ST. GEORGE — After last year’s record-breaking number of submissions, The Nature Conservancy is kicking off its annual photo contest with twice as many categories and over $25,000 in prizes. So how can Southern Utahns join the fun?
The Global Photo Contest is open to photographers of all levels, according to a news release issued by the nonprofit. They should submit their best work by Sept. 29 in these 12 categories:
- Oceans
- People and nature
- Plants and fungi
- Freshwater
- Lands
- Mammals
- Climate
- Aerials
- Insects and arachnids
- Underwater life
- Birds
- Reptiles and amphibians
Each category will have first, second and third-place prizes, as well as honorable mentions. According to the nonprofit’s website, each category winner will receive a $1,000 Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card. Second-place winners will be given $500 gift cards from the same companies, with cards worth $250 going to those in third place.
Additionally, the nonprofit will award an overall grand prize winner, who will receive a $5,000 camera kit or camera kit gift card.
The judge’s panel will include photographer Javier Aznar, photojournalist and filmmaker Morgan Heim, photojournalist Smita Sharma, natural history photographer Frans Lanting, and lead judge and this year’s Contest Director Alex Snyder.
“Selected submissions reach the eyes and touch the hearts of millions of people around the globe and will earn photographers cash prizes from a pool of over $25,000,” the release states.
Last year’s contest received over 100,000 entries from 196 countries and territories — breaking previous records. This prompted the nonprofit to double the number of categories from six to 12, according to The Conservancy.
“The diversity of images from around the world gave a glimpse into our fragile planet and all the life that inhabits it,” said then-judge Ami Vitale. “The contest itself was a mesmerizing odyssey, and we are left with a profound message of how interconnected all of us are and what it means to our own survival to intermingle with wildness.”
“Each year, the Global Photo Contest takes us on a visual journey around the world,” Snyder said in a statement to St. George News. “It drives home the importance and power of photography.
“When someone takes the time to make an image, they’re showing everyone what matters most to them,” he continued. “We get submissions from almost every country on the planet, and the message is clear — this planet and its natural wonders are worth protecting.”
Last year’s winning photo was the “Tree of Life” by Chinese photographer Li Ping. The aerial shot features a “barren highway bordered by a striking formation of erosion-formed gullies extending outward in the shape of a tree.”
According to the nonprofit, Ping slept in a roadside parking lot to capture the image early in the morning.
Utahns submitted various photos in last year’s contest, including a leaping cougar, the sun rising over Moab and a bee pollinating a flower against a dark backdrop.
One photographer took to the sky in his airplane to showcase the carved sedimentary landscape below, and another captured a golden-eyed burrowing owl among yellow flowers.
Southern Utahns interested in participating should capture the places they know, Snyder said.
“There’s no need to travel to far-off exotic places to make a great photo,” he said.
Additionally, artists should:
- Have patience and wait for the perfect light and moment.
- Be creative. Explore the settings on their cameras and experiment with motion and light.
- Research their subject. To be as prepared as possible, they should learn about ecology, life cycles and behaviors, among other information.
- Consider the whole picture. Every part of the frame is important and should add something to the overall shot.
- Be respectful and read the rules.
Contest rules
In the U.S., the photo contest is open to professional and amateur photographers aged 18 or older. According to The Nature Conservancy’s website, all entries must be submitted by Sept. 29 at 11:59 p.m. GMT — 5:59 p.m. MDT, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Submitted files should not be larger than 4032-by-4032 pixels or 25 megabytes, but the nonprofit will request the originals in high resolution for photos that make it to the final round of judging.
Accepted file formats include. jpeg, .jpg, or .png, the nonprofit states.
Photos digitally altered in a way that does not “reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared” will be disqualified. Cropping, removing dust, and reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast are acceptable.
Various formats are accepted, including high-dynamic range photos and color or black-and-white prints. Watermarked images are not accepted.
If people are featured, the photographer will need to have them sign the appropriate release forms, which must be supplied to The Nature Conservancy if requested.
Images published previously can be entered if the photographer did not grant exclusive rights and maintained the right to grant the conservancy a license. The nonprofit requires a disclosure indicating when and where the work appeared.
The nonprofit states that other ineligible works include:
- Photos of captive animals in zoos or on commercial game farms, those that involve willfully harassing wildlife, that put a person or animal in danger, or were created in a way that caused damage to the environment. This includes images taken in “areas where human presence is restricted by authorities or relevant property managers.”
- Images that are explicit, obscene or violent, or those that contain nudity or other “objectionable or inappropriate content.”
- Works created using artificial intelligence.
Entries should include:
- The photo’s title.
- A caption describing the content, location — including the country, state or province — and the story behind the work.
- One category for each photo.
The number of entries is not limited, but participants cannot use an agency or automated system to submit, the nonprofit writes.
Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, artistic merit, overall impact and relevance to The Nature Conservancy’s mission and priorities. These include supporting biodiversity and solving climate change, according to its website.
Winners will be announced by 5:59 p.m. MST on Nov. 9.
“Your photographs help The Conservancy protect Earth’s amazing diversity of wildlife, people, plants and habitats,” the nonprofit writes. “Thank you for helping to further our mission through your photography.”
Those seeking inspiration can find last year’s winning photos here.
Additionally, some shots entered in the contest, and others taken by St. George News reporters and readers that feature Southern Utah, can be found in the photo gallery below.
To enter the contest, click here. Those with questions about the contest can submit them via email.
Photo Gallery
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