BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 RULES

This competition seems to be a good balance between images that require technical ability if not expertise yet also need to be relevant to the world today. Probably, it is the best competition of nature photography in the world that sets standards of quality and practice.

Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 competition rules - for adult entrants

1. Mission statement

1. Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year champions ethical wildlife photography – specifically the representation of the natural world as faithfully as possible, free of excessive digital manipulation, with honesty in all captioning, and total regard for the welfare of the animals and their environment.

2. About the competition

1. Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year (“the Competition”) is one of the most prestigious competitions of its kind, attracting entries from professional, amateur and young photographers worldwide.
2. The Competition is jointly owned by the Natural History Museum Trading Company Limited and BBC Worldwide Limited ("the Owners").
3. By encouraging innovation whilst maintaining excellence in nature photography, the Competition seeks to promote the discovery, understanding, responsibility and enjoyment of the natural world.
4. An internationally renowned panel of photography experts (“the Judges”) will select images based upon technical skill, diversity, originality and creativity of composition.
5. Prize-winning images will be showcased in the Natural History Museum’s acclaimed annual exhibition, and will also tour nationally and internationally, thereby reaching an audience of over 2.5 million worldwide (“the Exhibition”).
6. Winning images will be published within a Portfolio Book in at least 6 languages and also in a special edition of BBC Wildlife Magazine.
7. Winning images will be published on the Owners’ websites and through a variety of media as described in more detail below.

3. Terms of entry

1. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that he or she has read and abided by the Competition Rules set out below.
2. By submitting an entry, each entrant agrees to the Competition Rules and warrants that his or her entry complies with the Owners’ requirements and that all image information supplied is complete, true and accurate.
3. Any entry found not to comply with the Competition Rules will be disqualified.
4. No refunds or allowances will be made in such instances.
5. The decision of the Owners, on all matters relating to the Competition, is final and binding: no negotiation will be entered into with respect to any such decision.

4. How to enter

1. The Competition is open to anyone except those involved in its organisation or employees of BBC Worldwide Limited or of the Natural History Museum or of the Sponsors.
2. Entrants to the Adult competition must be aged 18 or over on the closing date.
3. Entrants should register at www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto.
4. A single sum of £20.00 (“the Entry Fee”) is required per entrant.
5. Once payment has been received, entrants will be sent an Entry Code from buyonline@nhm.ac.uk.
6. Entrants will also receive competition correspondence via wildphoto@nhm.ac.uk or nhm@nhm.pmailuk.com. The Owners cannot be held responsible for emails that do not arrive due to the entrant’s email security settings or restrictions placed by their Internet service provider.
7. On receipt of an Entry Code, entrants may login and upload images via www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/wpy-entry/login.jsp.
8. Each entrant may submit a maximum of twenty (20) images in total with no more than three (3) images allowed per individual Category excluding the Special Portfolio Awards.
9. Entrants MUST submit ten (10) images to the Eric Hosking Award.
10. Entrants may submit a maximum of two (2) stories comprising six (6) images for the Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year Award.
11. No single image or similar may be entered into more than one Category.
12. Images entered into the wrong Category will be rejected.

5. What to enter

1. Originality and innovation are at the core of the Competition: images must have been taken within three (3) years of the Competition’s closing date.
2. Images of nature including wildlife, plants and fungi, landscapes, man’s impact on the environment (both positive and negative) are eligible and can be entered into the following categories:
   
   
   1. Animals in their Environment
   2. Behaviour: Birds
   3. Behaviour: Mammals
   4. Behaviour: All Other Animals
   5. Underwater World
   6. Animal Portraits
   7. In Praise of Plants and Fungi
   8. Urban Wildlife
   9. Nature in Black and White
   10. Creative Visions of Nature
   11. Wild Places
   12. Special Portfolio Award: Eric Hosking Award
   13. Special Portfolio Award: Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year
   14. Special Award: Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife
   15. Special Award: One Earth
3. The Owners reserve the right to remove replace or re-title individual categories prior to opening the Competition annually.
4. Entries must be digital files. Scans of transparencies and negatives are also accepted. Digitally captured images should have been taken on a camera that can produce a suitable RAW file (eg *.NEF,*.CR2,*.ORF,*CRW).
5. For initial entry, images must be submitted as JPEGs, saved at quality setting 10, Adobe RGB 98, and must be 1920 pixels on the longest dimension.
6. Entrants must be able to supply a high resolution file, preferably TIFF files, suitable for printing in all media and for inclusion in the Exhibition should their image be successful. This should be 8-bit, Adobe RGB 98 at 300dpi. Images within the Exhibition will be printed to an approximate minimum of 920mms along their longest dimension.
7. Entrants must supply the RAW file or original transparency or negative for all images shortlisted for the final judging round.
8. To ensure technical compliance prior to entering, additional details are included within the Digital guidelines.

6. What NOT to enter

1. Images of family pets or farm animals or cultivated plants.
2. Images of captive animals except when illustrating an issue for inclusion in either One Earth or Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year.
3. Images created using live bait.
4. Images of animal models or other animals being exploited for profit except when illustrating an issue for inclusion in either One Earth or Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year.
5. Images of restrained animals except when illustrating an issue for inclusion in either One Earth or Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year.
6. Images that have won a prize (ie winner, runner-up or commended) in any other major competition at the time of entry.

7. Ethics

1. Entrants are responsible for ensuring full compliance with any national or international legislation, for example in the case of protected species, governing the country in which the image has been taken.
2. Images must be accompanied by copies of the relevant permits: these should be scanned and emailed, or posted to the Owners with the entrant's full name, entry code and information to which the image relates.
3. Image information supplied must be complete, true and accurate.
4. Entrants are required to be mindful of the welfare of animals at all times, to safeguard their environment, and to ensure that they do not do anything to injure or distress animals or destroy the habitat in an attempt to secure a specific image.
5. If the Owners suspect that an image has been achieved through the use of cruel or unethical practices, the entry will be disqualified.

8. Judging

1. The Chairman of the Judges and the Judges (“the Panel”) will be appointed by the Owners and will agree to terms and conditions of conduct thereby ensuring the spirit of the Competition is maintained throughout.
2. The Panel will include representatives of the Owners as well as photographic experts independent of the Owners.
3. In the event that any single Category is without an image of sufficient merit, the Owners reserve the right not to award a winning prize to that specific Category.
4. Only individual Category winners will be considered for the overall title of Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

9. Competition prizes

1. Winners and runners-up of a Category, together with commended images, will be notified via email in confidence in June and invited to attend a special Gala Awards Ceremony in October where the overall winner will be announced.
2. The title of Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year will be awarded to the single image judged to be the most striking and memorable of all the entries.
3. The overall winner of the title of Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year will receive £10,000.00.
4. Each Category winner will receive £500.00 and each runner-up will receive £250.00.
5. Special Award winners will receive £1,000.00 and each runner-up will receive £500.00.

10. Publicity

1. Each winning entrant agrees to participate in related publicity and to the use of their name and likeness for the purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity of the Competition and Exhibition without additional compensation.

11. Copyright and reproduction

1. Each entry must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party.
2. Each entrant must either be the owner of the copyright or have secured the written permission of the copyright owner to enter the image into the Competition and grant the Owners the rights detailed below.
3. The copyright in all images submitted to the Competition will remain with the copyright holder who will be credited in accordance with the Competition’s guidelines.
4. By entering the Competition, each entrant grants to the Owners a non-exclusive irrevocable licence to reproduce, publish, and communicate to the public by any means and exhibit their image and copies of their image in all media throughout the world in relation to the Competition and the Exhibition including but not limited to all use in the context of:
   1. Judging the Competition.
   2. Display in the Exhibition.
   3. Inclusion in the Portfolio Book and magazine or similar.
   4. Inclusion within interactive elements associated with the Competition and or Exhibition (now known or hereafter created) available for viewing or download from the Owners’ website.
   5. Inclusion in promotional, press and marketing materials associated with the Competition and or the Exhibition.
   6. Inclusion in merchandising associated with the Competition and or the Exhibition.
5. In some of the above circumstances, commercial opportunities may exist for winning photographers to benefit from the use of their image: where a commercial benefit is likely to arise, permission will be sought in advance and terms and conditions will be agreed.
6. Winning images will be used by the Owners for a period of eighteen (18) months from the announcement of the winners and thereafter the Owners may keep the winning images within an archive (electronic or otherwise) for a further period of five (5) years, after which permission will be sought from the photographers should their images be used in connection with the Competition and or Exhibition.

12. Liability

1. Proof of electronic submission is not proof of receipt by the Owners.
2. The Owners regret that they cannot accept liability for any loss or damage of any image entered into the Competition howsoever caused nor for any other loss or damage resulting there from.
3. The Owners regret that they cannot accept liability for the misuse of images and or failure of any third party to comply with the Competition’s credit guidelines.
4. Non-winning digital images entered into the Competition will not be retained stored or returned by the Owners after the winners are announced in October.

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