Nature Competition

NATURE COMPETITION

Nature Competitions

There are four Nature competitions each year, one in the fall and three in the winter/spring. There are four categories in Nature: Botany, General, Ornithology, and Zoology. At the end of the season there is a competition for Image of the Year for each category. The storytelling value of a Nature image is weighed more than the pictorial quality, although it must still display technical quality.

Definitions of the Nature categories:

Botany
Wildflowers, trees, plants, and fungi growing in the wild or cultivated in botanical gardens, etc. in their botanical form.

General
Natural phenomena such as landscapes or seascapes, rocks, fossils, astronomy, etc.

Ornithology
Undomesticated birds in their natural habitat, in a zoo, game farm, refuge, or aquarium.

Zoology
Mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects in their natural environment, in refuges, or in zoos.

NOTES:
Any trace of “hand of man” in a Nature image entry shall disqualify it from being accepted:

NO roads, houses, fences, electrical wires, mown grass, tool-cut wood, or humans
NO horticultural varieties of plants (cultivated plants) such as tulips or daffodils, or still life studies (not found in nature)
In the case of zoo/reserve animals or birds, NO cage bars, concrete walls, mown grass, zoo straw, bedding, etc.
The Zoology category excludes domestic animals (dogs, cats, livestock, etc.), feral animals, or mounted/museum specimens

Exception: Species associated with manmade features (for example: pelicans on pier posts, storks on tall manmade structures, barn owls in barns, etc).

Please note that we will be employing the CAPA rules when it comes to the “hand of man” for the 3rd Nature competition, but only for the Ornithology and Zoology categories. Additional information will be provided when introducing the Themed Categories for Nature Competition 3.

In Nature, titles should be informative, but concise. Where possible, tell a story or provide information with nature value. Some judges like to see the scientific Latin name, in parentheses, after the common name of the plant or animal, although this is not essential. Include only what you have observed, not what you imagine might be happening.

MCC does not in any way condone baiting of birds or animals. Images made using baiting are ineligible for competition. Competition entries in which the subject(s) appear to have been baited should be accompanied by a note affirming that no baiting was used by the photographer or others present.

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