Commons:Beautiful Europe 2013

Welcome to the ECNC photo competition 2013 - For a Beautiful Europe.

Introduction

Europe is spectacularly diverse and beautiful. Man and nature need to co-exist in a relatively compact area, strongly influencing each other. In the framework of its 20th anniversary, ECNC-European Centre for Nature Conservation, together with Wikimedia Nederland, is organizing a photo competition about the core relationships between man and nature. The competition is called: ‘for a Beautiful Europe’.

The purpose of this photo competition is to improve the communication, education and awareness raising about European nature and its direct link to man by providing publicly available images.

Topics

Submit your best pictures of the various services nature offers to man, or of management and use of nature by man.

Duration and submission

Participants can upload their photos until 19 October 2013 via Wikimedia Commons. The submitted pictures will be in the Wikimedia Commons database for everyone to use. We believe that offering a wide range of publicly available pictures illustrating the various facets of the interaction between man and nature can contribute to a better awareness raising on the current challenges facing the conservation of Europe’s nature.

Requirements

• Photographs should be taken in Europe and clearly illustrate the link between man and nature through one of the following categories:
  • Nature working for man: photos of benefits supplied by nature in urban as well as rural areas, for instance the production of food and water, the control of climate and disease, nutrient cycles, spiritual or recreational benefits, green roofs and walls, biodiversity gardens, city farming, field margins or corridors, biological pest control and pollination, agricultural bird conservation activities, water management, etc.
  • Man working for nature: photos of environmental management and restoration activities as well as office work, for instance earth works (topsoil removal, construction or removal of dykes), digging ponds, planting trees, herding sheep / cattle, seeding, meetings, workshops, discussions, planning, drafting project plans, scientific research, monitoring etc.
• Photographs have to be full-colour.
• You may submit as many photos as you wish, in jpeg or png format. Hard (printed) copies are not eligible. Also, you cannot enter illustrations, art works, animations or videos.
• All photos you submit need to be your own work and you need to have full copyright.

Prizes

1st Prize: The winning submission in each category will be awarded a European nature holiday worth 1000 euro.

2nd Prize: An Amazon voucher for photography equipment (for each category)

3rd Prize: Nature photography book ‘Wild Wonders of Europe’ (for each category)

The 25 best submissions (in each category) will be showcased in a physical exhibition during the award ceremony 19 and 20 November in Brussels.

Selection jury and assessment

The jury of the competition will select the winning entries for each category and announce the winners during an award ceremony 19 and 20 November 2013 in Brussels. The jury exists of:

1. Representative ECNC
2. Representative Wikimedia
3. European landscape photographer

During the assessment the following criteria will be taken into consideration:

1. Composition and technical realization
2. Ability to successfully convey the message
3. Originality

Legal terms

Entrants must refer to the full competition terms and conditions before entering. When entering the competition, photographers agree to the following rules and conditions:

1. ECNC reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any entry, not name the winner and cancel the photo exhibit where photos of sufficient quality or quantity have not been received.
2. By entering, participants release and hold harmless the ECNC and its officers and representatives from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with the contest or any prize won, any use of the entry materials by ECNC.
3. ECNC is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to Wikimedia Commons, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors.
4. ECNC reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify, extend or suspend the competition.
5. All decisions by the jury will be final and binding. People selected by ECNC will serve as the review and judging committee.