LANDSCAPES
To ensure your photo meets the requirements for the Landscape category, please follow these guidelines:
- Primary Focus: The image should prominently feature natural landscapes, such as mountains, forests, lakes, oceans, or other outdoor scenery.
- People & Structures: Human elements and buildings may be present but should not be the main subject of the image. The natural environment must remain the dominant focus.
- Editing & Enhancements: Basic edits, such as color correction, exposure adjustments, and cropping, are allowed. Excessive manipulation that alters the natural integrity of the scene (e.g., compositing elements from different locations, or sky replacements) is not permitted.
- Original Work: The photo must be your original work, taken by you, and not generated by AI or significantly altered with digital painting techniques.
WILDLIFE
To ensure your photo meets the requirements for the Wildlife category, please follow these guidelines:
- Subject: The image must feature wild animals in their natural environment. Domesticated animals (e.g., pets, farm animals) are not eligible.
- Captivity: Photos of zoo or sanctuary animals are allowed only if there are no visible enclosures, fences, or man-made structures. The setting should appear as natural as possible.
- Human Presence: No people should be visible in the image. The focus should be entirely on the wildlife.
- Editing & Enhancements: Basic edits, such as color correction, exposure adjustments, and cropping, are allowed. However, excessive digital alterations (e.g., adding or removing subjects) are not permitted.
- Ethical Considerations: Entries must depict wildlife in an ethical manner—no baiting, distressing, or interfering with animals for the sake of a photograph.
- Original Work: The photo must be your original work, taken by you, and not generated by AI or significantly altered with digital painting techniques.
FLORA & MACRO
To ensure your photo meets the requirements for the Flora & Macro category, please follow these guidelines:
- Subject: The image should showcase plants, flowers, fungi, or other botanical elements. Macro photography of small natural subjects, such as insects, natural textures, or intricate details, is also included in this category.
- Human & Artificial Elements: People and man-made objects should not be present in the image unless they are minimal and do not distract from the natural subject.
- Editing & Enhancements: Basic edits, such as color correction, exposure adjustments, and cropping, are allowed. However, excessive manipulation that alters the authenticity of the subject is not permitted.l.
- Original Work: The photo must be your original work, taken by you, and not generated by AI or significantly altered with digital painting techniques.