Congratulations to our March winner: Loredana De Sole! You too can win a free stay! The Bivou believes that the amazing cultural and biological diversity of the Lijiang area should be shared through responsible tourism. As part of our collaboration with award-winning photographer Michael Freeman, we are launching our 2013 Photo Competition on Facebook.
Each month, Michael and The Bivou will select a single winning photo from that month’s new Facebook or Instagram postings, which will be featured on our website homepage, as well as our Facebook page. In addition, the winner will be awarded:
- 1 night’s free stay in our Farm Yard Room (valid for 9 months; transferable)
- A copy of Michael’s beautiful book “The Tea Horse Road” upon arrival
The competition is open to all guests* of The Bivou and qualification is very simple. You can submit your images by using either Facebook or Instagram and they will be entered for consideration at the end of every calendar month.
- Using Instagram: Use #bivou to hashtag your images.
- Using Facebook: Use our Photo Competition App to upload images up to 6MB (unfortunately does not work on mobile)
Note that to be eligible:
- You must “Like” our Bivou Facebook Page (go here, and click on the “Like” button)
- Photographs must show activities or landscapes experienced while being a guest at The Bivou
That’s it! Simple isn’t it? So start sharing your experiences at The Bivou and you could be one of 12 winners of our 2013 Photo Competition.
Do write in to us if you have any questions regarding The Bivou’s 2013 Photo Competition. But first check out our Frequently Asked Questions below.
* The competition does not extend to current employees of The Bivou.
Michael’s Comments on Each Month’s Entries:
Every month, Michael Freeman will review our entries on Facebook and Instagram and give his candid comments on the top few images. Click below if you’re interested to hear his thoughts!
January Entries
February Entries
March Entries
Frequently Asked Questions:
I'm using the Facebook Photo Competition App but it's crashing or giving me weird errors!
Check if your images are <6MB, and that you have “Liked” our Page. We’re implementing the new Facebook app to simplify uploading. But there might still be a few bugs so please be patient and bear with us ;)! Do leave us a message on Facebook to describe the nature of your problem (also tell us which browser you’re using) and our support team will get back to you ASAP. With your help we’re going to get this running perfectly!
How do I make sure my photos are under consideration?
The quickest way to make sure your photos are posted properly is to follow this link:
https://www.facebook.com/thebivou/photos_stream. For Instagram submissions, just do a search for #bivou and check to see your photos are there.
Can I just email you the photos instead of posting them on Facebook or Instagram?
No. You must either use our Facebook Photo Competition App or hashtag your Instagram photo using #bivou.
Do I post all my photos from the trip together? Or can I post them over a few months?
You are free to post your photos in any order, over any time frame. However, as the point of the competition is to encourage our guests to share their experiences with fellow Facebook friends, we do advise you to post them in a way that allows you to tell a great story of your trip to Lijiang. Also, over time, we anticipate that there will be more photos posted by our guests, so it might make sense to get all your photos out there as soon as you can!
What resolution should I post the photos in?
The Facebook uploader works on a simple drag-and-drop principle, and intelligently resizes photos that you upload. There is usually no need for you to resize the photos before you post. But if you are concerned about reducing uploading time over slower networks, we would suggest a picture resolution of around 2000 pixels on the longest edge. Upon selection, we will ask for a high resolution version.
When does the competition begin?
The competition runs from 1 Jan to Dec 31. So it starts right now! The first winner will be selected from the pool of images posted in January 2013.
What are you looking for in a winning photo?
The photos will be reviewed according to simple criteria: subject matter, composition, technique. We are also, of course, looking for that wow-factor that is very hard to pin down. The photo does not have to be of The Bivou itself, but should express the beauty and adventure of Yunnan, that is part of the Bivou story. It can be anything: sunset on a lake, breakfast coffee, a smile of a friend. The photo must be taken during your time spent as a guest of The Bivou.
