All photographs must be of natural fauna, flora or wilderness. Entries are to be submitted as prints. All photographs must have been taken in the bioregion. For the purposes of this competition, this means the countries of Australia and New Zealand, and the regions of Antarctica and New Guinea. The region of New Guinea is limited to the west by the Wallace Line (the bio-geographical line extending between Bali and Lombok northward through the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi). To the east the New Guinea region includes the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagos and islands of the South West Pacific.

Entries in all sections are invited from photographers who use either digital or film cameras.

Judges will consider the photographic technique plus the aesthetic, artistic and unique quality of all images when making their selections.

There are ten sections to the competition. Black and White prints may be entered in the specific Black and White section or as an alternative to colour in the Junior section. In all other sections entries must be in colour.

(1) Animal Behaviour. The subject or subjects must be engaged in natural activity.

(2) Animal Portrait. The subject must be photographed close up, occupying at least 30 per cent of the frame.

(3) Botanical Subject. This may be a portrait or habitat shot.

(4) Underwater Subject. This may be a portrait or habitat shot.

(5) Wilderness Landscape. The landscape or seascape must have minimal evidence of human interference.

(6) Threatened Animals or Plants. The subject or subjects may be photographed in any of the following ways:

• In portrait
• Engaged in natural activity
• In natural habitat.

All entries in this section must be accompanied by an official reference (valid for any of the previous five years prior to the date of close of entries) from the country’s state or federal government agency concerned with flora and fauna verifying the subject’s threatened, rare, vulnerable or endangered status.

(7) Black and White. A subject or subjects must be chosen that would qualify for any of the first six sections. This section includes all monochrome photography e.g. sepia-toned and infrared photographs.

(8) Interpretive Photography. A subject or subjects must be chosen that would qualify for any of the first six sections. This section is designed for those photographers who wish to experiment graphically with their images.

(9) Our Impact. The image must depict human impact on the natural environment, be it terrestrial, marine or atmospheric. This impact may be negative or positive. The choice of subjects is broad, including any subject that would qualify for the first six sections, or may extend beyond these to subjects relating to pollution and climate change.

(10) Junior Photography. The entrant must be under 18 years of age at the date of close of entries. Entries must otherwise qualify for any of the first nine sections.

Up to four images may be entered in each of the ten sections. The judges will choose a winner and runner-up for each section. Entries not placed but of a particularly high standard will be ‘Highly Commended’.

A prize will also be awarded to the photographer who enters the best Portfolio of six or more entries.

The overall winner of the competition will be the photographer of the image judged the best of all images entered and will be named ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year–2008.

Prizes
A prize of AU$1000 plus a certificate will be awarded to each of the nine senior section winners with the runners-up receiving AU$450 plus a certificate. The Junior Section winner will receive AU$300 plus a certificate with the runner-up receiving AU$100 plus a certificate. All Highly Commended entries will receive a certificate. In addition, a prize of AU$1000 plus a certificate will be awarded to the photographer who enters the best portfolio of six or more entries. The ANZANG Nature and Landscape Photographer of the Year–2008 will receive AU$5000 plus an inscribed award.

SMM 28-7-08

Weddell Seal
Lyn Irvine, Ridgeway, Tasmania