The “Best View In SWTOR” Contest

Soeren Kamper SWTOR

The guys over at BioWare Austine is having an SWTOR contest. Check it out:

Our 10-year anniversary is only a few months away! For such a momentous occasion, we wanted to do something special to celebrate with our players. 

Every year around the launch anniversary for Star Wars: The Old Republic, we have an in-game anniversary event to celebrate. To commemorate the occasion, we add new rewards to a vendor that only appears during the event. As this upcoming anniversary is our 10-year celebration, we want to do something memorable: this year, players can help choose some of the rewards we add to the celebration!

Starting today, players can submit screenshots taken anywhere on ten select SWTOR planets. Take a screenshot of a scenic vista, a vibrant forest, a peaceful stream… and we’ll choose the screenshot that we feel captures the essence of that planet. One winner will be chosen per planet for a total of ten winning submissions. 

The winning submissions will then be turned into Stronghold decorations and distributed by the 10-year Anniversary event vendor in-game! The ten eligible planets for this contest are:

  • Hutta
  • Korriban
  • Ord Mantell
  • Tython
  • Tatooine
  • Makeb
  • Yavin 4
  • Zakuul
  • Ossus
  • Mek-Sha

Since this is an event celebrating ten years of SWTOR, the team wanted to include planets that represent every era of the game’s history.

How to Enter

If you’re interested in participating in this contest, you can enter by submitting your screenshots to contests@swtor.com. You’re more than welcome to submit a screenshot for multiple planets, but please limit all submissions to only one planet per email, and please only submit one image per planet. All image submissions must follow certain guidelines:

  • No Player Characters in screenshot
    • NPCs are allowed
  • The in-game UI needs to be turned off.
    • The default command for this is Alt+Z
    • This includes having nameplates turned off.
  • Screenshots of cinematics do NOT qualify.
  • No additional editing done to screenshots. For example, no filters added or editing done by external tools.
  • Camera settings must be within intended in-game parameters.
    • This means not using external tools or editing game files to exceed in-game settings.
  • Graphics settings at Very High or Ultra
  • Image Size: 1920×1080
    • The team will crop the chosen screenshots to a 4:3 format.
  • Image Format: JPG

In addition to those image requirements, we ask that your email include the following information:

The account, character, and server names are crucial to give the winners a special prize, so please don’t forget to include that! This contest is open to everyone, regardless of account status, so whether you’re a Subscriber or Preferred/Free-to-Play status, you’re encouraged to enter!



Rules and Regulations

Players have from now until 11:59pm CDT on October 5th, 2021 to submit their screenshots! In addition to the above mentioned criteria and required information, there are a few additional rules players must follow in order for their submission to qualify:

  • Qualifying accounts must have been created by August 31st, 2021.
  • Accounts need to have a clean standing, both in-game and on the forum.
  • Character names must abide by our ToS rules.
  • Screenshot submissions without the required information (Account name, Character name, and Server name) provided in the same email as the screenshot will be rejected.
  • Each account is limited to one submission per planet.
    • If you want to submit a screenshot for each eligible planet, please send a separate submission per planet.
  • Submission emails that have more than one image attached will be disqualified.
  • Email subject lines must follow the “The Best View In SWTOR Contest – [insert planet name] Submission” format.

Failure to adhere to the above guidelines will result in your submission being rejected. In the event that several people submit the same, or very similar, screenshots, the screenshot submitted first will be selected as the winner, so don’t wait to email us! 



Results Announcement

After the SWTOR team selects the winning submissions, we’ll publish an article announcing the winners before our upcoming ‘Legacy of the Sith’ expansion launches. In this announcement, we’ll reveal the winning screenshots, and credit each player (Character Name / Server) who submitted a winning screenshot. 

While the winners are credited outside of the game, they will receive something special in SWTOR; a gilded version of the screenshot they submitted! While the normal versions will be available to everyone via the 10-year Anniversary event vendor as soon as the event starts in December, the gilded versions will be distributed shortly after the event starts.

We look forward to seeing what screenshots the community comes up with!The Best View in SWTOR- Official RulesNO PURCHASE OR SUBSCRIPTION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. YOU MUST HAVE ACCESS TO Star Wars™: THE OLD REPUBLIC™ ON APPLICABLE PLATFORM AND HAVE CREATED A VALID SWTOR ACCOUNT ON OR BEFORE AUGUST 31, 2021. Lucasfilm Ltd. is not a sponsor of this contest.

This Contest is sponsored by Electronic Arts Inc. (“EA”), 209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City, CA, USA 94065.

1. Eligibility. To enter the The Best View in SWTOR (“Contest”):

  • You must be a legal resident of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada (excluding Quebec), Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom, or the United States (including the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico).
  • You must be at least 18 years of age.
  • Your participation in the Contest means you agree to these Official Rules.
  • You may not be an employee of EA or any of its related companies or representatives (“Agents”) or the immediate family member or household member of an employee.
  • Qualifying accounts must have been created by August 31st, 2021.
  • Accounts need to have a clean standing, both in-game and on the SWTOR forum, with no record of in-game suspension since September 1st, 2020, and no forum suspensions since June 1st, 2021.
  • Character names must abide by our SWTOR Rules of Conduct.
  • This Contest is subject to various national, state, territory, and local laws and regulations, and is void where prohibited. EA’s decisions are final in all matters related to the Contest.

2. To Enter. You will need a SWTOR Account that was created on or before August 31, 2021 to participate in the Contest. No paid SWTOR subscription is necessary to enter or win. To participate in the Contest, you must capture a compelling in-game screenshot of an eligible planet. To enter, submit your screenshot (“Entry”) via email attachment to contests@swtor.com between September 21st, 2021 at 12:00am CDT and October 5th, 2021 at 11:59pm CDT (“Contest Period”). No other method of entry will be accepted. Eligible Entries are limited to screenshots of the following planets:

  • Hutta
  • Korriban
  • Ord Mantell
  • Tython
  • Tatooine
  • Makeb
  • Yavin 4
  • Zakuul
  • Ossus
  • Mek-Sha

EA will accept 1 Entry per person, per planet. You may submit 1 Entry for multiple eligible planets. Entry screenshots must meet the following criteria:

  • No Player Characters in screenshot (NPCs are allowed)
  • The in-game UI needs to be turned off.
    • This includes having nameplates turned off.
  • Screenshots of cinematics do NOT qualify.
  • No additional editing done to screenshots. For example, no filters added or editing done by external tools.
  • Camera settings must be within intended in-game parameters.
  • Graphics settings at Very High or Ultra
  • Image Size: 1920×1080
    • The team will crop the chosen screenshots to a 4:3 format.
  • Image Format: JPG

You must limit your Entries to one planet per email. All Entry emails must meet the following requirements:

  • Subject line clearly states the name of the Contest and the specific planet where your screenshot submission was taken (e.g., “The Best View in SWTOR Contest – Tatooine Submission”)
  • Your email must include
    • Account Name
    • Name of an existing character on the listed account
    • Server the listed character resides on
    • An attachment containing your Entry screenshot.

Completed Entries must be received by October 5th, 11:59pm CDT. Entries that do not contain the required information (Account name, Character name, and Server name) provided in the same email as the screenshot attachment will be rejected. Each account is limited to one Entry per planet. Participants who wish to submit a screenshot for multiple eligible planets must send a separate Entry email per planet. Entry emails that have more than one image attached will be rejected. Entry email subject lines must use the following format: “The Best View In SWTOR Contest – [insert planet name] Submission”. Entry emails with subject lines that do not adhere to this format will be rejected. In the event that several people submit the same, or very similar, Entries, the Entry submitted first will be selected as the winner. All Entries become the property of EA and will not be returned.

3. Prizes. There are 10 prizes. Your odds of winning a prize depend upon the number of eligible Entries and the relative skill of the other entrants. All approximate retail values (“ARV”) are expressed in U.S. Dollars, Australian Dollars, and Euros. ARV of total prize pool: $0.00 USD, $0.00 AUS, €0.00 EUR. Limit one (1) prize per person. Prizes are not transferable, and no substitution of prizes for cash or other goods and services is permitted. Access to Star Wars: THE OLD REPUBLIC on applicable platform, Internet connection, and SWTOR Account required to claim and use prize. Prizes will be granted to the winners via in-game mail to the Character Names provided in the winner’s Entries. If for any reason an advertised prize is unavailable, EA reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes on prizes.

4. Entry Judging. Entries will be judged by qualified employees of EA and Lucasfilm Ltd. (“Lucasfilm”), or their Agents (“Contest Judges”). At the close of the Contest Period, Contest Judges at EA will hold a first tier vote to narrow the eligible Entries down to a total of 5 per planet. Contest Judges at EA will open a further second tier vote to any EA judges who have not previously voted, and will narrow the Entries selected from the first tier down to a total of 3 per planet. Contest Judges at Lucasfilm will then evaluate the remaining Entries and select 1 potential winner for each planet (10 winners in total). At all stages of judging, Entries will be selected according to the following weighted, skill-based criteria:

  • Accurately captures the theme of the planet that is being captured – 50% (this criterion is a tiebreaker)
  • Is a pleasing image to look at – 30%
  • Complexity – 20%

The Contest Judges’ decisions regarding the selection of the potential winner(s) (and any tie-breaking decisions) are final and binding.

5. Winner Notification. EA will announce the winners in an article on SWTOR News (https://www.swtor.com/info/news) .

If a potential winner is disqualified, or the prize is forfeited for any reason, EA will award that prize, time permitting given the nature of the prize, to an alternate winner using the skill-based criteria set forth above from all remaining eligible Entries. Only 3 alternate winners will be selected for any planet.

6. To Claim a Prize. If you are selected as a winner, you will receive your prize via in-game mail on the SWTOR account, Character Name and Server you provided in your Entry email submission. This prize can only be used in-game, will only be associated with your Character and SWTOR Account, and is not transferable. Deletion or deactivation of your SWTOR Account for any reason will result in loss of the prize.

7. Release. To the extent allowable under applicable law and, in Australia, subject to and without excluding, restricting or modifying any rights or remedies to which you may be entitled as a consumer under the consumer guarantee provisions of the Australian Consumer Law in relation to the operation of the Promotion and any prize won, you agree to release EA and its Agents, officers, directors, and employees (the “Released Parties”) from any legal claims, including without limitation claims related to personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property arising out of participation in the Contest, or receipt, use, or misuse of any prize, except for residents of the United Kingdom and France with respect to claims resulting from death or personal injury arising from EA’s negligence and for residents of the United Kingdom with respect to claims resulting from the tort of deceit or any other liabilities that may not be excluded by law.

8. Privacy and Publicity. Nothing in these Official Rules shall be deemed to exclude or restrict any of your statutory rights as a consumer. If you participate in the Contest, you consent to EA’s processing your personal information including your name, email address, IP address, SWTOR account standing, country, and date of birth (“Personal Information”) in accordance with EA’s Privacy & Cookie Policy, which you can read at https://www.ea.com/legal/privacy-policy. You also consent to EA’s use of your Entry, personal name, user/screen name, social media handle, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, and/or hometown and state (“Entry Data”) for promotional purposes. EA (or its Agent) has the option, but not the obligation, to use your Entry Data in any media, worldwide, without any further attribution, notification or compensation. Some jurisdictions prohibit the mandatory consents described above, so some or all of them may not apply to you.

  • Organizing, running and monitoring the Promotion and prize fulfillment, including, if you win a prize, publishing (i) your name on the Winner(s) List and (ii) your name and country of residence online or in any other media in connection with the Promotion, as described in this Section 7 above; and
  • Any additional processing activities to which you consent and/or acknowledge as applicable.

9. License. By entering this Contest, you expressly grant to EA and its Agents a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, complete, sub-licensable and irrevocable right to quote, re-post, publish, use, adapt, translate, archive, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from, syndicate, license, print, sublicense, distribute, transmit, broadcast, and otherwise communicate, and publicly display and perform the Entry, or any portion thereof, in any manner or form, without notice, payment or attribution of any kind. You agree not to assert any moral or similar rights you may have in your Entry. EA has the right, but not the obligation, to use any of the Entries.

10. General Conditions. EA reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Contest, (or any part of it) if fraud, technical failure, human error or any other problem impairs its proper operation. In that event, EA may hold a random drawing from among all eligible Entries received up to the date of suspension for any of the prizes offered. EA reserves the right to disqualify any person it finds to be in violation of these Official Rules (including tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Contest), or acting in an unsporting or disruptive manner. If you attempt to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest, it may be a violation of criminal and/or civil law, and EA reserves the right to seek damages from you to the extent permitted by law. EA’s failure to enforce any term in these Official Rules shall not be a waiver of that term.

11. Limitation of Liability. The Released Parties are not responsible for: (1) inaccurate information, whether caused by entrants, typographical errors, or by equipment or programming associated with the Contest; (2) technical failures, including without limitation network malfunctions, interruptions, or disconnections; (3) unauthorized intervention in the entry process or the Contest; (4) technical or human error in the administration of the Contest or the processing of Entries; (5) late, lost, undeliverable, damaged or stolen mail or electronic communications; (6) ineligibility for any reason, including entrant’s misunderstanding of the Official Rules and requirements or the entry process. If for any reason your Entry is confirmed to have been erroneously deleted, lost, or otherwise destroyed or corrupted, your sole remedy is another Entry in the Contest, if possible. EA will award no more than the stated number of prizes. If production, technical, programming or any other reasons cause more than the stated number of prizes to be available and/or claimed, EA reserves the right to award only the stated number of prizes. Some jurisdictions prohibit the limitations described above, so some or all of them may not apply to you.

12. Disputes. Unless you are a resident of a member-state of the European Economic Area, South Korea, or Switzerland, all disputes, claims or controversies arising out of or relating to the Contest, including the marketing and promotion of the Contest (“Disputes”), shall be resolved exclusively by binding arbitration in the United States under the laws of the United States. The only Disputes not covered by this Section are claims (i) regarding the infringement, protection or validity of your, EA’s or EA’s licensors’ trade secrets or copyright, trademark or patent rights; and (ii) those brought in small claims court.

  • You and EA shall first attempt to resolve any Dispute informally for at least 30 days before initiating arbitration. The informal negotiations commence upon receipt of written notice from one person to the other (“Notice of Dispute”). The Notice of Dispute must: (a) include the full name and contact information of the complaining party; (b) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute; and (c) set forth the specific relief sought. EA will send its Notice of Dispute to the contact information in your Entry, or other address you provide for this purpose. You will send your Notice of Dispute to: Electronic Arts Inc., 209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City CA USA 94065, ATTENTION: Legal Department.
  • If you and EA cannot resolve a Dispute informally, you or EA may elect to have the Dispute finally and exclusively resolved by binding arbitration. The arbitration shall be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Commercial Arbitration Rules and, where appropriate, the AAA’s Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (“AAA Consumer Rules”), both of which are available at the AAA website www.adr.org. Your arbitration fees and your share of arbitrator compensation shall be governed by the AAA Rules and, where appropriate, limited by the AAA Consumer Rules. The arbitration may be conducted in person, through the submission of documents, by phone or online. The arbitrator shall make a decision in writing, and shall provide a statement of reasons if requested by either party. The arbitrator must follow applicable law, and any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to do so. You and EA may litigate in court to compel arbitration, to stay proceeding pending arbitration, or to confirm, modify, vacate or enter judgment on the award entered by the arbitrator.
  • YOU AND EA AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. The arbitrator shall not consolidate another person’s claims with your claims and shall not preside over any type of representative or class proceeding. The arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by that party’s individual claim.
  • If you live in the United States, arbitration will take place at any reasonable location convenient for you. For residents outside the United States, arbitration shall be initiated in the County of San Mateo, State of California, United States of America, and you and EA agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of that court, in order to compel arbitration, to stay proceeding pending arbitration, or to confirm, modify, vacate or enter judgment on the award entered by the arbitrator.
  • If the arbitrator rules in your favor on the merits of any claim you bring against EA and issues you an award that is greater in monetary value than EA’s last written settlement offer made before EA makes its final written submissions to the arbitrator, then EA will: pay you 150% of your arbitration award, up to $5,000 USD (or equivalent in your national currency) over and above your arbitration award, and reimburse the arbitration fees that you paid to the AAA.
  • For residents of Australia: The Contest is governed by the laws of the United States, provided that you will not be deprived of your statutory rights and legal protection as a consumer granted by the laws of Australia. The court of jurisdiction shall be your country of residence.

13. Winner List. EA will post the winner list at https://www.swtor.com/info/news following winner verification.

© 2021 Electronic Arts Inc.