Are you a nature and wildlife photography enthusiast?
Participating in a photography competition can help you improve your skills and showcase your work before others.
Most of us may think of competition as bad, but it is indeed a double-edged sword.
Here are a few annual competitions to help you get started.
The prestigious competition by the UK’s National History Museum has been around for nearly six decades.
To enter the competition, you must pay the entry fee of 30 (approx.
The fee is in place to cover the various costs related to the competition and the exhibition.
However, residents of certain countries may be exempt from the entry fee.
There is a strict set of rules that your images must adhere to enter the competition.
You cannot harm or manipulate the animals in any way while taking photos.
Also, you must keep your post-production to an absolute minimumno adding or removing stuff from your photos.
You must produce theoriginal RAW fileto check the edits if you qualify for the final round.
The title winner gets 10,000 ($12,000), a trophy, and a certificate.
Other category winners get monetary prizes and a trip to the award ceremony in London.
The competition has different categories, including Wildlife and Nature for nature aficionados.
you might submit your images in two categoriesprofessional or open.
You must submit a set of pictures for the professional category and single images for the open category.
There are also youth and student competitions.
The photos you submit must be taken within a specific timeline, usually the year before.
The professional category winner gets $25,000, while the open category winner gets $5,000.
The winners also get Sony digital equipment and a trip to the awards ceremony.
We do love a goodSony mirrorless camera.
The competition is entirely free for all levels of photographers, from novice to expert.
However, each photographer is allowed only ten entries.
The winner gets the title, a trophy, and two camera bags.
BPOTY
Are you more fan of the avian world than terra firma?
Then, check out theBird Photographer of the Yearcompetition.
You have eight different categories to enter, plus special categories like portfolio, conservation, and video.
Here are some tips forgetting started with bird photography.
you’re free to submit as many photos as you want.
There are strict rules, thoughyou cannot use live baits and domesticated or captive birds.
NPOTY
Nature Photographer of the Yearis a relatively new competition.
Starting six years ago, NPOTY has gained momentum in recent years.
When you participate in the NPOTY competition, you also support various conservation agencies, includingPhotographer Against Wildlife Crime.
you could also submithigh-resolution smartphone photos, provided they are at least 3,000 pixels on the long side.
W/N/P/A
TheWorld Nature Photography Awardsis an independent organization that aims at using photography as a tool for change.
The competition is currently in its fourth year.
you could buy more entries if you want to submit more photos.
The winner gets a prize of 1,000 ($1,203).
W/N/P/A will plant a tree for every entry, so your entry fee will go to a good cause.
National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest
TheNational Wildlife Federation Photo Contestis a long-running competition with nine categories to enter.
Also, you might buy a portfolio package for $20.
In addition, some selected images will also be published in the National Wildlife magazine.
There are six categories but only one Natural World category for entering wildlife and nature photos.
There is no entry fee; you could submit 15 photos per category.
If you win the title, you get $2,500 plus various prizes.
The category winners get $500, and an additional Reader’s Choice winner will get $500.
But, if you’re using it only to take snapshots, it is time to change that.
Of all the photography that you’re free to try, nature is the easiest to start with.
Most of the competitions are happy to accept smartphone photos.
So whether you use your mobile phone or have state-of-the-art camera gear, try a photo competition this year.
It can be so enlightening and fun.
