National Wildlife Photo Contest Rules and Information

Please read carefully! Contest rules have changed!

For Entrants

WHO IS ELIGIBLE

The National Wildlife Photo Contest (NWPC) begins at 12:00 am North American Eastern Standard Time (EST) on February 14, 2012, and is open to all photographers worldwide who are at least 13 years of age, except employees and Board Members of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), their immediate families and individuals living in the same household as such employees and Board Members. NWF reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, entrant eligibility. 

Divisions 

• General—Open to ALL photographers at least 18 years of age.

• Youth—Young photographers ages 13 to 17. Youth division entrants must read and accept the Youth Agreement and have their parent or legal guardian also agree by checking the appropriate boxes on the Youth Agreement page. Young photographers 12 and under, please enter our Ranger Rick Photo Contest. 

CATEGORIES

Photographers must enter each image in one of the following categories. The same photo cannot be entered in more than one category.  If you wish to move a photo to another category after you have uploaded, simply change that photo’s category on the upload page prior to the contest deadline. Judges reserve the right to switch images to other categories.

1. Baby Animals
   Portraits and Behavior of Young Animals of Any Species

2. Backyard Habitats
   Wild Creatures, Native Plants and Natural Settings in Your Yard

3. Birds
   Portraits and Behavior

4. Connecting People and Nature
   People Enjoying the Outdoors

5. Landscapes and Plant Life
   Scenic Views and Native Plants in Wild Settings

6. Mammals
   Portraits and Behavior

7. Other Wildlife
   Portraits and Behavior (includes underwater life, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders and more)

WHAT PHOTOS TO ENTER

We are looking for striking color and black and white images of nature—on land, in the air and beneath the water’s surface—from anywhere in the world. These images may show animal behavior, portraits of wildlife in natural habitat, plant life, natural landscapes, or people interacting with nature. Do not include photographs of pets or domestic animals. Images of captive animals photographed in game farms or roadside zoos, or animals from these facilities photographed elsewhere with handler’s control, will be disqualified. Captive animals photographed in major zoos, wildlife research facilities or rehabilitation centers are acceptable. Clearly label these animals as captive in the Subject box when uploading and provide details in the Story box. Previously published photos may be entered; however, please include information on when and where the photos appeared. Winning photos from other competitions may also be entered, but include the name of the contests and the years they won. Such information is informative only and will not influence judges’ decisions.

• Rights
  Entrants’ submissions must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer or person and entrants must not submit images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by the photographer.

• Donations:
  If you wish to donate any of your images to the National Wildlife Federation for use in furthering its mission, please check the appropriate box for each image during uploading.  Donor warrants that his or her entry materials are original, do not infringe on any third party’s rights, and that participant has obtained any necessary permissions from any third party if a third party or third party’s property appears in the photograph. Donors retain ownership of their photos to use them as they wish, and grant NWF, its subsidiaries, affiliates and partners an irrevocable non-exclusive license to reproduce, publish, circulate or otherwise use the photographs howsoever in any medium now in existence or to be established, throughout the world in perpetuity.  NWF greatly appreciates all image donations.

• Digital Alterations:
  All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. Acceptable are adjustments to color, contrast, brightness and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black and white conversions; and use of HDR (high dynamic range), where multiple exposures of the same scene are combined for a greater tonal range. Not acceptable are photo composites (combination of two or more photos, not of the same scene); the addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos; or the use of artistic digital filters and effects. Examples of artistic filters and effects are watercolor, neon glow, posterizing, stained glass, and others which do not show the scene in its natural way.

DEADLINE

The final date for submitting photos is July 16, 2012, at 11:59 pm North American Eastern Daylight Time. To avoid uploading delays, do not wait until the final days of the contest to enter. In past years, the large number of entrants trying to upload their photos just prior to deadline caused technical problems which left them unable to enter. NWF anticipates notifying winners by early October 2012.

JUDGING

Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. Judges will be the design director, photo director and other staff members of National Wildlife. All decisions by the judges will be final and binding.

Winners may be viewed beginning late November 2012 at www.nwf.org/PhotoZone. A list of winning entrants is also available by sending a request and self-addressed, stamped envelope to NWPC, National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190.  Vermont residents may omit return postage.

PRIZES

One Grand Prize, 8 First Place prizes and 8 Second Place prizes will be awarded as listed below. First and Second Place Winners with addresses within the United States have a choice of two prizes; Winners outside the United States will receive cash prizes. All amounts are in U.S. dollars. NWF will also award Honorable Mentions from the finalists as the judges deem appropriate. Prizes are made possible by the entry fee; no NWF funds are used for these prizes. All Winners and Honorable Mentions will appear on NWF’s website at www.nwf.org/PhotoZone. NWF will also select and publish certain Winners and Honorable Mentions from any category in the December 2012/January 2013 issue of National Wildlife. NWF will send two copies of that issue to the entrants whose photos are published in it.

1. Grand Prize: $5,000 Cash

2. First Place, one for each category plus one in Youth Division
   (8 total)
   • Winners with addresses within the United States:
     A choice of either Apple iPad (value: $500 each) OR Cash Prize of $500
   • Winners with addresses outside the United States: Cash Prize of $500
3. Second Place, one for each category plus one in Youth Division
   (8 total)
   • Winners with addresses within the United States:
     A choice of either Apple iPod (value: $250 each) OR Cash Prize of $250
   • Winners with addresses outside the United States: Cash Prize of $250

4. Honorable Mentions: NWF 2013 calendar (value: $15.99 each)

NWF reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value in the event the offered prize is unavailable. No substitution or transfer of prizes permitted except as provided herein.

YOUR RIGHTS

Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs they enter except for the following:  Your entry to the contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs—and your name, occupation, city, state and country of residence—to be published as Winners or Honorable Mentions in National Wildlife magazine and on the NWF website, and you grant to NWF and its licensees the perpetual, worldwide non-exclusive license to reproduce, distribute, display and create derivative works of the entry (along with a name credit) in connection with the NWPC and promotion for the NWPC, in any media now or hereafter known.  Entrants also agree to the use of their entered photos in the magazine’s online Photo of the Week and Caption Contest features.

HOW TO ENTER

All entrants first create their contest account, providing contact information and a password for their personal entry page.  Entrants must agree to these Rules by checking the appropriate box.  Entrants coming to the NWPC site through Facebook allow NWF to use information from their Facebook accounts to pre-populate their contest account forms. Entrants can then select a name for their set(s) of photos to enter and can begin uploading their images. Each set can contain up to ten (10) photos; set names are known only to entrants and NWF does not see these names. Each photo must be entered into the desired category.  Photographers may enter all images in a single category or select different categories for different photos. Photos may be color or black and white.

All photos must have complete information attached, including their subjects, locations, stories behind the photos, digital adjustments and camera equipment.The judges use this information to help them select the winners. Not providing full information may hurt your chances of winning.

You do not need to upload all photos at once. You may return to your Create Set page at any time by logging in with your email address and password. You may delete photos, add new ones, edit photo information or move photos from one set to another at any time up to the deadline. Any photos which are weekly top vote-getters in the People’s Choice Award cannot be deleted or moved, but entrants can still edit photo information. See below for more information on the People’s Choice Award.

Only digitally uploaded images can be entered. Mailed or shipped entries will not be accepted. Entrants encountering technical problems while uploading may request permission to submit their photos on a non-returnable disk or as non-returnable prints via mail or courier; please request such permission by July 15, 2012, at info@nwf.org. NWF will not accept any such requests made on the day of the deadline (July 16, 2012) or afterward. Disks or prints thus submitted by mail or courier must be postmarked or dated by July 16, 2012, and will not be returned.

• Fee:
  
  Photos are not actually entered into the contest, or eligible for the People’s Choice Award, made viewable by others or sharable, until the contest fee is paid.
  When you are ready to pay, click “Checkout” to go to the payment page. A fee of $20 is charged for each set of ten (10) photos. This fee is used to provide the prizes and help NWF in its conservation efforts. Payment is made on a secure web page using a major credit card. With payment of the entry fee, non-members will receive a year’s subscription to National Wildlife. If the fee for each set you create is not paid by the deadline of July 16, 2012, any uploaded photos in that set will not be entered into the contest or made viewable or sharable.

• Prepare Your Photos:
  
  • Camera-made digital images or scans of slides or prints must be uploaded as jpg, gif or png files.
  • Photos should be at least 10 x 15 inches at 72 pixels per inch with a file size of no less than 390 kilobytes (saved at the maximum quality setting). If your photos are larger than that, there is no need to reduce their sizes—larger images are acceptable.
  • There is a maximum file size of 20 megabytes per image.
  • Original sizes of camera-made digital photos must be 3 megapixels or larger.
  • Images should be in RGB format. For maximum color rendition online, the preferred color profile is sRGB, but Adobe RGB and similar common profiles are acceptable. Images that do not meet this standard may or may not be judged at the judges’ sole discretion.
  • Original slides or negatives for scanned photographs must be available on request, but do not send them unless requested. If you do not have digital scans of your slides or negatives, or the capability to make them, inquire at your local camera store or photo lab. It is quite easy and inexpensive to have digital files made from your photos.  For further information on editing and resizing your photos, see our page on Preparing Your Photos.
• PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD:
  If you wish to have your entered photos eligible for the People’s Choice Award, viewable for voting by the public and sharable with family and friends through social media, you must check the appropriate box for each entered photo.  Not checking this box means your entered photos will be seen only by the judges.

  There are two rounds to this public competition. The first round will open at 12:00 am EST on February 21, 2012 (one week after the start of the contest), and close July 23, 2012.  The final round will open on July 24, 2012, and end August 6, 2012.

  The first round of the People’s Choice Award consists of weekly contests where the four (4) photos with the most votes each week are selected as top vote-getters. All weekly contests start on Tuesdays and all the photos entered and shared (by clicking the appropriate box) are eligible for voting, except photos entered by any entrant who already has a top vote-getter.

  Entrants who submitted the top weekly vote-getters will no longer be able to delete or move these photos but will be able to edit photo information, and can change or delete their non-top vote-getting photos. Entrants can have a top vote-getter only once; all their photos are then ineligible for further voting. If more than one photo from the same entrant is among the four top vote-getters in any week, only the photo which has the most votes will be selected. The photo with the next highest vote from another entrant will then be moved up to be a top vote-getter, so that each top vote-getter will be from a different entrant.

  Photos from other entrants which are not selected as one of the top four vote-getters in any weekly contest will continue to be eligible for subsequent weeks’ contests, though their votes will revert to zero at the start of each weekly contest.

  The top four (4) vote-getters of each weekly contest will then compete in the final round. The judges will determine if all categories and both divisions are represented among the top vote-getters. If not, the photos for any missing categories or divisions with the most total votes will be added to the final round. The photo with the most votes in the final round will be named the People’s Choice and will appear in the December 2012/January 2013 issue of National Wildlife and online.

LEGAL CONDITIONS

By entering this competition, you agree to these entry terms and the following legal conditions:

By entering, participants warrant that his or her entry materials are original, do not infringe on any third party’s rights, and that participant has obtained any necessary permissions from any third party if a third party or third party’s property appears in the photograph. NWF reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it finds in its sole discretion that any of the foregoing warranties are not true. Decisions of NWF shall be final and binding.

By entering, participants release and hold harmless NWF, its affiliated organizations, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives (collectively, the “Companies”) from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or related to the NWPC, any prize won, any use of the entry materials by NWF, the warranties participants make, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, participation in any NWPC-related activity, or participation in the NWPC. 

The contest is governed by the laws of the United States and is subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations. Participant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved with the Companies, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the NWPC, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a court of competent jurisdiction located in Fairfax County, Virginia, which court shall apply the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia without regard for rules of conflicts of law. In any such dispute, participant shall, under no circumstances, be entitled to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys’ fees, other than participant’s actual out-of-pocket expenses (if any) associated with participating in the NWPC. Participant hereby waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

Any attempt by an entrant or other individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the NWPC is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the Companies reserve the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The Companies are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the NWPC, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to the NWPC, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. The Companies assume no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, photographs. The Companies are not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer equipment, servers, providers, computer on-line systems, software, or failure of email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, including injury or damage to participant’s or to any other person’s computer related to or resulting from participating or uploading images or information in the NWPC.

All federal, state, and local taxes, fees and surcharges on prize packages are the sole responsibility of the winners. Winners may be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Release of Liability/Prize Acceptance Form. Return of any prize and/or prize notification as undeliverable or failure of any entrant to comply with any Official Rules may result in disqualification.

If, for any reason, the NWPC is not capable of completion as planned, including, but not limited to, by reason of infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures or any other causes beyond the control of the Companies that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the NWPC, the Companies reserve the right at their sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the NWPC.

In no event will the Companies, their advertising and promotional agencies, or their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of participant’s access to and use of the Companies’ websites, or the downloading or uploading and/or printing of material from said sites.  Without limiting the foregoing, everything on the Companies’ sites is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either express or implied. Some jurisdictions may not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for incidental or consequential damages, so some of the foregoing limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. Check your local laws for any restrictions or limitations regarding these limitations or exclusions.

HOW TO CONTACT US

Questions and inquiries regarding contest rules or technical matters, including problems uploading photos, can be emailed to info@nwf.org.

The National Wildlife Federation is not responsible for lost, damaged, late or misdirected photographs, or for uploading connections, garbled transmissions, unauthorized intervention or technical malfunctions. Void where prohibited.

Removal from mailing list:  Any individual may elect to exclude his or her name and address from all lists used by NWF to mail skill contests by submitting a removal request to NWPC, National Wildlife Federation, 11100 Wildlife Center Drive, Reston, VA 20190.

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For Voters
of the People's Choice Award

WHO CAN VOTE

Anyone thirteen (13) years of age and older can vote after providing his or her name, an email address, postal code and password.  The password is intended for voters to bypass registration and make it easy to vote on subsequent days.  An email address is required in case the password is forgotten.  Voters must agree to these Rules for voting by checking the appropriate box.  Voters coming to the NWPC site through Facebook allow NWF to use information from their Facebook accounts to pre-populate their contest account forms.

WHEN

There are two rounds, and voters can vote in either or both rounds.  The first round of the People’s Choice Award will open at 12:00 am North American Eastern Standard Time on February 21, 2012 (one week after the opening of the contest and acceptance of entries) and close July 23, 2012 (one week after the close of entries).  Final round will open on July 24, 2012, and end August 6, 2012.

HOW

The first round of the People’s Choice Award consists of weekly contests starting on Tuesdays. All the photos entered and allowed to be shared are eligible for voting, except photos entered by any entrant who already has a top vote-getter. All photos start with zero votes for each week’s contest.  In each weekly contest, voters can vote once per day for as many photos as they wish. Each vote must be from a single person and single email address. Votes found to be for the same photo from multiple email addresses on the same day from the same person, as determined by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), will be disqualified.

The top four (4) vote-getters of each weekly contest will compete in the final round. In this round, voters can vote for one photo per day from all the weekly top vote-getters. In addition, the judges will determine if all categories and both divisions are represented among the top vote-getters.  If not, the photos for any missing categories or divisions with the most total votes will be added to the final round.  As with the weekly contests, each vote must be from a single person and single email address.

All top vote-getters will be reviewed by the judges to ensure that they follow the terms, conditions and spirit of the NWPC.  NWF reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, that photos in the final round are eligible for the People’s Choice Award.

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