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Announcing the 2023 Global Photo Contest Winners

We are proud to announce the winners by category of our 2023 contest. Check out the images that amazed our judges the most!

See the 2023 Winners
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Submission Categories

A single category must be selected when submitting an entry to the Photo Contest. Photos will be considered from the following categories:

  • People and Nature: Portrayals of individuals connecting and interacting with the environment. Images can be a person or people in an outdoor setting or feature the impact of people in nature, such as a building or other human-made construction. Images can also display interactions between people while in nature or interactions with animals or plants.
  • Plants and Fungi: Portrayals of any plant or fungus in its natural environment. Images should highlight their ecological roles and importance, unique features, or incredible beauty. Includes flowers, trees, shrubs, and vegetation in general, as well as lichen, and fungi such as mushrooms.
  • Mammals: Portrayals of mammals in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Images of domestic animals and captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms are not permitted.
  • Birds: Portrayals of birds in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Images of domestic animals and captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms are not permitted.
  • Reptiles and Amphibians: Portrayals of reptiles and amphibians in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Includes, but not limited to, snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises, and crocodilians, as well as frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. Images of domestic animals and captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms are not permitted.
  • Insects and Arachnids: Portrayals of insects and arachnids in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Includes, but not limited to, bees, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, and scorpions.
  • Underwater Life: Portrayals of aquatic life in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species and highlight the ecological importance of aquatic ecosystems. Images can include aquatic animals or plants, as well as interactions in larger ecosystems such as coastal mangroves and coral reefs.
  • Lands: Images capturing mountains, hills, deserts, or forests. Images could include people or wildlife, but the primary focus should be the land.
  • Oceans: Images capturing the greater ocean. Includes images above the ocean’s surface, such as waves, or below, capturing a larger view of ocean life. Images could include people or wildlife, but the primary focus should be the ocean.
  • Freshwater: Images capturing freshwater bodies and systems. Images should feature lakes, rivers, ponds, waterfalls, or the lives they support. Could be landscapes or portray wildlife such as freshwater plants, animals, or their interactions within their environment.
  • Climate: Images capturing our changing world and highlighting the causes and effects of climate change. Could display visual impacts of climate change, extreme weather events, interactions between changing climate and nature, or humanity’s place in our current climate. While demonstrating the consequences of climate change, images can also depict efforts toward climate resilience and mitigation.
  • Aerials: Images capturing our world from a birds-eye view while highlighting patterns of land or water. Images can be taken with drones or aircraft. Photographer must abide by local laws and regulations governing drone and aircraft use.

Award Categories

Winning submissions will be selected for the following award categories:

  • One (1) Grand Prize winner
  • Twelve (12) Category First Place winners, one (1) per category
  • Twelve (12) Category Second Place winners, one (1) per category
  • Twelve (12) Category Third Place winners, one (1) per category

Prizes

All award winners may receive mention on The Conservancy’s digital presences, as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion. In addition, The Conservancy, and where applicable its corporate award provider(s), will award the following prizes:

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • $5,000 USD Camera kit or camera kit gift card, as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Twelve (12) Category First Place winners (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • $1,000 USD Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Twelve (12) Category Second Place winners (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • $500 USD Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Twelve (12) Category Third Place winners (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • $250 USD Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Additional Local Contests and Local Prize Information

In the Conservancy’s sole discretion, you may also be entered into the Conservancy’s local contests automatically as applicable based on your jurisdiction. To the maximum extent permissible by law, the Contest Rules apply to those local contests, as well as any additional local contest rules. Local contest rules and details about local prizes are available below:

Indonesia Contest Prizes

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • Three-day, two-night conservation educational excursion to Berau, East Kalimantan, for one (1) winner. The trip will be conducted at the latest in June 2024. YKAN will arrange the winner's trip including the flight expenses from within Indonesia, land transportation, and 3 days 2 nights accommodation.

One winner from 12 categories (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • E-gift card Tokopedia voucher worth IDR 2,500,000 ( 25% tax deduction will be applied to the value of each winner prize)

Terms and Conditions:

  • Winners and contest prizes are subject to the terms and conditions of the 2023 TNC Global Photo Contest.
  • Each respective winner will bear any tax regulations related to the competition prize.
  • The winners must provide personal identification information (Tax ID/ID Card) for YKAN’s documentation purposes.
  • The judges’ decisions are absolute and irrevocable.
  • Prizes cannot be transferred or exchanged.

The Official Rules of The Nature Conservancy’s 2023 Photo Contest (the “Contest Rules”)

Questions and enquiries about Contest Rules can be emailed to photocontest@tnc.org.

Eligibility

The Nature Conservancy’s 2023 Photo Contest (“Photo Contest”) is open to all professional and amateur photographers who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry. Trustees, Board Members, Employees, interns, or partners of The Nature Conservancy, as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings, and children) and household members of those individuals, are not eligible to enter.

By submitting an entry to the Photo Contest, entrants certify that their participation in this Photo Contest is not illegal or in violation of any law, regulation, treaty or administrative act, and that the laws of their governing jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry do not prohibit or restrict the receipt of any prize under this Photo Contest.

Reservation of Rights

The Nature Conservancy (“The Conservancy” or “Sponsor”) reserves the right to reject any entry if, in The Conservancy’s sole discretion, the laws of an applicable jurisdiction, including but not limited to the entrant’s jurisdiction of residence at the time of entry, would prohibit or limit The Conservancy from proceeding with the Contest as intended or the consideration or awarding of any prize would impose additional administrative, tax, operational, or legal burdens on The Conservancy.

Furthermore, Specially Designated Nationals and anyone sanctioned (directly or indirectly) by the U.S. Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions are ineligible to enter the Photo Contest.

Sponsor

The Nature Conservancy’s 2023 Photo Contest is sponsored by The Nature Conservancy, 4245 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203-1606 (“Sponsor”, also referred to herein as “the Conservancy”).

Entry Period

The Photo Contest begins at 12 a.m. GMT on August 30, 2023, and ends at 11:59 p.m. GMT on September 29, 2023 (the “Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Sponsor’s computer is the official time-keeping device for the Photo Contest.

What to Enter

Images will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, and artistic merit.

To ensure functionality on our submission platform, please submit files no larger than 4032 x 4032 pixels and no more than 25 MB at the time of entry. High resolution original files will be requested should an entry make it into the final round of editing to be considered for an award or prize of merit.

All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimisation (cropping, spotting for dust, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color, and contrast, etc.) will be disqualified.

Entries may originate in any format—including but not limited to digital files, digital prints, color transparencies, color prints, or black and white prints—so long as they are submitted electronically in a .jpeg, .jpg, or .png format. HDR images are acceptable.

Previously published material for which non-exclusive rights were granted may be entered as long as you maintain the right to grant us a license (see “Your Rights” below). You must disclose when and where the photo appeared previously to The Conservancy upon request.

If you choose to include people in your submission, you are responsible for obtaining the necessary releases from the individuals depicted and must be able to provide copies of those releases to The Conservancy upon request.

The Conservancy will not accept watermarked submissions.

The following submissions are ineligible:

  • Images of captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms.
  • Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright and photographs of persons without the necessary consent required by law in your jurisdiction. The Conservancy reserves the right to require entrants to submit evidence of the subject’s legal consent to be photographed for the submitted photograph, which may include a signed waiver from the subject or the subject’s legal guardian or representative. NOTE: Waiver requirements vary by jurisdiction, and the entrant is responsible for obtaining a legally enforceable waiver from any photographed subject.
  • Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent, or other objectionable or inappropriate content.
  • Images created by or with the assistance of generative artificial intelligence tools.
  • Images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife.
  • Images taken that cause or caused damage to the environment by the photographer; this includes taking photos from areas where human presence is restricted by authorities or relevant property managers.
  • Images that involve putting any individual or animal in danger.

The Conservancy shall determine entry eligibility in its sole and absolute discretion.

How to Enter

All images must be submitted through our photo submission website. Digital images that are sent via mail or email will not be accepted. If possible, please embed the photographer’s name and caption information in the photo’s metadata.

The entry forms contain required fields for information about the photo, category to be entered, and contact information for the entrant, including an email address. Each entry form should attach only one photo.

Entrants will be asked to provide the following information in the contest entry process:

  • Title of the photo
  • Caption: Describe what we see, where it was taken and the story behind the photograph
  • Country where photo was taken
  • State or province where photo was taken
  • Identify no more than one of the following Categories for each photo submitted:
    1. Oceans;
    2. People and Nature;
    3. Freshwater;
    4. Lands;
    5. Mammals;
    6. Climate;
    7. Aerials;
    8. Insects and Arachnids;
    9. Plants and/or Fungi;
    10. Underwater Life;
    11. Birds; or
    12. Reptiles and Amphibians.

You may enter an unlimited number of photos, but you may not use an agency or automated system to enter.

Sponsor reserves the right to reject any additional entries or entries that do not comply with these Contest Rules. By entering, you indicate your unconditional agreement to, and acceptance of, these Contest Rules and Sponsor’s decisions, which are final and binding. You cannot win a prize unless you comply with all requirements in these Contest Rules.

Entrants may be asked to supplement their submission with more explanation about the photo or to provide a higher resolution version of the photo any time during the contest period.

Submission Categories

A single category must be selected when submitting an entry to the Photo Contest. Entries will be considered from the following categories:

  • People and Nature: Portrayals of individuals connecting and interacting with the environment. Images can be a person or people in an outdoor setting or feature the impact of people in nature, such as a building or other human-made construction. Images can also display interactions between people while in nature or interactions with animals or plants.
  • Plants and Fungi: Portrayals of any plant or fungus in its natural environment. Images should highlight their ecological roles and importance, unique features, or incredible beauty. Includes flowers, trees, shrubs, and vegetation in general, as well as lichen, and fungi such as mushrooms.
  • Mammals: Portrayals of mammals in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Images of domestic animals and captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms are not permitted.
  • Birds: Portrayals of birds in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Images of domestic animals and captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms are not permitted.
  • Reptiles and Amphibians: Portrayals of reptiles and amphibians in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Includes, but not limited to, snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises, and crocodilians, as well as frogs, toads, salamanders, and newts. Images of domestic animals and captive animals photographed in zoos and commercial game farms are not permitted.
  • Insects and Arachnids: Portrayals of insects and arachnids in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species. Includes, but not limited to, bees, butterflies, beetles, grasshoppers, spiders, and scorpions.
  • Underwater Life: Portrayals of aquatic life in their natural environments that capture their behaviors, habitats, or relationships with each other or other species and highlight the ecological importance of aquatic ecosystems. Images can include aquatic animals or plants, as well as interactions in larger ecosystems such as coastal mangroves and coral reefs.
  • Lands: Images capturing mountains, hills, deserts, or forests. Images could include people or wildlife, but the primary focus should be the land.
  • Oceans: Images capturing the greater ocean. Includes images above the ocean’s surface, such as waves, or below, capturing a larger view of ocean life. Images could include people or wildlife, but the primary focus should be the ocean.
  • Freshwater: Images capturing freshwater bodies and systems. Images should feature lakes, rivers, ponds, waterfalls, or the lives they support. Could be landscapes or portray wildlife such as freshwater plants, animals, or their interactions within their environment.
  • Climate: Images capturing our changing world and highlighting the causes and effects of climate change. Could display visual impacts of climate change, extreme weather events, interactions between changing climate and nature, or humanity’s place in our current climate. While demonstrating the consequences of climate change, images can also depict efforts toward climate resilience and mitigation.
  • Aerials: Images capturing our world from a birds-eye view while highlighting patterns of land or water. Images can be taken with drones or aircraft. Photographer must abide by local laws and regulations governing drone and aircraft use.

Award Categories

Winning submissions will be selected for the following award categories:

  • One (1) Grand Prize winner
  • Twelve (12) Category First Place winners, one (1) per category
  • Twelve (12) Category Second Place winners, one (1) per category
  • Twelve (12) Category Third Place winners, one (1) per category

Judging

Judging will be conducted by a panel of photo editors to be selected by the Sponsor at its sole discretion (the “Panel”). Photos will be judged by the Panel on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact, artistic merit and subject matter relevance to The Conservancy’s Priorities and mission.

The Panel will evaluate all valid entries and make daily selections into a group of Judges’ Favorite images, (“Judges’ Favorites”). All winners will be selected by the Panel from the Judges Favorites. Judges’ Favorites will appear on nature.org/photocontest by 11:59pm GMT November 9, 2023.

All judging decisions are final. Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

Results

All winners will be announced on nature.org/photocontest by 11:59pm GMT on November 9, 2023. The Conservancy will notify the winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry.

To request a winners list by mail, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request to The Nature Conservancy, Photo Contest, 4245 N Fairfax Dr. Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203. Requests must be received by November 9, 2023.

Prizes

All award winners may receive mention on The Conservancy’s digital presences, as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion. In addition, The Conservancy, and where applicable its corporate award provider(s), will award the following prizes:

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • $5,000 USD Camera kit or camera kit gift card, as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Twelve (12) Category First Place winners (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • $1,000 USD Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Twelve (12) Category Second Place winners (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • $500 USD Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Twelve (12) Category Third Place winners (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • $250 USD Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card as determined by The Conservancy in its sole discretion.

Additional Local Contests and Local Prize Information

In the Conservancy’s sole discretion, you may also be entered into the Conservancy’s local contests automatically as applicable based on your jurisdiction. To the maximum extent permissible by law, these Contest Rules apply to those local contests, as well as any additional local contest rules. Local contest rules and details about local prizes are available below:

Indonesia Contest Prizes

One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive:

  • Three-day, two-night conservation educational excursion to Berau, East Kalimantan, for one (1) winner. The trip will be conducted at the latest in June 2024. YKAN will arrange the winner’s trip including the flight expenses from within Indonesia, land transportation, and three days and two nights of accommodation.

One winner from 12 categories (one (1) per category) will receive:

  • E-gift card Tokopedia voucher worth IDR 2,500,000 (25% tax deduction will be applied to the value of each winner prize)

Terms and Conditions:

  • Winners and contest prizes are subject to the terms and conditions of the 2023 TNC Global Photo Contest.
  • Each respective winner will bear any tax regulations related to the competition prize.
  • The winners must provide personal identification information (Tax ID/ID Card) for YKAN’s documentation purposes.
  • The judges’ decisions are absolute and irrevocable.
  • Prizes cannot be transferred or exchanged.

Potential Winner Requirements

Except where prohibited, a potential winner may be required to complete and return an affidavit of eligibility, including proof of age and liability/publicity release within 10 calendar days. If a potential winner fails to return these documents on time, an alternate potential winner may be selected in his/her place.

IP Rights

Your photographs help The Conservancy protect Earth’s amazing diversity of wildlife, people, plants and habitats. Thank you for helping to further our mission through your photography.

You will retain all rights to any photograph you submit—including ownership if applicable.

If you submit a photograph to the Photo Contest, you grant The Conservancy and its related entities such as affiliates and subsidiaries a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive right in perpetuity to use the photograph submitted for any purpose, including but not limited to:

The Conservancy will endeavor to credit all photographs with the credit “Person’s Name” when the full name is available.

General Conditions

In the event that the operation, security, or administration of the Photo Contest is impaired in any way, Sponsor may, in its sole discretion, either: (a) suspend the Photo Contest to address the impairment and then resume the Photo Contest; or (b) award the prize(s) from among the eligible entries received up to the time of the impairment. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify and seek damages from any individual who tampers with the operation of the Photo Contest, violates these Contest Rules, or acts in a disruptive or unsportsmanlike manner. Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Contest Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision. Proof of sending any communication to Sponsor by mail shall not be deemed proof of receipt of that communication by Sponsor. In the event of a dispute as to the owner of an online entry, the authorised account holder of the email address used to enter will be deemed to be the owner. The Photo Contest is subject to federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited.

Release and Limitations of Liability

By entering, to the maximum extent permissible by law, you agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, their respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action arising out of participation in the Photo Contest, use of the photograph or associated data (including personal data), or receipt or use of any prize, including, but not limited to: (a) unauthorised human intervention in the Photo Contest; (b) technical errors; (c) printing errors; (d) late or undelivered mail; (e) errors in the administration of the Photo Contest; or (f) injury or damage to persons or property. You waive the right to claim any attorneys’ fees and any damages whatsoever, including, but not limited to, punitive, consequential, direct, or indirect damages.

E-Supporter

When you enter, there will be an opt-in to become an e-supporter of The Conservancy. This includes special event invitations, digital messages, text and a monthly e-newsletter. If you choose to opt in to receiving communications from the Conservancy, you may cancel and unsubscribe at any time following the unsubscribe instructions provided via those channels.

Privacy and Publicity

Any information you submit as part of the Photo Contest will be used in accordance with Sponsor’s Privacy Policy. By submitting such information, you expressly consent to the Conservancy’s Privacy Policy. The information you provide when you enter is provided to Sponsor. Except where prohibited, you consent to Sponsor’s use of your name in any list of winners (if applicable) and/or for promotional purposes in any media without further payment or consideration.

Disputes

You agree that any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of, or connected with, the Photo Contest or any prize awarded shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, and exclusively by the appropriate court located in Virginia. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Contest Rules, your rights and obligations, or the rights and obligations of Sponsor in connection with the Photo Contest, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of Virginia, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules (whether of Virginia or any other jurisdiction), which would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than Virginia.

Questions

Questions and inquiries about Contest Rules can be emailed to photocontest@tnc.org or indonesia@ykan.or.id