My Ottawa

Every day we see so many amazing photos of our city on Instagram that we wish we could show the world and so we thought, why not? This year, we want to (digitally) plaster your photos all over Ottawa! Each month, we’ll be doing a call out for photo submissions here and on Instagram. You can enter to win a chance at having your photo and account featured on the City’s digital billboards and screens. 

What type of photos are we looking for? Eligible categories include:

• Landscapes
• Cityscapes
• Architecture
• Local wildlife and flora

Your family photos and selfies are beautiful but are best kept between you and your friends. It’s ok though if people appear in the background of photos and aren’t the main focus. The photos must be taken within City limits.

Want to enter? This month’s contest runs from Tuesday, October 24 to Sunday, November 19. Submitting your entry is easy and can be done in three simple steps:

1. post your photo submission on Instagram using the hashtags #OttCityForever and #MyOttawa
2. follow @ottawacity or @villedottawa 
3. Tag one of the above accounts (or both!) in your post

Don’t have an Instagram account? You can email your photo to contest-concours@ottawa.ca.

Congrats to @mycameraismywindow for being the November winner of the My Ottawa Moment photo contest! This image has been cropped to fit ottawa.ca. Visit their Instagram profile to view the full image.

Congrats to @sp.jp_wyy for being the August winner of the My Ottawa Moment photo contest! This image has been cropped to fit ottawa.ca. Visit their Instagram profile to view the full image.

Congrats to @ottawa_pixel for being the July winner of the My Ottawa Moment photo contest! This image has been cropped to fit ottawa.ca. Visit their Instagram profile to view the full image.

Congratulations to @epl_snapshots for being the June winner of the My Ottawa Moment photo contest!

The City of Ottawa wants to recognize the beautiful photos from residents this month with an Instagram contest! To enter, follow @cityofottawa or @villedottawa and use the hashtags #OttCityForever and #MyOttawa, or #OttVillePourToujours and #MonOttawa to get your photo and Instagram account featured on City billboards and other digital assets.

The contest prize is as follows:

• The winning entry will be displayed for seven (7) days on City digital billboards at and on other digital screens throughout the city. It will also be shared on the City’s French and English Instagram accounts and on ottawa.ca/myottawa.

This month’s contest period begins on Tuesday, October 24 and closes at 11:59 pm on Sunday, November 19 (the “Contest Period”). Winners will be announced via Instagram following the judging period. Each photo using the contest hashtag and tagging @cityofottawa and/or @villedottawa counts as one entry. There is no entry limit per account for each contest period. 

As a condition of participating in the My Ottawa Moment Contest (the “Contest”), entrants agree to be bound by these Official Contest Rules (the “Contest Rules”).

1. ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible to participate in this Contest, you must be a resident of a province or territory in Canada, have reached the age of at least sixteen (16) at the time of entry, and not be a current employee or contract worker of the City of Ottawa. Entrants who are under the age of majority in their province or territory of residence must obtain parental consent prior to entry.

2. HOW TO ENTER – NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

To enter the contest you must meet the eligibility requirements above, follow @cityofottawa or @villedottawa on Instagram, post a photo tagging @cityofottawa or @villedottawa and using the hashtags #OttCityForever and #MyOttawa, or #OttVillePourToujours and #MonOttawa. The deadline to enter is Sunday, November 19 at 11:59p.m. There is no limit to entries for each theme. Entrants who do not have an Instagram account or have a private Instagram account may enter the contest by emailing contest-concours@ottawa.ca with their photo submission.

3. PRIZE

Eligible entries submitted during the Contest Period will be eligible to win the following prize:

• The winning photo will be featured prominently on City of Ottawa digital billboards and on digital screens throughout the city. It will also be shared on the City’s Instagram accounts @cityofottawa and @villedottawa and on ottawa.ca/myottawa.

4. PHOTO REQUIREMENTS AND PRIZE SELECTION PROCESS

The City of Ottawa photo contest selection team will review all eligible entries received during the Contest Period and select the entry they feel best fits their criteria for creativity, composition, originality and overall artistic impression. All photos must be an original photo taken by the entrant. Only photos that do not include people or photos where people are not identifiable will be considered by the selection committee. The odds of being selected will depend on the number of eligible Prize Entries received during the Contest Period.

The City of Ottawa will contact the winner directly on Instagram or by email. Please note that failure to respond within two (2) business days of the date at which the City sends a prize notification email or Instagram message will result in disqualification and the City reserves the right to select another winner. Selected winners will also be required to provide a file copy of the photo that is suitable for posting on City of Ottawa Digital Billboards and execute a legal release that confirms the winner’s (i) eligibility for the Contest and compliance with these Contest Rules; (ii) acceptance of the prize as offered; and (iii) release of the City of Ottawa and Instagram from liability as outlined in section 6 of these Contest Rules.

The City of Ottawa reserves the right to disqualify entries from accounts that do not align with the City’s values, such as accounts that promote hate speech, racism or discrimination. Accounts proven to have submitted photos that belong to someone else without their consent will also be disqualified.

5. PRIZE CONDITIONS

The following conditions apply to the prize in this Contest: (i) the prize must be accepted as awarded and is not transferable or convertible to cash; and (ii) there are no substitutions permitted, except at the City of Ottawa’s option.

6. LIMITATION OF LIABLIITY AND RELEASE

By participating in this Contest, entrants agree to release and hold harmless the City of Ottawa, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents from any and all liability or any injuries, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Contest or prize won, including any travel related thereto. Entrants further acknowledge that this Contest is administered solely by the City of Ottawa and is no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Instagram. Entrants release Instagram from any responsibility and liability in connection with this Contest.

7. INSTAGRAM TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY

Entrants acknowledge that by entering this Contest they will be subject to the current Instagram Terms of Use and Privacy Policy that are available on the instagram.com website. Personal information collected by the City of Ottawa including the Contest entrant names is collected by for the purposes of administering the Contest. Entrants consent to their name and photographic image being disclosed publicly via Instagram and by the City, including without limitation through the Contest Website and other media accessible to the general public. If you have any questions about the collection and use of personal information by the City of Ottawa, you may email contest-concours@ottawa.ca.

8. CANCELLATION, MODIFICATION, SUSPENSION OF CONTEST

The City of Ottawa reserves the right to cancel, modify or suspend the Contest at anytime subject to applicable law, if the City of Ottawa determines that the Contest cannot be run as originally planned or if fraud or any other occurrence compromises the fairness or integrity of the Contest.