Cover Art Competition T&Cs

2.4 Employees of UNE, NERAM, Tag Worldwide and their related bodies corporate who are directly involved in the design, administration or judging of the competition, and their immediate families, are not eligible to enter.University of New England

2028 Course Guide Cover Art Competition

Terms and Conditions

Competition open: Thursday 3 September 2026

Submission deadline: Wednesday 23 September 2026

Promoter: University of New England (UNE), Armidale NSW 2351

1.  THE PROMOTER

1.1  The competition is promoted by the University of New England ABN 75 792 454 315, of Armidale NSW 2351 (UNE, the Promoter).

1.2  UNE has partnered with the New England Regional Art Museum (NERAM) for the purposes of exhibition, artwork collection, professional photography and framing of the winning entry.

1.3  The competition is managed on behalf of UNE by Tag Worldwide, Level 3, 20 Windmill St, Millers Point NSW 2000.

2.  ELIGIBILITY

2.1  The competition is open to Australian residents currently enrolled in Year 9, Year 10, Year 11 or Year 12 of secondary school or an equivalent secondary level qualification at the time of submission.

2.2  Equivalent secondary level qualifications include but are not limited to home schooling, distance education, TAFE qualifications at an equivalent secondary level, and other accredited alternative secondary education pathways. Students will need to provide their school ID number

2.3  The competition is free to enter. No purchase is necessary.

2.4 Employees of UNE, NERAM, Tag Worldwide and their related bodies corporate who are directly involved in the design, administration or judging of the competition, and their immediate families, are not eligible to enter.

2.5  UNE reserves the right to verify the eligibility of any entrant at any time and to disqualify any entrant who does not satisfy these eligibility requirements.

Winners must provide satisfactory proof of age and enrolment before any prize is awarded. See clause 8 for verification requirements.

3.  HOW TO ENTER

3.1  The competition opens at 9:00am AEST on Thursday 3 September 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEST on Wednesday 23 September 2026 (the Submission Deadline). Entries received after the Submission Deadline will not be accepted.

3.2  To enter, entrants must complete the official submission form at coverartcomp.une.edu.au during the competition period and provide all required information including:

3.2.1  Full name

3.2.2  Date of birth

3.2.3  Year level and school or education provider name

3.2.4 Student ID number

3.2.5  State of residence

3.2.6  Entrant email address

3.2.7  Parent or guardian email address (required for all entrants under 18 years of age)

3.2.8  An original artwork file as described in clause 4

3.2.9  An artist statement of no more than 300 words

3.2.10  An AI use declaration as described in clause 5

3.2.11  Agreement to these Terms and Conditions

3.3  Only one entry per entrant is permitted. Multiple entries from the same entrant will result in disqualification of all entries from that entrant.

3.4  Entries submitted by a third party on behalf of an entrant will not be accepted.

3.5  By submitting an entry, entrants confirm that all information provided is accurate and complete. Providing false or misleading information will result in immediate disqualification and, if a prize has been awarded, the return of that prize at the entrant's cost.

3.6  The Promoter will not consider entries not made in accordance with these Terms and Conditions or received after the Submission Deadline. Incomplete, incomprehensible or corrupted entries will be deemed invalid. The Promoter takes no responsibility for any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction that prevents an entry from being received.

4.  ARTWORK REQUIREMENTS

4.1  Submitted artwork must be an original work created by the entrant. The artwork must not have been previously published, exhibited commercially, or submitted to any other competition where exclusive rights were granted to a third party.

4.2  Artwork must be a two-dimensional (2D) work. Acceptable mediums include but are not limited to painting, drawing, illustration, graphic design and mixed media.

4.3  Artwork must be submitted in a digital file. Entrants should submit the highest resolution digital file available to them with a minimum file size of 2mb.

4.4  Artwork must not contain any of the following:

(a)  Material that is unlawful, defamatory, offensive, obscene, indecent, hateful, discriminatory, sexually inappropriate, violent, abusive, harassing, threatening, or otherwise unsuitable for publication or unsuitable for viewing by persons under 15 years of age

(b)  Material that infringes the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, moral rights or any other rights of any third party

(c)  Identifiable images of any person other than the entrant, unless the entrant has obtained and can provide written consent from that person or, where that person is under 18, from their parent or guardian

(d)  Trademarks, logos or branding belonging to any third party without authorisation

(e)  Content that violates any applicable law or regulation

4.5  Each entrant warrants that their entry does not contain viruses and does not cause injury or harm to any person or entity.

4.6  The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entry that does not comply with these artwork requirements or that the Promoter, in its sole discretion, considers inappropriate for any reason.

5.  ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE POLICY

5.1  The use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of the creative process is permitted. The Promoter acknowledges that AI may be used as a tool in a genuine creative process in the same way other digital tools may be used.

5.2  All entrants must complete an AI use declaration on the submission form confirming whether AI tools were used in the creation of the submitted artwork and, if yes, a brief description of how AI tools were used.

5.3  The artist statement submitted with the entry must reflect the entrant's own creative intent and process. Submitting an artist statement generated entirely by an AI tool is not permitted.

5.4  Artwork generated entirely by an AI tool without meaningful creative input, direction or authorship by the entrant will not be considered eligible. The entrant must be the primary creative author of the submitted work.

5.5  The Promoter reserves the right to conduct reasonable checks including reverse image searches to assess the authenticity and originality of submissions. Where doubt exists, the Promoter may request further information from the entrant. Failure to provide satisfactory information may result in disqualification.

6.  INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND RIGHTS

6.1  The entrant retains ownership of their artwork and all associated intellectual property rights, subject to the license granted to the Promoter under clause 6.2.

6.2  As a condition of entering this competition, each entrant licenses and grants the Promoter, its affiliates and sub-licensees a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable and sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, communicate and display the submitted artwork for any purpose including but not limited to:

(a)  The UNE 2028 Course Guide cover design and any associated internal pages

(b)  Future UNE course guides and related publications

(c)  Promotional, marketing and educational materials relating to the Promoter, including on UNE's website and social media channels or merchandise, without compensation, restriction on use, attribution or liability

(d)  Exhibition at NERAM or any other exhibition associated with this competition

6.3  The Promoter may adapt the winning artwork for the purposes of the course guide cover design. This may include placing typographic elements, the UNE logo and the year over the artwork, or using the artwork as a background element. The original unmodified artwork will be reproduced on the inside cover of the course guide with full artist credit.

6.4  The entrant retains the right to exhibit, publish, sell or otherwise use their artwork for their own personal and commercial purposes, subject to the Promoter rights under clause 6.2.

6.5  Each entrant warrants that the submitted artwork is their own original work, that they are the sole owner of all intellectual property rights in the artwork, and that the artwork does not infringe the intellectual property rights, moral rights under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), privacy rights or any other rights of any third party. Each entrant agrees to indemnify the Promoter, its related bodies corporate and their respective officers, employees and agents against any loss suffered by any of those parties arising out of or in connection with any breach of this warranty.

6.6  Where the entrant is under 18, the parent or guardian must co-sign the prize acceptance and rights agreement, confirming their agreement to the terms of this clause on behalf of the entrant, before any prize is awarded.

6.7  The winner may be required to take part in reasonable publicity activities of the Promoter. The Promoter may photograph or film activities relating to the acceptance or use of the prize. Entrants acknowledge that the Promoter has the right to use such photographs, videos and films in any medium and in any reasonable manner it sees fit without further permission from or payment to the winner.

7.  PRIZES

7.1  The following prizes are available:

7.1.1  Main Prize UNE Cover Art Award: $5,000 AUD  paid by bank transfer; professional photography and framing of the original artwork, and transport handled by UNE; publication of the artwork on the cover of the UNE 2028 Course Guide; publication of the original unmodified artwork on the inside cover with full artist credit; and exhibition at NERAM.

7.1.2  The Emerging Voice Award: One $300 Eckersley's Art and Craft gift card,  and named recognition across UNE social channels and in the NERAM exhibition. The Emerging Voice Award is available to entrants currently enrolled in Year 9 or Year 10 at the time of submission only. The winner of the Main Prize is not eligible for the Emerging Voice Award.

7.1.3  People's Choice Award: One $300 Eckersley's Art and Craft gift card and a dedicated feature post across UNE social channels celebrating the winner and their work.

7.2  Prizes, or any unused portion of a prize, are not transferable, not exchangeable and cannot be redeemed for cash or any other form of compensation, unless stated otherwise in clause 7.1.

7.3  If a prize becomes unavailable for any reason, the Promoter may substitute that prize, at its sole discretion, for another item of equal or higher value.

7.4  The Main Prize of $5,000 AUD will be paid by bank transfer. Where the winner is under 18 years of age, the prize will be paid to a nominated bank account held by a parent or guardian on behalf of the winner. The Promoter is not responsible for any bank fees or charges incurred by the winner in receiving the prize.

7.5  Gift card prizes will be delivered electronically to the email address provided at submission within 28 days of winner notification.

7.6  Prizes are inclusive of GST where applicable. Prize values are stated in Australian dollars.

7.7  The total prize pool is $5,600 AUD in cash and gift cards.

7.8  The Promoter does not accept responsibility for any costs related to an entrant's participation in the competition or use of the prize. Winners should seek independent financial and tax advice in relation to any tax liability arising from receipt of a prize.

7.9 The Promoter reserves the right not to award the Main Prize UNE Cover Art Award if, in the reasonable opinion of the judging panel, no entry received meets the standard required for publication as the cover of the UNE 2028 Course Guide. This decision will be made against the judging criteria set out in clause 9 and not on the basis of entry volume alone. Where the Main Prize is not awarded, the $5,000 AUD prize amount will not be paid, and entrants will be notified of this outcome as part of the process under clause 11. A decision not to award the Main Prize does not affect the Emerging Voice Award or the People's Choice Award, which will be determined and awarded in the usual way.

8.  WINNER VERIFICATION

8.1  Prior to being awarded any prize, the selected winner must provide satisfactory proof of identity, age and eligibility. The Promoter reserves the right to request winners to provide proof of age, identity and current enrolment at any time. Acceptable documentation includes:

(a)  A current student identity card issued by the entrant's school or education provider; or

(b)  A letter from the entrant's school or education provider on official letterhead confirming the entrant's enrolment and current year level; or

8.2  Where the winner is under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian must co-sign the prize acceptance and rights agreement before any prize is paid or artwork is collected.

8.3  If a selected winner fails to provide satisfactory proof of eligibility within fourteen days of being contacted by the Promoter, or is found to be ineligible, the Promoter reserves the right to disqualify that winner and select an alternative winner by the same judging process.

9.  JUDGING

9.1  All valid entries will be assessed by a panel of threefour judges appointed by the Promoter. The judging panel will comprise two a representatives from UNE, a representative from NERAM or the broader Australian arts community, and one external creative professional.

9.2 Judging of all valid entries for the Main Prize and the Emerging Voice Award will take place between Thursday 24th September and Friday 25th September, following the close of the Submission Deadline and prior to winner notification under clause 11.1.

9.3  Entries will be judged on the following criteria, each scored out of 25, giving a maximum total score of 100:

(a)  Originality and unconventional thinking

(b)  Visual impact

(c)  Craft and intention

(d)  Authentic expression, as supported by the artist statement

9.4  Judges score independently. Scores are averaged across the panel. In the event of a tie, the panel will convene to reach a majority decision.

9.5  The Emerging Voice Award winner will be selected by the judging panel from all valid entries received from Year 9 and Year 10 entrants, after the Main Prize winner has been determined, using the same scoring criteria.

9.6  The judges' decision is final and binding. No correspondence will be entered into regarding judging outcomes.

10.  PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD

10.1  The People's Choice voting period opens on Monday 28 September 2026 and closes at 11:59pm AEST on Monday 5 October 2026.

10.2  All valid entries received by the Submission Deadline will be displayed in the People's Choice gallery on the competition microsite and will be eligible for the People's Choice Award.

10.3  Members of the public may vote. One email address may cast up to three votes in a single voting session via one valid email address. Votes are verified by email address. Voting multiple times using different email addresses, automated systems, bots or any other means to artificially inflate vote counts is not permitted and may result in disqualification of the relevant entry.

10.4  The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any entry where there is evidence of fraudulent, systematic or automated voting activity. Disqualified prizes will be awarded to the next eligible entry.

10.5  The entry with the highest number of valid votes at the close of the voting period will be awarded the People's Choice Award. In the event of a tie between two or more entries, the tie will be resolved by the judging panel appointed under clause 9.1, who will re-score the tied entries against the criteria set out in clause 9.3 and award the People's Choice Award to the entry with the highest resulting score. No random draw, lot, ballot or other method involving chance will be used to resolve a tie at any stage.

10.6  The People's Choice Award winner will be announced between Tuesday 6 October 2026- Friday 9 October by email to the winner.

11.  WINNER NOTIFICATION AND ANNOUNCEMENT

11.1  Main Prize and Emerging Voice Award will be notified by email between Monday 28 September 2026 – Wednesday 30 September 2026 using the email address provided at submission.

11.2  Where a winner is under 18, notification will also be sent to the parent or guardian email address provided at submission.

11.3  Winners must respond to the Promoter notification and confirm acceptance of their prize within seven days. Failure to respond within this period may result in disqualification and the selection of an alternative winner by the same process.

11.4  Winners will be announced publicly across UNE's social media channels and microsite between Tuesday 6 October 2026- Friday 9 October. By entering the competition, entrants consent to their name, year level, school name, state and artwork being published in connection with the competition, including for promotional purposes.[Text Wrapping Break]

11.5  All entrants who submitted a valid entry will be notified by email on Friday 9 October that the competition has concluded for all prizes.

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12.  ARTWORK COLLECTION AND EXHIBITION

12.1  The winning entrant, or their parent or guardian where the winner is under 18, will be contacted by UNE following the announcement to arrange delivery or collection of the original physical artwork where applicable.

12.2  UNE NERAM will arrange and fund professional photography and framing of the winning artwork. UNE and NERAM will liaise directly with the winner and their family regarding the logistics of this process.

12.3  The original unmodified winning artwork will be displayed at NERAM as part of an exhibition in 2027, with a date determined later by UNE and NERAM. Exhibition dates and details will be communicated to the winner directly. The Promoter and NERAM do not accept responsibility for loss, theft or damage to artworks in transit or during exhibition, save that they will take reasonable care in handling all submitted works.

12.4  Following the conclusion of the 2027 UNE and NERAM exhibition, the original artwork will be returned to the winner. UNE will arrange and fund return delivery of the artwork at no cost to the winner.

12.5  All other valid entries may be displayed in the People's Choice online gallery on the competition microsite during the voting period only. Entries will not be publicly accessible in this gallery after the voting period has concluded.

13.  PRIVACY AND DATA COLLECTION

13.1  The Promoter collects personal information from entrants for the purpose of conducting the competition and may, for this purpose, disclose such personal information to third parties including agents, contractors, service providers and prize suppliers, and as required to Australian regulatory authorities. It is a condition of entry that entrants provide the personal information requested. If an entrant does not provide the required information, their entry will be invalid.

13.2  The Promoter handles all personal information in accordance with the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 (NSW) (PPIP Act). UNE's Privacy Policy is available at une.edu.au/privacy and contains information about how entrants may opt out, access, update or correct their personal information.

13.3  Where an entrant is under 18 years of age, a parent or guardian email address is required. The Promoter will use this contact for all official communications with entrants under 18.

13.4  Entrants may separately opt in to receive future communications from UNE about art competitions and creative opportunities. Parents and guardians may separately opt in to receive information about UNE courses, open days and student life. These opt-ins are voluntary, separate from the competition entry, and not a condition of participation.

13.5  The Promoter may, for a reasonable period unless otherwise advised, use personal information for promotional, marketing, publicity, research and profiling purposes, including sending electronic messages to the entrant. An entrant may opt out of receiving further communications by contacting UNE at [marketing@une.edu.au privacy contact email].

14.  SAFEGUARDING AND COMMUNICATIONS WITH MINORS

14.1  All direct communications from the Promoter to entrants under 18 will be conducted through the parent or guardian email address provided at submission, or through the school or education provider where the entrant is enrolled.

14.2  The Promoter will not engage in direct one-to-one communications with entrants under 18 outside of these channels.

14.3  Parents and guardians of entrants under 18 consent to the Promoter contacting them in relation to their child's competition entry by providing their contact details on the submission form.

15.  LIABILITY

15.1  Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits, excludes or modifies or purports to limit, exclude or modify the statutory consumer guarantees as provided under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), as well as any other implied warranties under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (Cth) or similar consumer protection laws in the States and Territories of Australia (Non-Excludable Guarantees).

15.2  Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Promoter, its related bodies corporate and their respective officers, employees and agents are not responsible, and exclude all liability (including in negligence) for:

(a)  any direct, indirect, special or consequential loss; or

(b)  any loss or injury suffered or sustained to person or property arising in any way out of or in relation to: (i) any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction whether or not under the Promoter's control; (ii) any theft, unauthorised access or third party interference; (iii) any entry or prize claim that is lost, late, altered, damaged or misdirected at any time; (iv) any variation to the prize value from what is stated in these Terms and Conditions; (v) any tax liability incurred by the entrant or a winner; (vi) any use of the prizes; (vii) any damage, loss or injury incurred by the entrant or any person in the act or process of submitting the entry; or (viii) any act or omission, deliberate or negligent, by the Promoter or its agents in connection with the arrangement for supply, or the supply, of the prize.

15.3  Each entrant agrees that they are fully responsible for their entry. To the full extent permitted by law, the Promoter excludes any liability in relation to entries submitted under this competition.

15.4  The winner forever discharges the Promoter from all claims that the winner may have or may have had but for this release, arising from or in connection with participation in this competition and the winner's acceptance and use of the prize.

16.  GENERAL CONDITIONS

16.1  All information forming part of the Schedule and these Terms and Conditions governs this competition. By participating, all entrants are deemed to have read, understood and accepted these Terms and Conditions.

16.2  The Promoter reserves the right in its sole discretion to disqualify any individual who the Promoter has reason to believe has breached any of these Terms and Conditions, engaged in any unlawful or improper conduct in connection with the competition, or won a prize through fraudulent means. Prizes considered to have been won fraudulently will be awarded to the next eligible entrant.

16.3  The Promoter reserves the right to amend, terminate or temporarily suspend this competition if, in its sole discretion, it considers it necessary to do so, subject to any written approval from a relevant regulatory authority that may be required, and provided that the Promoter shall not exercise this right unreasonably. If the competition is cancelled or suspended, the Promoter will use reasonable endeavours to notify entrants.

16.4  If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

16.5  These Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between the Promoter and entrants in relation to the competition and supersede all prior representations, discussions or agreements.

17.  DISPUTE RESOLUTION

17.1  If any dispute arises between an entrant and the Promoter concerning these Terms and Conditions, the conduct or results of this competition, or any other matter relating to this competition, the Promoter will take reasonable steps to consider the entrant's point of view, take into account any facts or evidence the entrant puts forward, and respond to it fairly within a reasonable time.

17.2  The decision of the Promoter will be final and binding and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into, comment issued, or reason given in respect of any decision made by the Promoter, save as required by law.

17.3  If a complaint is not resolved to the entrant's satisfaction, the entrant may escalate the matter to the relevant state or territory fair trading authority.

18.  CONTACT

18.1  Any questions or complaints regarding the competition should be directed to The Promoter at  marketing@une.edu.au

The Promoter will respond to all queries within five business days.