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 This year marks the 45th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition held by the National History Museum in London and BBC Wildlife Magazine. The 12 categories (9 main and 3 special) are open to both amateurs and pros, and there are also 3 youth categories. You may enter up to 3 images for a fee of 20, and the jury selects one winner and one runner-up per category, all of whom receive cash prizes (500 and 250 respectively for the adult main categories).
Those under 18 may submit up to 10 photos, at no cost, in the youth categories ("10 years and younger", "11-14 years", and "15-17 years"). Acceptable subjects are wild animals, landscapes and plants, and the winner and runner-up in each category are awarded 250 and 100, respectively. The "Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year" gets to spend a day out with an acclaimed wildlife photographer, and also receives a cash prize of 500.
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 prize of all prizes, The Wildlife Photographer of the Year, is awarded to the single image the jury finds most striking and memorable of all category winners. The award is presented at a special ceremony at the National History Museum in London, where the winner is presented with a check for 10,000. All winning and commended images will also be part of an exhibit at the museum, which then tours all over the world. The 2009 deadline is March 27.
Windland Smith Rice International Awards Held by Nature's Best Magazine and the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History, this contest is named in memory of conservation advocate and photographer Windland Smith Rice. The 16 categories are open to professional, amateur and youth photographers, and include Animal Antics, Creative Digital, Indigenous Cultures, Oceans, and more. One in particular caught my attention: the Camera Club category, where a group of photographers submit up to 20 photos (no more than 3 each, though). The entry fee is $ 25/20 images, and prizes include cash, your photo(s) printed in the Awards 2009 Collector's Edition of Nature's Best Photography, and possible inclusion in the annual exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. The 2009 deadline is May 4.
National Wildlife's 2009 Photo Contest Open to everyone over the age of 17, this annual competition is looking for photos of mammals, birds, people & nature, backyard habitats, landscapes & plant life, other wildlife and global warming & wildlife. Pros, amateurs and youths are judged separately. The winner of each category is awarded $ 1,000, and two Grand Prize winners receive $ 5,000 each. You can enter up to 20 images for $ 15, and that also gives you a year's subscription to National Wildlife Magazine. The deadline for 2009 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.
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