WildSojourns Nature Awards invites all Wildlife and Landscape photographers to enter our INAUGURAL NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION.

Contest entry period	Last date for entry is 23.59 PM on 29th February 2024.
Qualification	All photographers from all countries are eligible. No age limit. No time frame for the images.
Entry Fees	INR 2500       USD 30

Rules and image specifications

A maximum of 25 images can be uploaded across categories per entry. You can upload all the images in one category also. One person can have multiple entries if they wish to upload more than 25 images.

Uploading guidelines also available at https://youtu.be/FDXSa2Z14GQ

Image specifications

1. In order to enter all categories, images must be submitted in Jpeg/Jpg format. These files should be saved in a high-quality setting using the Adobe RGB color space. The files should have a resolution of 1920 pixels along the longest dimension @ 72 PPI. A maximum image size of 2 MB is allowed. It is important to note that borders, watermarks, and signatures should not be included in the submitted files.

Categories are named in the following way

WS1 – Birds 

WS2 -Animal portraits

WS3- Macro world 

WS4- Creative nature 

WS5- Animal behaviour 

WS6- Animals in Habitat

WS7- Landscapes

WS8- Humans v/s Nature

WS9- Under Water

Images should be captioned in the following way. Category_Caption.Jpg

Spaces should be replaced by an underscore. A good example would be WS1_Flying_High.Jpg. It is strictly prohibited to include your name in either the caption or the image itself. Any image using HDR, focus stacking and panoramas, should mention it in the description. a good eg is WS1_Flying_High-HDR.Jpg

B) The caption information provided should adhere to criteria such as being comprehensive, accurate, and truthful. It should also contain a detailed account of the observed behaviour, background context, and precise location, and specify if any bait was used, along with its nature as well as whether the species holds scientific significance. It is recommended for photographers keep captions concise, limiting the characters to a maximum of 500. Additionally, your name should not be included in the file data, including fields such as owner, copyright, or creator.

C) If your image is selected as a finalist, you will be required to provide the RAW files (such as . ARW, CR2/3, NEF, ORF, PEF, etc.) or original untouched JPEGs. It is important to note that DNG files are only permitted if they are in the native RAW format of the camera.

Furthermore, high-resolution files (preferably in the TIFF format) are required for printing. These files should be 8-bit and in the Adobe RGB (1998) colour space. The resolution should match the one used in the JPEG submitted during entry, and the files should not be upscaled. It is also important to ensure that the file size does not exceed 500MB.

D) Modifications which are allowed include, adjusting tone and contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, minor cleaning tasks like eliminating sensor dust or scratches on transparencies/scans and removal of chromatic aberration. HDR, stitched panoramas, and focus stacking are allowed, as long as they align with the Competition’s commitment to authenticity. The images should truthfully depict nature and should not distort /deceive the original reality captured by the camera.

E) We will disqualify any entry that cannot be authenticated or does not meet the acceptable quality criteria. We have the authority to request a variety of ‘before’ and ‘after’ original files from you if any image needs additional authentication.

F) You are required to prioritize the well-being of animals by refraining from any actions that may harm or disturb them or their habitat in order to capture a photograph. This includes flying drones too low or creating excessive noise near animals. It is important for your images to depict the natural world in a creative, truthful, and ethical manner.

To participate in this competition, it is imperative that your photographs effectively depict the natural world in a manner that is both innovative and morally upright. :

(i) Your entries must not mislead or manipulate the viewer by distorting the reality of nature.

(ii) The accompanying captions must provide comprehensive, truthful, and accurate information.

(iii) The images must not depict animals that are confined, restricted, exploited, used as models, subjected to taxidermy, or involved in any other form of profit-driven exploitation. The only exception to this rule is when the image is meant to address a specific issue pertaining to the treatment of animals by a third party. In such cases, it is mandatory that you clarify whether the animal was captive, restrained, a model, or a taxidermy animal.

G) It is incumbent upon you to ensure adherence to all relevant national and international regulations, including those pertaining to the utilization of unmanned aerial vehicles. You must also acquire any essential authorizations. Should you capture images that include individuals, their consent must be obtained and these permits must be furnished to us upon our request.

Zero Tolerance on unethical grounds –

A) The use of live baiting or any other form of baiting that could potentially harm or negatively impact an animal’s behaviour is strictly prohibited. This also includes any irresponsible habituation practices. If there are alternative methods of attraction such as bird seed or scent, they must be disclosed in the caption for the Jury and us to assess.

B) In the event that we have reason to believe that an entry has been obtained through acts that are cruel or unethical, such as the use of live or irresponsible bait or any violation of these Rules, the entry will not be eligible, and we retain the right to notify the appropriate authorities.

For the purpose of evaluating awards and prizes, a committee of knowledgeable experts and judges referred to as the Jury, will be appointed.

A) The criteria for judging will include originality, narrative, and ethical practice.

B) The members of the Jury will be listed on the Competition website for reference. During the judging process, and only with our explicit agreement, the Jury retains the right to: (i) transfer entries from one category to another if applicable and appropriate, (ii) refrain from awarding any entry within a category as described in section or (iii) eliminate an entire category.

C] The decision of the Jury is final.

Remember – If you are shortlisted, you will receive a confidential notification. It is mandatory that you do not disclose the details of any shortlisted or winning entries to any third party in order to be eligible for any Award and prize.

1. The website provides a list of non-transferable prizes. We have the right to substitute the whole or part of any listed prize with an alternative of equal monetary or publicity value at our discretion without any obligation to fulfil any demands from you.
2. Please be aware that prizes must be claimed within 10 months  of receiving the notification of winning, otherwise it will be forfeited (including any entitlement to a substitute prize or publicity)
3. Publicity— As a condition of being selected by the Jury, it is expected that you are willing to engage in a reasonable extent of associated publicity and consent to the utilization of your name and resemblance for advertising, promotion, and publicity purposes relating to the Competition, the Wild Sojourns Exhibition, and any Related Exhibition, all without any extra payment from us.

OTHER RULES 

Images entered into the WSNA contest may be published in books and magazines published by WildSojourns Nature Awards and may be selected for gallery exhibitions and other WSNA competition promotion opportunities, including, but not limited to, a compilation book or calendar, prints, sponsor presentations, electronic collections of winners and web pages providing WSNA information, updates, rules and photo tips.

The WSNA competition is open to all photographers except employees of WSNA and their affiliated entities including WildSojourns magazine. Your entry to this contest constitutes your agreement to allow your photographs, your name, occupation, city and state of residence to be published as selected award winners in WildSojourns magazines, print and digital exhibitions, events, and other public venues, published on websites owned by or in alliance with WSNA as award winners; and used for promotions of WSNA. Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to the use of their photographs. WSNA shall have the right to verify, in their sole judgment, winner eligibility. WSNA reserves the right to add or remove categories at its sole discretion.

Legal conditions: by entering this awards competition, you agree to certain legal conditions. By entering, participants release and hold harmless , WSNA (the companies), their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with use of the photographs of participants, or any prize won, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, participation in any activity of the companies.

Participant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved with the companies in connection with this contest, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the companies, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a court of competent jurisdiction located in Kolkata, India, which shall apply the laws of India 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 contest. 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 WSNA is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the WSNA reserve the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The WSNA is 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 companies or contest, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to the companies, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. The company assumes 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 WSNA is 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, 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 to this contest.

If, for any reason, WSNA is not capable of completion as planned, including 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 corrupts or affects the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of the awards, the companies reserve the right at their sole discretions to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the contest.
In no event will the Company, their subsidiaries, affiliates and related 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.