PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPETITION RULES

Entries are now open for the Galapagos Conservation Trust's 2009 International Photo Competition

What Photos to Enter

We are looking for striking, unique, pin-sharp images of the flora, fauna and landscapes of Galapagos for inclusion in our 2011 GCT calendar.

The images may show natural land or seascapes, animal behaviour, portraits of wildlife in their natural habitat, plant life etc.

We are looking for both iconic Galapagos images, and also photos of some of the less well-known or photographed species that inhabit this archipelago. Winning photographs are likely to be ones that demonstrate flair, good composition and originality.

We encourage entrants to make a voluntary donation to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, and £5 per entry is recommended. Your donations will support one of our many projects in the Galapagos Islands.

The competition closes at midnight on the 31 October 2009.

Amended Rules

This year we have amended the rules slightly, and you can enter up to six images in any of the categories listed below. For example, photographers may enter all images in a single category or select different categories as long as the total submission does not exceed 6 photographs. Photos may be colour or black and white. Only digital images greater than 2MB and 1600 pixels on the shortest edge will be accepted.

• Marine
• Flora
• Landscape
• Birds
• Reptiles
• Other

Judging Process

A selection of the best images will be short-listed, and will be displayed on the GCT website in the month of December for our online voting. The image with the highest number of votes will become the "Public's Winner".

The short-listed photographs will also be judged by a panel of experts who will consider the originality, composition, clarity, technical excellence, overall impact and artistic merit of the shortlisted images and decide on the overall winning image of the competition, and 10 other winning photographs for inclusion in the calendar. Photos are likely to be selected that provide a diverse range of interesting images for inclusion in the 2011 calendar. It should be noted that images similar to winners in previous years' calendars are unlikely to be chosen. The winning photographs from previous years can be seen here

One judge has been confirmed to date, more to follow:

• Pete Oxford - Naturalist, biologist, photographer, conservationist, author and licensed National Park guide. Pete has written two books on the Galapagos and currently lives in Ecuador.

The judging panel from the 2008 competition and their comments can be seen here

Prizes



The best 12 photographs will be chosen as the images for our popular Galapagos calendar. All winning entrants will receive 2 free calendars, and the two overall winners from the public online voting and panel voting will also receive 2 free tickets to our annual Galapagos Day event in London.

COMPETITION RULES AND SUBMISSION GUIDANCE:

• Images must be of Galapagos wildlife or landscapes
• Images should be of a landscape orientation only, to comply with the calendar design
• Each entrant may enter up to 6 photos in any of the categories listed above.
• Any photos that have previously been entered in a GCT photo competition are ineligible.
• Submissions must be received by midnight on the 31 October 2009.
• How to Enter Only digital entries are accepted. We no longer accept postal entries. Each photo must be a high resolution image, with a minimum resolution of 1600 pixels on the shortest edge, a minimum file size of 2MB and minimum resolution of 300 dpi. The maximum file size is 5MB. All photos must be in .jpg format. Entrants may be asked to supply the original photo file should they make it to the shortlisted round.
• Please enter the competition by completing an ENTRY FORM , then email your photos to us as instructed on the entry form. Photos should be emailed one at a time. The email must have "PHOTO ENTRY" and your name in the subject line.
• Each image file must be labeled with your name and the species and/or location of the photo. e.g. the file name might be "Joe Bloggs Land Iguana". In each email please include your name, your address, your phone number, the location of the photo, and any relevant or interesting information about the photo.
• Digital Alterations All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will not be considered for the final round. Acceptable are adjustments to colour, contrast, brightness and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black and white conversions. Not acceptable are photo composites (combination of two or more photos, not of the same scene); the addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos; or the use of artistic digital filters and effects. The competition organizers and the judges reserve the right to exclude any image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.
• Please note - we may need to crop your photo to fit the dimensions of the calendar so it is preferable not to crop you photo too close to the subject matter as this may make it ineligible for inclusion in the calendar.
• Photographer's rights Your entry into this photo competition constitutes your agreement to grant the Galapagos Conservation Trust (a) a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display the photographs you submit to the Galapagos Conservation Trust, for use in any Galapagos Conservation Trust publication or webpage related to the Photographic Competition, and to be used in Galapagos Conservation Trust promotions, including, but not limited to, advertising future photographic competitions, publications from GCT or other organisations, exhibitions, future marketing materials and campaigns, webpages, email bulletins; and (b) the right to use your name, occupation, city, state and country of residence in any publication. We will endeavour to ensure that your images are always duly credited but are unable to take responsibility should your name be omitted.
• All entries must be the original work of the entrant, and must not infringe on the rights of any other party. The entrant must be the sole copyright in all photographs entered.
• By entering this competition entrants will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these rules and the competition organizers reserve the right to excluded any entry from the competition at any time and in its absolutes discretion if the organizers have reason to believe that an entrant has breached these rules.
• A list of winners will appear on the website. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
• competition is not open to GCT employees or their families.

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