Nature Division
Definitions Used and Judging Criteria

• Only Wildlife photographs may be entered in the Wildlife Section. Wildlife photos may be entered in the General Section also.
  
  
• WHITE OR GREY BORDERS OF UP TO 3 PIXELS IN WIDTH ARE PERMITTED. LARGER OR COLOR BORDERS ARE NOT PERMITTED.
  
  
• Section 1 (General):
  Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archeology, in such a fashion that a well informed person will be able to identify the subject material and to certify as to its honest presentation. The STORY-TELLING VALUE of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements* (see below) shall not be present, except on the rare occasion where those human elements enhance the nature story. The presence of scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals is permissible. Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals** (see below), mounted specimens, or obviously set arrangements, are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement.
  
  No techniques that add to, relocate, replace, or remove pictorial elements except by cropping are permitted. Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content are permitted - as is HDR. All adjustments must appear natural. Color images can be converted to grayscale monochrome. Infrared images are not allowed.
  
  
• Section 2 (Theme - Wildlife):
  IN ADDITION to the requirements of Section 1, Authentic Wildlife is defined as one or more organisms living free and unrestrained in a natural, or adopted habitat. Therefore, landscapes, photographs of zoo or game farm animals, or any living subject taken under controlled conditions, are NOT eligible for wildlife competitions. Authentic wildlife is not limited to uncontrolled zoological subjects. Land and marine botanical subjects in the wild (including fungi and algae) are also eligible subjects, as are animal carcasses.
  
  *HUMAN ELEMENTS ARE NOT PERMITTED IN EITHER SECTION, that is, there CANNOT be any element of the image that is made by human beings such as fences, posts, sawed tree limbs, or house sidings.
  
  **ARTIFICIALLY PRODUCED HYBRID PLANTS OR ANIMALS includes any plant or animal known to the makers or the judges to have been cultivated, cross-bred, or genetically engineered by human beings, including domesticated animals.