The editors of National Wildlife^® magazine invite photographers from all levels of expertise to enter National Wildlife's 2008 Photo Contest, its expanded 38th annual photography competition.

Entry rules have changed from previous years. Please read the following rules carefully!

WHO: The National Wildlife Photo Contest (NWPC) is open to ALL photographers who are at least 13 years of age, except employees or directors of the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), their immediate families and individuals living in the same household as such employees.  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 award winners or finalists in National Wildlife magazine and on the NWF website, and used for promotions of the NWPC including, but not limited to, publications from NWF and other organizations, exhibitions, a photo contest calendar, a compilation book or electronic collection of photographs, online photo features and contests, and web pages and emails providing NWPC information, updates, rules and photography tips.  Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of their photographs.  The National Wildlife Federation reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, winner eligibility.

Divisions:  Photographers must enter their images in one of the following divisions.
Pro - Full or part-time professional photographers who receive all or a major part of their income from nature photography. 
Amateur - Beginning or amateur photographers at least 18 years of age, and experienced photographers who do not receive a major part of their income from nature photography.
Youth - Young photographers ages 13 to 17. Young photographers 12 and under, please enter our Ranger Rick Photo Contest at http://www.nwf.org/kids/kzPage.cfm?siteId=3&departmentId=80&articleId=956.

Legal conditions:  By entering this competition, you agree to these entry rules 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. 

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, entries.  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.

Your contact information may be shared with other NWF departments and with NWPC sponsors. To opt out of this service, click here.

All decisions by the judges will be final and binding.

Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer or person or submit images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by the photographer.  All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared.  Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization (removal of dust, cropping, adjustments to color and contrast, etc.) will be disqualified.  This includes the digital addition or deletion of objects in the photos.

Categories:  Photographers entering in the Pro and Amateur divisions must enter each image in one of the following categories.  Photographers entering the Youth division do not need to specify a category, but images must follow the subject matter of one of the categories.  Judges reserve the right to switch images to other categories.

1.  Mammals—Portraits and Behavior
2.  Birds—Portraits and Behavior
3.  Other Wildlife—Portraits and Behavior (includes underwater life, reptiles, amphibians, insects, spiders and more)
4.  Backyard Habitats—Wild Creatures, Native Plants and Natural Settings in Your Yard
5.  Connecting People and Nature—People Enjoying the Outdoors
6.  Landscapes and Plant Life—Scenic Views and Native Plants in Wild Settings