Term:

The Singing Grass Nature Photographer of the Year Contest begins January 1, 2023, and ends October 31, 2023, at 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest and states that he or she is 18 years old or older.

Who may enter:

The contest is open to photographers who are 18 years old or older. Individuals affiliated with The Singing Grass, including employees, partners, directors, trustees, interns, volunteers, fellows, research associates and their immediate families (children, parents, siblings and spouses) and others living in their households are not eligible for any prize. The Singing Grass will determine winners’ eligibility in its sole discretion.

What to enter:

To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since January 1, 2018. This date applies to all images in a composite. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.

Cropped photos are eligible in all categories. Minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable for all categories. The addition and subtraction of objects is not permitted except in the Artistic Images category. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo beyond normal photo editing best practices, they reserve the right to disqualify it. 

The Singing Grass in its sole discretion reserves the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or permit the submission to remain in the contest.

Photos must be taken in accordance with federal, state and local laws.

Photos that violate or infringe upon another person's rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.

Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by The Singing Grass in its sole discretion, are ineligible for all categories of this contest.

Ethics

The welfare of a subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to capture a photograph. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.

If baiting was used to attract wildlife, or special equipment such as camera traps and drones used to capture the photograph, this must be disclosed. Live baiting of wildlife is not permitted. 

How to Enter:

Please submit photographs and requested information online through our website at www.thesinginggrass.com. You may submit up to 15 photographs per category for the contest. In order to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted, photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg or .gif format, edited for web in sRGB color space, at least 2,000 pixels wide and no larger than 10 MB. You must complete a separate form for each photo submitted.

We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.

Finalists must be prepared to submit an original, unedited digital file or an original negative, print or slide. Original negatives, prints or slides will be returned to finalists. The Singing Grass reserves the right to disqualify incomplete entries and/or contestants who are unable to submit, upon request, a high-resolution photograph of at least 300 dpi at 3,000 pixels on the longest side or an original photo negative, print or slide. Mobile photographs are exempt from this size requirement but must be submitted at their highest resolution upon request.

The Singing Grass may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.

You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant The Singing Grass (and those authorized by The Singing Grass) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of the magazine and its website, exhibition, and commercial products (this includes any sales of products utilizing the photograph), including but not limited to The Singing Grass publications. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. The Singing Grass will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Use of your personal data:

Participation in the contest requires the collection of your name and email address by The Singing Grass. By entering this contest, you are consenting to the use of your name and email address for further communications regarding this contest. 

Entry deadline:

The contest begins on January 1, 2023. All entries must be received through www.thesinginggrass.com by 5:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on October 31, 2023.

Judging

Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, responsiveness to the prompt and overall impact.

The Singing Grass will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; The Singing Grass may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within five business days.

Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

Online Features:

The Singing Grass may select photos for highlight on its website or display in a publicly accessible contest archive. Such selections will be made in The Singing Grass sole discretion.

Conditions of Entry:

All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective regents, directors, officers, employees, fellows, interns, research associates, and volunteers (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred because of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.

The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. The Singing Grass reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, The Singing Grass reserves the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. The Singing Grass reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Decisions of The Singing Grass are final and binding.

Last updated: December 2022