Nature inFocus
Photographer of the Year
Certificate
Trophy
Winner
(1 per category)
Certificate
Trophy
Runner-up
(1 per category)
Certificate
Trophy
Special Mention
(5 per category)
Certificate
Trophy
President, Wildlife Conservation Trust
Dr Anish Andheria is the President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust (WCT), a not-for-profit set up to preserve, protect and conserve forests and wildlife. Anish is a member of several government committees, including the NTCA; the State Boards of Wildlife of Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir; the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, the Executive Committee of the Gujarat State Lion Conservation Society and Tiger Conservation Steering Committee of Madhya Pradesh. He was awarded the prestigious Carl Zeiss Conservation Award in 2008 and the UAA-Institute of Chemical Technology Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2017.
Founder, Nature inFocus
Rohit Varma is a marketeer by profession. He is passionate about the natural world and conservation, and is a keen wildlife photographer and filmmaker.
Categories 1-5 have 7 prizes each:
Only one Winner will be declared for Category 6 (Nature inFocus Photographer of the Year).
The cash prize for each of the categories will be:
Here is a quick reference for some of the questions you might have. But do read the Terms & Conditions of the competition for the nitty-gritty. In fact, we insist you do so before submitting your images.
If I face trouble with the submission process, whom should I contact for help?
You should be able to find the answers to most of your queries here. Please read through the FAQs before you contact us at contests@natureinfocus.in.
I did not get a confirmation email after signing up. Why?
Please check your spam folder, sometimes we get grouped with the dirty bunch. Blasphemous, right?!
Unable to log in, the password is not working. What do I do?
Again, make sure to check your spam folder, if you can’t find the email with the new password in your inbox. If you can’t find the email, go back to the login page and generate a new password using your registered email ID.
Can I log in with last year’s login details?
No, you will have to register afresh to be able to log in and participate.
Photos after upload seem to lose colour and brightness and the thumbnail preview looks different. Should I be concerned?
The photos you have uploaded are saved in their original form, without any changes or edits, directly in our database. What you see as thumbnails on the site are just low-resolution previews of the same images. The judges will not be looking at these previews; they will only review the original files you submitted, which are now saved in our database.
I can’t find a submit button. Have my entries gone through?
Not to worry, your entries have gone through. There is no Submit button for the six categories because your submissions get saved in our database as and when you upload them. Only for Nature inFocus Photographer of the Year, we have added a 'Submit Photo Story' button to ensure the capture of photo story data. Once you upload images and click the 'Submit Photo Story' button, the data will be captured, and the button will change to 'Edit Photo Story'. You can make changes to your photo story using the same. Remember, you will lose all photo story data if you exit the page without submitting.
How many images can I submit?
You can upload up to 30 photographs across 5 categories (Animal Behaviour, Animal Portraits, Conservation Focus, Creative Nature Photography, Wildscape & Animals in Their Habitat), with no restrictions on the number of images in each category. You have the freedom to upload all 30 images in one category or to divide them across categories. In the 6th category, Nature inFocus Photographer of the Year, you can upload a minimum of 6 and a maximum of 10 images. For the Young Photographer category, you can upload up to 15 images.
Is it mandatory to submit images in all the categories?
Of course, not! You can submit all your entries in just one category if you so wish. However, we urge you to submit all of your best work, across categories.
What should I write in the caption?
The caption should ideally ‘explain’ the photograph to the viewer. A simple trick to writing a good caption is to describe the WHO-WHAT-WHY-WHERE-WHEN of the scene you have photographed. We frequently share submissions and winning images on our social media pages. Explore #NiFAwards2023 to read captions from our competition last year.
Can you give me an example of a photo story for the Nature inFocus Photographer of the Year category?
Please click through these links for inspiration:
Disappearing Guardians | Nature inFocus
Giants in Peril | Nature inFocus
Balam—The Endangered King of the Mayan Jungle | Nature inFocus
Mohun in Danger | Nature inFocus
Can I submit images of captive animals?
Unless you are trying to highlight a wildlife conservation issue, our answer is NO.
My image is very heavy in size and I don’t know how to reduce it to under 2MB.
Have you tried the ‘Save For Web’ option on Photoshop and Lightroom? You will also find tutorials online.
Why do you have a rule about the image being 72 DPI?
We recommend 72 DPI to restrict the image under 2MB. If you are able to ensure that your image is under 2MB even with a higher DPI value, feel free to process it accordingly.
Why do you charge entry fees?
The modest participation fee covers the cost of bringing together an expert panel of judges to review and score each image, as well as submission administration costs and exhibition venue hire.
When does the competition close?
The competition will close when the clock strikes 11:59 PM (India Time – UTC + 05:30) on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
Will the deadline be extended?
No, the deadline will not be extended.
Once the competition is closed, can I review my entries?
No. You must finish reviewing your entries before the competition closes, at 11:59 PM (India Time – UTC + 05:30) on Thursday, August 15, 2024.
Is cropping allowed?
Cropping is allowed as long as the original message/content of the photograph is not altered drastically.
Can I submit black and white images?
Yes, black and white images can be submitted in any category.
How will I know if my image is shortlisted?
While we would love to send Hedwig your way (and we are working on that), we entrust this to our email servers for now. You will receive an email from us notifying you that your image/s have been shortlisted.
Will I hear from you if my image is not shortlisted?
Due to the large volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to notify participants individually if their images haven’t been shortlisted.
Will you inform me in advance if I have won a prize?
While you won’t find out exactly what you have won, you will be informed if you are among the winners.
The Nature inFocus Photography Awards honours photographers who devote their time and effort to documenting unique natural history moments and critical conservation issues. Every year, the Awards generates an impressive catalogue of artistic and imaginative images that add to our knowledge and understanding of the natural world. The 2024 edition marks a decade-long endeavour to celebrate and champion nature through photography.