NM Photo and Short Video Competition
NM - The Past, the Present and the Future
Competition Background
The Northern Metropolis (NM) is the strategic focus of Hong Kong's future development. It also contains rich natural landscape and cultural heritage worthy of further discovery and understanding.
To give the public the opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of the diverse facets of the NM, the "NM Photo and Short Video Competition", organised by the Northern Metropolis Co-ordination Office (NMCO) of the Development Bureau and supported by the Photographic Society of Hong Kong, encourages the public to use their lenses to capture the unique beauty of the NM from different angles and tell the story of its past, present and future.
If you are interested in knowing more about the attractions in the NM, please visit the "NM Stories" section on the NM website
Schedule
Enrolment acceptance 
Assessment period 
Results announcement Deadline
18 January 2026 23:59 (Hong Kong Time GMT +8)
The submission time for entries shall be determined by the time of receipt. Late enrolments will not be accepted.
Details of the Competition
There are two categories under the Competition, namely "Photo" and "Short Video". Each category contains three themes: "History and Culture", "Environment and Conservation" and "Development and Construction". Contestants must specify the category(ies) and theme(s) of their entry(ies). They may submit a maximum of one entry per theme under each category. If more than one entry is submitted for the same theme of each category, only the first entry received will be considered.
- Photo Entries
- Must be digital photos taken in the NM
- Portrait or landscape photos in digital format
- File format: JPG, JPEG or PNG
- Maximum size: 5MB
- Entries files must be named in the following format: Theme-Name (For example, History and Culture-Chan Tai Man.jpg)
- Contestants who use digital cameras must keep the original digital files of the entries, including the original EXIF information; for those using film cameras, the negatives must be retained to prove that they are the original creators of their entries
-
Short Video Entries
- All short video entries must be filmed in the NM
- This category welcomes drone footage
- Cameras, smartphones or other tools for filming are welcome
- If dialogue(s) and/or voice-over(s) is/are included, the recommended language is Cantonese. Please include Chinese and/or English subtitles for audio(s) in Putonghua or English
- File format: MP4, WMV, MOV or AVI
- Resolution: 1920 × 1080p or higher
- Duration: No longer than 30 seconds
- Contestants must create their own YouTube account, upload the work to that account, and set the video privacy to "Unlisted". Contestants only need to provide the video link when submitting the work
- If the entry is awarded a prize, the contestant will need to provide the original file to be played at the Exhibition and Award Ceremony
- All entries require a title, the detailed filming location and a description of the entry in no more than 100 words
Enrolment Requirements
The contestant must be a Hong Kong permanent resident.
Enrolment Method
Please download and complete the enrolment form, then include it (with the photo entry(ies), if applicable) in an email to: [email protected].
Panel of Adjudicators
Include representatives of the organiser, supporting organisation and relevant departments, as well as representatives of the Sub-committee on Promotion and Public Engagement under the Advisory Committee on the Northern Metropolis.
Criteria of Adjudication
The Panel of Adjudicators will adjudicate entries based on the following criteria:
- Aesthetic (50%)
- Proposition and delivery (50%)
Prizes
There will be a Champion, 1st Runner-up, 2nd Runner-up, and five Merit Prizes for each theme under each category (i.e. Photo and Short Video). The prizes are as follows:
| Title | Places | Prizes |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | 1 | HKD 3,000 cash + trophy |
| First Runner-up | 1 | HKD 2,000 cash + trophy |
| Second Runner-up | 1 | HKD 1,000 cash + trophy |
| Merit | 5 | HKD 500 cash + trophy |
Announcement of Results
Competition results will be announced on the official website and social media accounts of the NM.
Terms and Conditions
- Entries must be filmed in the NM.
- Contestants must ensure entries do not violate any intellectual properties and rights. The organiser will not bear any responsibility arising from associated disputes.
- Entries must be original works by contestants with no watermark and must have never been used for other competitions, platforms or social media.
- Entries can be in colour or monochrome, and/or can be cropped.
- Minor colour adjustments by using software(s) can be made to the entries, but use of digital insertion or removal of any objects is forbidden.
- Contestants of the Photo category who use digital cameras must keep the original digital files of the entries, including the original EXIF information; for those using film cameras, the negatives must be retained to prove that they are the original creators of their entries. Contestants who fail to produce the said information on request may be disqualified.
- The production of all submitted photos and videos must not involve the use of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology.
- Entries in the Short Video category must be clear and free from audio or visual interference.
- Entries must not include any commercial or political elements.
- Entries must not include elements violating the National Security Law.
- Entries must not include any lewd, vulgar, violent or defamatory elements.
- Entries can include sculptures, paintings or other forms of artistic work so long as it does not violate any ordinance/law or infringe upon the copyright, trademark rights, moral rights, privacy/publicity rights, or intellectual property rights of any person or entity. Should entries involve other individuals, the applicant must ensure they have their or their guardian's consent.
- Should contestants wish to use drone footage, they must comply with the relevant local laws and regulations, including but not limited to the laws governing the use of drones. The organiser will not bear any legal issues or responsibility arising from drone footage. For details, please refer to the Civil Aviation Department's website: https://www.cad.gov.hk/english/sua.html
- All information of the contestants and entries cannot be amended after submission and will be based on the first entry submitted. Contestants must keep the original file of their entries until the day of the Exhibition and Award Ceremony.
- The organiser will not bear responsibility for any loss, delay or errors of the entries.
- The organiser reserves the copyright of all entries. The organiser has the right to use, edit and publish all entries for educational and promotional purposes without obtaining the contestant's prior consent or paying any fee to the contestant.
- The organiser reserves the right to disqualify any entry with no explanation. Should there be any disagreements or conflicts, the organiser retains the sole right to final decision.
- The organiser has the right to final decisions and can change the rules, prizes and any associated arrangements of the Competition without prior notice.
- The organiser has the right to not award any prizes.
- Submitting the enrolment form implies agreement to all Terms and Conditions.
- Personal information submitted is for the sole purpose of the Competition and will be destroyed within three months after the Exhibition and Award Ceremony.
- Should there be any disparities or disagreements between the Chinese and English versions of the Terms and Conditions, the Chinese version prevails.