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WGNSS 2025 Nature Photography Photo Contest Rules
***IMPORTANT GUIDELINES****
1. The photo contest is free and open to all WGNSS members in good standing. Non-members wishing to submit photos must pay the membership fee of $15.00. A maximum of 1 photo may be submitted in each of the 4 base categories, additionally 1 photo may be submitted to the bonus category. All photos must be the entrant’s work. Active WGNSS board members are allowed to submit photos, and any money awarded will be donated to a nature conservation charity of the board member’s choosing. 2. Photos submitted to previous WGNSS photo contests are not eligible for entry in the 2025 contest. 3. For the 4 base categories, photos must have been taken in Missouri or a contiguous state. 4. Categories for the 2025 photo contest are as follows: a. Vertebrates b. Invertebrates c. Vascular and non-vascular plants, lichens, & fungi d. Habitats and landscapes e. Bonus – Weather/Seasons. Images in this category must have been taken in North America. 5. Photos must be taken in natural settings. Do not include photos of pets, captive animals, or gardens. If a person is in the photo, the photographer is responsible for securing permission from that person to use the photo. Entrants must not submit images that depict harassment of wildlife, habitat destruction, or endangerment of any kind. 6. Photos should realistically portray the subject and scene as they appeared. Photos may not be altered beyond cropping and reasonable adjustments to exposure and color. 7. Photos should not include a ‘watermark’, signature or any other marking that could link the work to the photographer. 8. Submitted photos must be at least 2 MB and not more than 10 MB in size. If a photo is placed, the photographer may be asked to provide the highest resolution of that photo available for printing purposes. 9. Photo captions are requested. At a minimum, all submitted photos must include: a. Name of the plant, animal or subject b. The location where the image was taken c. The photographer’s name d. The category the photo is being entered 10. Bonus Category a. All contest rules listed here apply, except location is widened to all of North America. b. This category will not be eligible for the Grand Prize. 11. The photographer retains copyrights to their work. However, the photographer gives WGNSS permission to use any photo submitted for non-commercial purposes. ***IMPORTANT GUIDELINES****
Judging 1. Judging is based on two equally weighted main elements: a. Artistic and technical qualities (e.g., composition, sharpness, etc.). b. Illustrated natural history story. More credit will be given to photos that capture the essence of the habitat, the interaction of a rare native species with its environment, etc. 2. At the April general meeting, a panel of three judges (photography expert, category naturalist, and board member) will select the top placing photos from each photo category. 3. Following, all WGNSS members in attendance will select the Grand Prize winner by secret ballot. The photo with the most points will be acclaimed as the Grand Prize winner. Awards 1. Each category will have a 1st prize of $100.00, a 2nd prize of $75.00, a 3rd prize of $50.00, and an Honorary Mention. 2. There will be one Grand Prize (bonus category not eligible for the grand prize) with a monetary award of $150.00. 3. All award-winning photos will be professionally printed and mounted for display at appropriate venues as a collection of all winning photographs. Winning photographers will be given their display prints at the end of the display season. WGNSS Nature Photography Contest 2025 - Friday, April 4th, 2025 - 6:00pm-9:00pm I am pleased to announce that the April WGNSS meeting which is our photo contest will be at Webster University Sverdrup Building (building 27 on the campus map) Room 123. This is on the first floor on the west end of the building. The date and time will be Friday April 4th, 2025 from 6pm till 9pm. The address is 8300 Big Bend Blvd. Webster Groves MO 63119. |
