If you have a camera and enjoy any aspect of the great outdoors, be it animals, oceans, deserts, gnarled tree branches, mushrooms, whatever, you should seriously consider entering some of your photos in one (or all) of these photo contests. Most are annual, so if you don’t get to it this year, keep it in mind for next. Not only does that give you a great goal to work towards – you’ll have a chance to see what the pros think about your work, and maybe win one of the many nice prizes.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition Held by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the National History Museum in London, this prestigious competition is now in its 45th year. They welcome pros, amateurs and youths to enter in the 9 main (3 for youths) and 3 special categories. The cost to enter is 20/3 images, and the jury picks one winner and one runner-up in each category. The winners in the adult categories are awarded 500, and the runners-up 250.
The youth group (for those under 18) is divided into three categories: 10 years and younger, 11-14 years, and 15-17 years. Here they are looking for photos of any wild animals, plants, or landscapes. It’s free to enter, and you may submit up to 10 photos. The winners and runners up in each category receive 250 and 100, and the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year gets 500 and a day out with a renowned wildlife photographer.
There are also three special awards: the Eric Hosking, for photographers aged 18-26, where you submit a 10-image portfolio; the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife, where the subject in your picture needs to be on the 2008 IUCN Red List (critically endangered); and the One Earth Award, which aims to highlight conservation. The winners in the special awards receive 1,000 each.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner gets 10,000, presented at a ceremony at the National History Museum in London. Deadline for 2009 is March 27, but if you don’t make it, don’t worry. Remember, it is an annual event, so you always have next year.
Nature’s Best Photography Would you like to see your work at the Smithsonian? Entering this contest may make that happen! There are 16 categories: “Wildlife”, of course, but also “People in nature”, “Weather”, “Art in nature”, and an interesting one that I haven’t seen elsewhere: “Camera Club”, where a group of people can submit up to 20 photos (only 3 per person though). There is also a Youth Category for those under the age of 18. After going through several rounds of judging, category winners, a Grand Prize winner, and “Highly Honored Images” are selected. Prizes include cash and your photo(s) on exhibit at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The cost to enter is $25/submission (each submission can be up to 20 images), and the deadline is May 4, 2009.
National Wildlife The 39th edition of this annual contest is open to amateur, professional and youth photographers, and for a fee of $15, you may enter up to 20 images in the 7 different categories. They are looking for photos of wildlife, of course, but also backyard habitats, people and nature, landscapes, and plants. The category winners receive $1,000 each, and two Grand Prize winners (one amateur and one professional) are awarded $5,000 each. The 2009 deadline is July 20.
The Great Outdoors by PDN and National Geographic Open to both professionals and amateurs, this contest has a broad range of categories: Insects & Gardens, Outdoor Sports & Activities, Beaches, Underwater, Islands, Parks & Safaris, Animals, Plants, and Scenes of the Natural World. The cost to enter (per photo or photo essay consisting of up to 6 images) is $35 for pros and $12 for amateurs. There is one Grand Prize – a five-night stay for two at Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico – and several other prizes, including a digital camera, gift certificates to B&H, etc. The deadline is April 20 (with an extension to May 4 for an extra $10/image).
Nature Treasures in Europe The 16th nature photography competition, held by The EuroNatur-Foundation, wants your best photos of European landscapes, plants and animals. There is no submission fee, and you can enter up to 5 images. First prize is 7 days for 2 people in the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain, and other prizes include camera equipment, shorter trips (for 2), and your photo(s) in an exhibit at a castle in Bavaria as well as in print in numerous publications (natur + kosmos”, EuroNatur magazine, on the hosts’ Internet pages and in a large-sized wall calendar called “Nature Treasures in Europe 2010″). The 2009 deadline is March 31.