Showcase Southern Utah’s wonders in global photo contest for a chance at over $25K in prizes

Written by Alysha Lundgren
September 5, 2023

ST. GEORGE — After last year’s record-breaking number of submissions, The Nature Conservancy is kicking off its annual photo contest with twice as many categories and over $25,000 in prizes. So how can Southern Utahns join the fun?

Dawn glows over the horizon in Moab, Utah, circa December 2020 | Photo courtesy of Hayley LaRiviere/TNC PC 2022, St. George News

The Global Photo Contest is open to photographers of all levels, according to a news release issued by the nonprofit. They should submit their best work by Sept. 29 in these 12 categories:

  • Oceans
  • People and nature
  • Plants and fungi
  • Freshwater
  • Lands
  • Mammals
  • Climate
  • Aerials
  • Insects and arachnids
  • Underwater life
  • Birds
  • Reptiles and amphibians

Each category will have first, second and third-place prizes, as well as honorable mentions. According to the nonprofit’s website, each category winner will receive a $1,000 Amazon, Mercado Libre or Alibaba gift card. Second-place winners will be given $500 gift cards from the same companies, with cards worth $250 going to those in third place.

Additionally, the nonprofit will award an overall grand prize winner, who will receive a $5,000 camera kit or camera kit gift card.

(Clockwise L-R): Global Photo Contest judges Javier Aznar, Smita Sharma, Morgan Heim, Frans Lanting and Alex Snyder can be seen in this composite image, date and locations unspecified | Photos courtesy of The Nature Conservancy, St. George News

The judge’s panel will include photographer Javier Aznar, photojournalist and filmmaker Morgan Heim, photojournalist Smita Sharma, natural history photographer Frans Lanting, and lead judge and this year’s Contest Director Alex Snyder.

“Selected submissions reach the eyes and touch the hearts of millions of people around the globe and will earn photographers cash prizes from a pool of over $25,000,” the release states.

Last year’s contest received over 100,000 entries from 196 countries and territories — breaking previous records. This prompted the nonprofit to double the number of categories from six to 12, according to The Conservancy.

“The diversity of images from around the world gave a glimpse into our fragile planet and all the life that inhabits it,” said then-judge Ami Vitale. “The contest itself was a mesmerizing odyssey, and we are left with a profound message of how interconnected all of us are and what it means to our own survival to intermingle with wildness.”

The “Tree of Life” won last year’s Global Photo Contest, Southwest China, June 10, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Li Ping/TNC PC 2022, St. George News

“Each year, the Global Photo Contest takes us on a visual journey around the world,” Snyder said in a statement to St. George News. “It drives home the importance and power of photography.

“When someone takes the time to make an image, they’re showing everyone what matters most to them,” he continued. “We get submissions from almost every country on the planet, and the message is clear — this planet and its natural wonders are worth protecting.”

Last year’s winning photo was the “Tree of Life” by Chinese photographer Li Ping. The aerial shot features a “barren highway bordered by a striking formation of erosion-formed gullies extending outward in the shape of a tree.”

According to the nonprofit, Ping slept in a roadside parking lot to capture the image early in the morning.

The earth rolls in this aerial photo taken from an airplane in Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Jason Todorav/TNC PC 2022, St. George News

Utahns submitted various photos in last year’s contest, including a leaping cougar, the sun rising over Moab and a bee pollinating a flower against a dark backdrop.

One photographer took to the sky in his airplane to showcase the carved sedimentary landscape below, and another captured a golden-eyed burrowing owl among yellow flowers.

Southern Utahns interested in participating should capture the places they know, Snyder said.

“There’s no need to travel to far-off exotic places to make a great photo,” he said.

Additionally, artists should:

  • Have patience and wait for the perfect light and moment.
  • Be creative. Explore the settings on their cameras and experiment with motion and light.
  • Research their subject. To be as prepared as possible, they should learn about ecology, life cycles and behaviors, among other information.
  • Consider the whole picture. Every part of the frame is important and should add something to the overall shot.
  • Be respectful and read the rules.

    In this file photo, mushrooms grow in Dixie National Forest, Utah, Aug. 19, 2022 | Photo by Alysha Lundgren, Cedar City News

Contest rules

In the U.S., the photo contest is open to professional and amateur photographers aged 18 or older. According to The Nature Conservancy’s website, all entries must be submitted by Sept. 29 at 11:59 p.m. GMT — 5:59 p.m. MDT, according to the nonprofit’s website.

Submitted files should not be larger than 4032-by-4032 pixels or 25 megabytes, but the nonprofit will request the originals in high resolution for photos that make it to the final round of judging.

Accepted file formats include. jpeg, .jpg, or .png, the nonprofit states.

Photos digitally altered in a way that does not “reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared” will be disqualified. Cropping, removing dust, and reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast are acceptable.

In this file photo, a monarch butterfly perches on a strand of lavender at Baker Creek Lavender Farm, Central, Utah, June 29, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Various formats are accepted, including high-dynamic range photos and color or black-and-white prints. Watermarked images are not accepted.

If people are featured, the photographer will need to have them sign the appropriate release forms, which must be supplied to The Nature Conservancy if requested.

Images published previously can be entered if the photographer did not grant exclusive rights and maintained the right to grant the conservancy a license. The nonprofit requires a disclosure indicating when and where the work appeared.

The nonprofit states that other ineligible works include:

  • Photos of captive animals in zoos or on commercial game farms, those that involve willfully harassing wildlife, that put a person or animal in danger, or were created in a way that caused damage to the environment. This includes images taken in “areas where human presence is restricted by authorities or relevant property managers.”

    A burrowing owl perches among yellow flowers, Antelope Island, Great Salt Lake, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Joel Long/TNC PC 2022, St. George News
  • Images that are explicit, obscene or violent, or those that contain nudity or other “objectionable or inappropriate content.”
  • Works created using artificial intelligence.

Entries should include:

  • The photo’s title.
  • A caption describing the content, location — including the country, state or province — and the story behind the work.
  • One category for each photo.

The number of entries is not limited, but participants cannot use an agency or automated system to submit, the nonprofit writes.

Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, artistic merit, overall impact and relevance to The Nature Conservancy’s mission and priorities. These include supporting biodiversity and solving climate change, according to its website.

In this file photo, lightning strikes St. George, Utah, Aug. 31, 2023 | Photo courtesy Andy Hintze, St. George News

Winners will be announced by 5:59 p.m. MST on Nov. 9.

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

Those seeking inspiration can find last year’s winning photos here.

Additionally, some shots entered in the contest, and others taken by St. George News reporters and readers that feature Southern Utah, can be found in the photo gallery below.

To enter the contest, click here. Those with questions about the contest can submit them via email.

Photo Gallery

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alysha Lundgren joined the St. George News team in 2022. She began her career as a freelancer, writing resource articles for families of children with disabilities. She's also covered topics such as astronomy, recreation and nature. Originally from Nevada, Alysha fell in love with Utah quickly after moving to Cedar City. In her free time, she enjoys wandering and photographing Utah's gorgeous landscapes or hunkering down in a blanket to play video games or read a good book.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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