Organiser
1.1 The Emerald Prize 2026 (the "Competition") is organised by Emerald Horizon Ventures Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong SAR (Business Registration No. 80380698), referred to in these Terms as "EHV", "we", or "us".
1.2 The Competition is administered from Chiang Mai, Thailand. The finals and exhibition will take place at Cyberport, Hong Kong SAR in December 2026.
1.3 EHV may be contacted at competitions@emeraldhv.com for any queries relating to these Terms.
Eligibility
2.1 The Competition is open to students enrolled in Grades 1 through 12 (or equivalent) in any country worldwide at the time of submission.
2.2 Entrants must be aged 6 to 18 years inclusive at the submission deadline of 31 October 2026.
2.3 Entrants may participate as individuals or as registered members of a school group coordinated by a teacher or school administrator.
2.4 Each entrant may submit one (1) artwork to either Category A (Traditional Art) or Category B (AI-Assisted Digital Design). Submission to both categories in a single registration is not permitted.
2.5 There is no limit on the number of entries per school.
2.6 Employees, contractors, and immediate family members of EHV, its partners, and its judging panel are not eligible to enter.
2.7 EHV reserves the right to verify eligibility at any stage and to disqualify any entry that does not meet these criteria.
Entry fees and payment
3.1 Entry fees are as follows:
- Early Bird Rate: USD $25 per student. Valid for registrations completed and paid on or before 30 September 2026.
- Standard Rate: USD $35 per student. Applies to all registrations from 1 October 2026 onwards.
3.2 Entry fees are non-refundable except as provided in Clause 9 (Cancellation and Force Majeure).
3.3 Payment must be completed in full at the time of registration. An entry is not confirmed until payment is received and processed.
3.4 All payments are processed securely via Stripe. EHV does not store credit card or payment details.
3.5 If a payment is charged back, disputed, or reversed after an entry has been accepted, EHV reserves the right to disqualify the relevant entry without refund.
3.6 All fees are quoted in United States Dollars (USD). The entrant is responsible for any currency conversion fees charged by their bank or payment provider.
Submission requirements
- All artwork must be the original, unaided work of the named entrant.
- Artwork must not have been previously published, exhibited, or awarded in any other competition.
- Artwork must not contain offensive, violent, sexually explicit, defamatory, or otherwise inappropriate content. Such entries will be disqualified without refund.
- Artwork must relate to the 2026 annual theme for the entrant's age group: Primary (Grades 1–5): "My World"; Middle (Grades 6–9): "My Culture"; Senior (Grades 10–12): "My Vision".
- Digital submission files must be JPEG or PNG format, minimum resolution 2,400 pixels on the longest side, maximum file size 20MB.
- Submissions must be made through the official portal at emeraldhv.com/competitions.
- Submission deadline: 23:59 Hong Kong Standard Time (UTC+8) on 31 October 2026. Late submissions will not be accepted under any circumstances.
- Artwork must have been created by hand using physical media: drawing, painting, watercolour, ink, pastels, mixed media, collage, or similar.
- No digital tools may be used in the creation or significant post-processing of the artwork. Minor photographic corrections are permitted.
- Submission must be a high-resolution photograph or scan of the physical original.
- Finalists will be required to send the physical original to EHV by 20 November 2026. EHV will bear reasonable courier costs for return of artwork after the exhibition.
- The submission must include two components: (a) the final digital artwork image, and (b) a one-page Process Document in PDF format.
- The Process Document must include: AI tool(s) used; at least 2–3 example prompts; a description of how the concept developed; and a reflection of at least 3 sentences on what the student learned.
- The creative concept, direction, and final selection decisions must originate from the student. Artwork generated by AI without meaningful student direction will be disqualified.
- Students must disclose all AI tools used. Failure to disclose AI assistance in a Category B submission is grounds for disqualification.
Intellectual property and copyright
5.1 The entrant retains full copyright ownership of the submitted artwork.
5.2 By submitting an entry, the entrant grants EHV a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to:
- Display and exhibit the artwork at the Emerald Prize 2026 exhibition at Cyberport, Hong Kong;
- Reproduce the artwork in the official Emerald Prize 2026 competition catalogue (print and digital);
- Use the artwork in EHV's promotional and educational materials — website, social media, press releases, and grant applications — with attribution to the entrant;
- Archive the artwork in EHV's records for up to five (5) years.
5.5 The entrant warrants that the submitted artwork is their original work and does not infringe any third party's intellectual property rights.
5.6 For Category B entries, AI-generated elements are subject to the terms of service of the relevant AI platform. The entrant is responsible for ensuring their use complies with those terms.
5.7 If EHV receives a credible IP infringement claim regarding a submitted artwork, EHV reserves the right to remove the artwork from the competition pending resolution.
Judging and results
6.1 Entries will be judged by an independent panel assembled by EHV, selected based on professional expertise in art, design, or education.
6.2 Category A and Category B are judged by separate panels. The two categories are never judged against each other.
6.3 Each age group (Primary, Middle, Senior) is judged separately within each category.
6.4 Entries are scored using the official Emerald Prize Judging Rubric, available at emeraldprize.com. Scores are assessed relative to the entrant's age group.
6.5 Judges may decline to award one or more prize tiers in any category or age group if, in their professional opinion, the quality of entries does not warrant it.
6.6 All judging decisions are final. EHV will not enter into correspondence regarding individual scores or outcomes.
6.7 Finalists will be notified by 15 November 2026. Results will be announced at the awards ceremony on 6 December 2026.
Prizes and awards
7.1 Full prize details will be confirmed and published at emeraldprize.com no later than 1 October 2026.
7.2 Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards are available per category, per age group.
7.3 Cash prizes, where awarded, will be paid to the school or parent/guardian of the winning entrant within 30 days of the awards ceremony.
7.4 Physical prizes will be presented at the ceremony or couriered to the winner's school address within 45 days of the ceremony.
7.5 Prizes are non-transferable and may not be exchanged for cash except where EHV expressly offers this.
7.6 Winners who cannot attend the ceremony will still receive their prize. Attendance is encouraged but not required.
7.7 A participation certificate will be issued digitally to all entrants who submit a valid, complete entry by the deadline.
7.8 All finalists will receive a finalist certificate in addition to the participation certificate.
Personal data and privacy
8.1 EHV collects: entrant's full name; age and grade level; school name and country; contact email of parent, guardian, or school coordinator; and the submitted artwork and Process Document (Category B).
8.2 Data is collected for administering the Competition, communicating results, prize fulfilment, and promoting EHV's educational programmes.
8.3 EHV processes personal data in accordance with Hong Kong's Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486) and, where applicable, Thailand's Personal Data Protection Act B.E. 2562 (2019).
8.4 Personal data will not be sold, rented, or shared with third parties for marketing purposes without explicit consent.
8.5 Data may be shared with Stripe (payment processing), the judging panel (artwork and name only), and Cyberport (finalist artwork for exhibition).
8.6 Personal data will be retained for a maximum of five (5) years following the competition unless earlier deletion is requested.
8.7 Entrants and guardians may request access to, correction of, or deletion of personal data by writing to competitions@emeraldhv.com.
8.8 By registering, entrants (and their guardian where the entrant is under 18) consent to EHV using the entrant's name, school, country, and artwork in competition-related publicity including social media, the catalogue, and the EHV website.
Cancellation and force majeure
9.1 EHV reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or modify the Competition or the Hong Kong finals in the event of circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disasters, pandemics, government orders, travel restrictions, venue unavailability, or other force majeure events.
9.2 Full cancellation before the submission deadline: EHV will refund all entry fees paid.
9.3 Cancellation of the Hong Kong finals only (after judging): EHV will announce results online, courier prizes to winners, and issue all certificates digitally. No refund of entry fees will be made.
9.4 EHV will notify all registered entrants by email as soon as practicable in the event of any material change.
9.5 EHV will not be liable for travel, accommodation, visa, or other costs incurred by entrants in anticipation of attending the Hong Kong finals.
Disqualification
10.1 EHV reserves the right to disqualify any entry at any stage, without refund, if:
- The entrant does not meet the eligibility criteria in Clause 2;
- The artwork is not the original work of the entrant;
- The artwork infringes third-party intellectual property rights;
- The artwork contains offensive, violent, sexually explicit, or defamatory content;
- The entrant submitted to both Category A and Category B;
- A Category B submission does not include a valid Process Document;
- A Category A submission contains AI-generated elements;
- The entrant provided false or misleading information during registration;
- The entrant or their representative attempts to contact or influence judges;
- Payment is charged back, disputed, or reversed after entry acceptance.
10.2 EHV's disqualification decisions are final. No correspondence will be entered into.
Limitation of liability
11.1 EHV's total liability to any entrant in connection with the Competition shall not exceed the entry fee paid by that entrant.
11.2 EHV shall not be liable for: loss or damage to physical artwork during transit; technical failures of third-party platforms; costs incurred preparing or submitting entries; or any indirect or consequential loss arising from participation.
11.3 EHV is not responsible for entries lost, delayed, or corrupted during submission. Entrants are advised to retain copies of all submitted files.
General
12.1 These Terms are governed by the laws of Hong Kong SAR. Any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Hong Kong SAR.
12.2 EHV reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Material amendments will be communicated by email. Continued participation following notification constitutes acceptance.
12.3 If any provision is found invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.
12.4 These Terms constitute the entire agreement between the entrant and EHV in relation to the Competition.
12.5 These Terms are written in English. In the event of conflict between the English version and any translation, the English version prevails.