ (“Awards”) website.
Entries will not be accepted via email or other channels unless officially announced via the Awards website. If technical difficulties prevent the form or website from receiving submissions, an alternate submission method will be announced on the Awards website and the DVS website.
Each submission requires appropriate payment by card via Stripe. If payment at the appropriate tier is not received, the submission will be deemed ineligible.
Entries & Prizes
These dates may be subject to change but upon launch, the timeline is:
Entries open July 15, 2022.
Deadline for entries is 23.59 (PDT) August 15, 2022 using the online form.
Longlist will be announced September 1, 2022.
The shortlisted entries for each category will be published on the website September 15, 2022.
Voting for the Community Vote Special Award will open September 15, 2022 and close October 15, 2022.
A panel of judges will then choose a winner for each of the prizes. The panel of judges includes David McCandless, author, data journalist and information designer; several previous winners of the Awards; leading dataviz practitioners; industry experts representing the various categories; and a single community ‘meta-judge’ - a proxy for combined community votes. The line-up of judges will be published on our website.
The final winners for each category will be announced at our ceremony in the United States on November 5, 2022, followed by social media posts and an announcement on the Awards website.
The following prizes will be available:
- A gold ($1,000), silver ($500) and bronze ($250) for each of the following categories – Arts, Entertainment & Culture; Humanitarian; Leisure, Games & Sport; People, Language & Identity; Unusual; Current Affairs & Politics; Places, Spaces & Environment; Science, Technology & Health; Business Analytics as well as the following Special Awards – Outstanding Studio, Impressive Individual, Rising Star
- One prize ($1,000) for each of the following Special Awards, which are chosen by the judges: Impactful Community Leader, Test of Time.
- One prize ($1,000) for the Community Vote Special Award
- Most Beautiful ($1,000)
Winners will be notified by the email registered in their user profile on the Awards website. If DVS is unable to reach winners via the registered email, winners may forfeit their right to the prizes and privileges afforded to winners. If submitters do not provide the required information for electronic payment of prize money or shipping of trophies within 30 days from date requested by DVS they functionally forgo those items.
Winners must supply bank payment details to DVS to receive payment. Payment transfers start around 30 days after the awards ceremony. If winners do not provide DVS with bank details by the end of January 2023 via Bill.com, winners may forfeit the opportunity to be paid.
The prizes are non-transferable. Winners may opt to decline the cash prize at their discretion.
By entering the Awards, Participants agree to accept the full terms and conditions and our privacy policy.
Responsibility for materials submitted
Participants are responsible for the legality, originality, and copyright of the work submitted in their name.
By submitting their work for the Awards, Participants agree that they will not upload and / or distribute any document which is confidential, defamatory, obscene, breaking personal privacy regulations, infringing copyright and intellectual property rights, violating legal rights of any party or proprietary to a brand, an individual or a company (except for the person submitting the work in his/her/their name). DVS reserves the right to delete any offending material and remove the entries from the Awards.
Participants l submitting their work through the website form cannot use false contact information details or identifying details, impersonating any person in order to mislead the Awards jury.
Submissions of works may be made for free only via the account types "member of the public" and "student". Members of the public confirm that they have not been paid for the work that they have submitted, nor has it been published in a professional capacity.
By submitting an Entry, the Participant grants a non-exclusive permission to the Data Visualization Society as the Information is Beautiful Awards organizers, sponsors, and any members of the press / media to use their name, the Participant’s image and the work submitted so that DVS may use it in producing and marketing the Awards. The Participant will be given full credit wherever possible. Example usages include articles in newspapers / magazines / websites / social media posts / blogs / the showcase section of the DVS website; printed materials at the Awards ceremonies; prints at exhibitions specifically related to the Awards; projected and on-screen visuals at our ceremonies; videos and photos displaying winners; case studies, books and presentations related to these awards. Participants keep full ownership of the work itself and DVS will always seek theirpermission about any licensable activity outside the scope described above.
By submitting their entry through the online form, Participants hereby confirm DVS has the rights to distribute the content used in the work provided and that the content used does not violate any intellectual property rules governing the work.
Notifications
All entries submitted will not be returned in any format.
For any information regarding the entry process, submitting work, awards, timing or any technical issues regarding the website, Participants may contact DVS through the contact methods listed on the Awards website.
The Information is Beautiful Awards – Full Terms and Conditions
1 Background
1.1 These terms and conditions (“Rules”) apply to entries submitted for The Information is Beautiful Awards (the “Competition”) operating on our website at www.informationisbeautifulawards.com (the “Website”). By entering the Competition, you agree to be bound by these Rules.
1.2 The Competition is organized by the Data Visualization Society (“DVS“).
1.3 DVS reserves the right to cancel or amend the Competition or the Rules if an event outside of our reasonable control occurs (e.g. a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God). DVS will make reasonable efforts to display any changes on the Website.
1.4 The decision of DVS in relation to any dispute about the Rules, conduct, results and all other matters relating to the Competition is final in its sole discretion.
2 How to enter
2.1 Employees of DVS, or any of their subsidiary and associated companies, agents or members of their families or households, are not eligible to enter the Competition. This does not exclude employees of sponsors and their subsidiary and associated companies who are eligible to enter the competition. Participants must be 18 years of age as of November 5, 2023 to qualify to submit work for consideration.
2.2 The competition is open for Entries from people around the world submitting their own work. All entries are paid, except for students, who may enter for free, and members of the public who enter work for which they have not been paid.
2.3 When uploading an Entry, Participants must submit an image together with a maximum of 500 words about their work and credits for all source materials used in the submission (together, an “Entry“)
Participants agree that their Entry:
(a) Does not feature or use any images or words that contain nudity or are in any way untrue, misleading, distasteful, blasphemous, obscene, libelous, defamatory, indecent, harassing or threatening;
(b) Does not contain any personal details about another person who is not a credited creator of the work being entered (for example, their name, where they live or what they do);
(c) Does not contain any computer virus or other material that may be harmful to DVS’ computer systems.
2.4 All user types other than students and members of the public must pay an entry fee via Stripe. Users who select the entry fee for organizations based in low and middle income countries (LMICs) attest to being in LMICs as defined by the World Bank classification of the year the Awards is being run. If payment at the appropriate tier is not received, the submission will be deemed ineligible.
2.5 The Entry fee is non-refundable.
2.6 DVS reserves the right to disqualify you if it has reasonable grounds to believe that you have breached any of the Rules.
2.7 If you are disqualified from the Competition, we may select a replacement.
2.8 The Competition starts on December 15, 2024. Participants can enter the Competition by uploading their work online through the submission form by the closing date of January 31st, 2025. Winners will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on June 12, 2025 and publicly posted following the ceremony. DVS reserves the right to change these dates as it deems necessary.
2.9 DVS is not responsible for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft, destruction, alteration of or unauthorized access to Entries, or Entries lost, damaged or delayed as a result of server functions, technical issues, viruses, bugs or other causes outside our reasonable control.
2.10 Participants are responsible for retaining a copy of your Entry as DVS will not return any work submitted.
2.11 Participants certify that the work submitted is their own original work, based on their personal study and/or research, and that they have acknowledged all material and sources.
Participants who are unsure whether or not their work is eligible should submit it under the closest applicable category. DVS may recategorize works where necessary and will inform the Participant if a work is recommended for consideration in a different category.
3 How winners are chosen
3.1 The Longlist will be exhibited on the website the week commencing March 20, 2025 and will be selected by a jury of data visualization experts.
3.2 The best entries in each category will be displayed on the Awards website in the week commencing April 20, 2025 as a shortlist based on the selection criteria defined by the DVS and shared publicly.
3.3 A panel of judges (which may include one virtual judge made up of the aggregate votes from our community members) will then choose a winner for each of the prizes referred to in Rule 4.1.
3.4 The names and Entries of those who make it through to the shortlist and the eventual Competition winners will be published on the Website and may also be requested to take part in promotional activity. By entering you agree that DVS, their sponsor and members of the media has non-exclusive permission to use your Entry and/or your name, image and audio and/or visual recordings of you in any non-commercial publicity with due credit. End usage may include articles in newspapers / magazines / websites / social media posts / blogs / the showcase section of our website; printed materials at our awards ceremonies; prints at exhibitions specifically related to the awards projected and on-screen visuals at our ceremonies; videos and photos displaying winners; case studies, books and presentations related to these awards. In addition, the names of the winners and the judges are available on written request.
3.5 Any personal data relating to entrants will be used in accordance with the DVS Privacy Policy and will not be disclosed to a third party without the Participant’s prior consent. Please see the privacy policy for further details.
4 Prizes
4.1
Category prizes
A gold ($1,000), silver ($500) and bronze ($250) prize will be awarded for each of the following categories – Arts, Entertainment & Culture; Humanitarian; Leisure, Games & Sport; People, Language & Identity; Unusual; Current Affairs & Politics; Places, Spaces & Environment; Science, Technology & Health; Business Analytics as well as the following Special Awards – Outstanding Studio, Impressive Individual, Rising Star. One prize ($1,000) will be awarded for each of the following Special Awards, which are chosen by our judges: Impactful Community Leader and Test of Time. One Community Vote prize ($1,000) will be awarded. One Most Beautiful prize ($1,000) will be awarded.
4.2 All winners referred to in Rule 4.1 will receive in addition to the cash prize
(a) a trophy;
4.3 The Awards Ceremony in the United States will take place to celebrate the winners. All shortlistees will be offered a pair of free tickets to the Awards ceremony in the United States and may invite a stand-in if they are unable to attend themselves. The event date will be published on the Website and the winners will be announced after the ceremony via the website.
4.4 DVS reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value at any time.
4.5 Winners will be notified by email within 30 days following the awards ceremony. Winners must claim their prize and provide their banking details for payment (and postal address if needed) within three weeks of the notification being sent or an alternative winner will be chosen. If no banking details have been received by the end of July 2025, winners may forfeit their right to a cash payment.
4.6 The prizes are not transferable.
4.7 Cash prizes will be sent to all winners by bank transfer after the official announcement of the winners on the website. Awards trophies will be handed out at the Awards Ceremony. Any winner unable to attend a ceremony or send a stand-in to collect their trophy should provide their postal address. Trophies will be sent out by registered post within 30 days following the final Awards ceremony. If submitters do not provide the required information for electronic payment of prize money or shipping of trophies within 30 days from date requested by DVS, they functionally forgo those items.
4.8 All taxes and insurance are the sole responsibility of winners.
4.9 DVS reserves the right to withhold a prize until it has obtained written permission from any brands, businesses, people or other rights holders featured in an Entry to use the Entry in accordance with Rule 5.2. Entrants will assist DVS in obtaining such written permission.
5 Use of Entries
5.1 By entering the competition, you confirm that you have produced the Entry yourself and you have not copied it. You further confirm that your Entry does not infringe any third party rights (including intellectual property and privacy rights) and the data is represented accurately and sourced appropriately to the best of your knowledge.
5.2 You agree that DVS and third parties authorized on our behalf, including sponsor and media, may make your Entry available for non-commercial marketing or internal communications purposes related solely to the Awards. Example usage includes newspapers / magazines / websites / social media posts / blogs / the showcase section of our website; printed materials at our awards ceremonies; prints at exhibitions specifically related to the awards; projected and on-screen visuals at our ceremonies; videos and photos displaying winners; case studies, books and presentations related to these awards. At all times you retain full ownership and our usage is non-exclusive. If we receive a request to display work outside of these forms we will contact you to request explicit permission, giving full details of the mediums and materials where we would like to use the submitted work.
5.3 Winners agree to sign a release form in connection with their Entry, if requested by DVS.
5.4 DVS may also, in appropriate circumstances, and at its sole discretion, reject, edit, remove or disable access to Entries that appear to be legally or otherwise problematic e.g. infringe the copyright or other intellectual property or privacy rights of others, are defamatory etc. or for any other reason. Notwithstanding the above, DVS will endeavor to display all long listed Entries in the showcase section of its site. DVS does not guarantee to display all Nominations as we must assess each Nomination for suitability and approach the third party creators of Nominated works for their permission.
6 Personal data
6.1 DVS will not collect any personally-identifiable information about you (name, address, telephone number or email address (“personal data”)) through the website unless you have provided it through the registration form from the Awards website.
6.2 In compliance with the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), DVS may also collect the following data:
a) information about the computer used to visit the website, including IP addresses, operating system and browser types, for system administration. This is statistical data about our users’ browsing actions and patterns, and does not identify any individual.
7 Liability
7.1 DVS is not responsible for:
(a) any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered for entry into the Competition or as a result of accepting one of the prizes;
(b) any loss or damage that is not reasonably foreseeable; or
(c) any injury or damage to an entrant’s or any other person’s computer systems relating to their participation in the Competition and associated events, including the Awards Ceremony.
8 General
8.1 The Competition and these Rules are governed by Delaware law and any disputes in relation to them are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of said state..
We may revise these Conditions at any time by amending this page. You are expected to check this page from time to time to take notice of any changes we made, as they are binding on you. Some of the provisions contained in these Conditions may also be superseded by provisions or notices published elsewhere on our site.
