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MontPhoto International Nature Photography Contest, 2018

Welcome to the international contest of Nature Photography MontPhoto 2018, opened to amateurs and professionals from all around the world and organized by the MontPhoto Association.

Since 1997, their mission is to recognize the value, to promote and to broadcast the art of photography and to contribute to the environmental defense.

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The contest rewards the excellence in the photographs. We want to see innovating and inspiring images. We look for unknown places, new visions of the living beings, surprising behaviors or reinterpretations of all that is already known. Your sight documents the diversity, the beauty, the mystery and the fragility of life on our planet.

MontPhoto aims to encourage respect and care for Nature; this is the reason why pictures presented to the contest must reflect fidelity to the natural situations, respecting the originality of the scenery, the conservation of the living beings in their habitat, avoiding their suffering and the perturbation or the interferences in their behavior.

SECTIONS AND CATEGORIES:

Mountain
A1. MOUNTAIN
A2. MOUNTAIN ACTIVITY

Nature
B1.MAMMALS
B2. BIRDS
B3. OTHER ANIMALS
B4. PLANT LIFE
B5. LANDSCAPE

Technic
C1. UNDERWATER WORLD
C2. MACRO

Ecological Report
D. ECOLOGICAL REPORT

Art
E. ART IN NATURE

Each author can participate with a maximum of 25 photographs that can be distributed across the different contest categories.

AWARDS:
From the 109 selected photographs by the jury will be delivered cash awards with a value of more than 23.000€, distributed as follows:

General Awards
· WWF Grant: 6000€ and exhibition production (see grant rules).
· MontPhoto 2018 Honour Award: 2.000€ and diploma.
· The winner of each category: 300€ and diploma.
· Popular vote in each category: Diploma.
· Eight Highly Commended awards by category: Diploma.

Special Awards
· Special Award Girona’s region: 300€ and diploma.
· Special Award Lloret de Mar: 300€ and diploma.

Young Awards
· 6 Awards in the young category (until 14 years old): One photographic experience with Photo Logistics.
· 6 Awards in the young category (15-17 years old): One photographic experience with Photo Logistics.

AEFONA Awards
· 2 awards given to the best photographs of its members to all contest categories..

All finalists will receive a copy of the book Inspired by Nature 2018, an invitation to the Gala Awards ceremony, preferential access to all MontPhoto Festival activities, and one night of accommodation in Lloret de Mar for attendance at the awards ceremony.

ENTRY FEES:
The participation fee costs 20€, except for those under the age of 18 for whom the participation is free. The way of payment is via PayPal or credit card, following the instructions indicated on the website.

Closing Date: April 30, 2018:
You can enter your images to the competition through the website: www.montphoto.com until the contest closing date, next April 30, 2018, at 23.59 hours (CET).

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
The participation is exclusively online. We only accept pictures taken by digital cameras (raw file compulsory).

To participate, you will need a valid e-mail address and a PayPal account or a credit card.

The contest organizers will contact you from one of the following e-mail address: info-at-montphoto.com. Please, include it in your e-mail agenda to avoid blocked communications by the security and anti-spam systems.

CONTEST RULES:
The rules have been elaborated under the supervision and the collaboration of AEFONA and the Catalan Nature Photographers’ Society (Societat Catalana de Fotògrafs de Natura – SCFN), also considering the suggestions of the IFWP, the CEF and the FCF.

CATEGORIES:
A1-Mountain: Photographs which clearly reflect high-laying mountain scenery as any other element of this natural environment.

A2-Mountain activity: Photographs that show sportive mountain activities such as alpinism, climbing, skiing, canyoning, white waters, caving or any other activity related to mountaineering.

B1-Mammals: Mammals, at any stage of their life.

B2-Birds: Birds, at any stage of their life.

B3-Other animals: Animals, at any stage of their life, not included in B1 and B2 categories, such as amphibians, reptiles, etc.

Images from B1, B2 and B3 categories should show the animal behavior through portraits, environment or action scenes.

B4-Plant Life: Plant species in their original habitat, including fungus.

B5-Landscape: Non-harmed nature landscapes, exclu¬ding the ones from A1 category.

C1-Underwater world: Underwater is taken images (freshwaters or salted waters) of flora and fauna and habitat.

C2-Macro: Images taken with the technique of close-up photography, showing tiny nature elements or tiny details.

D-Ecological report: Images showing any element or activity caused by humans (or their consequences) that affects or interferes negatively over any natural area (wild fauna and flora, land, water, air, climate or the natural scenery).

Images must show clearly and unequivocally the reported activity or element as the main subject. Originality will be very especially valued, as well the message and the work setting out reflection elements that help to wake up environmental awareness.

The author has to explain the report. In order to do so, it is recommended to enclose documental information that reinforces it. The jury will have access to this information during the selection phases.

E-Art in nature: Creative compositions or abstractions based on the natural environment.

Special Awards:

· Girona’s region. Will be eligible the images presented in all general categories of the contest taken in Girona’s region.

· Special Award Lloret de Mar. Will be eligible the images presented in all general categories of the contest taken in the village of Lloret de Mar.

To participate in the Special Awards you have to select the option “Girona and/or Lloret de Mar” in the moment of the inscription.

REGISTRATION AND FORMAT:
The Competition is open to amateur or professional nature photographers worldwide. Members of MonPhoto’s Organisation, contributors and sponsors of the contest, and members of the Jury (nor the families of all these) are excluded from participation.

Each author can participate with a maximum of 25 photographs, which can be distributed across the different contest categories.

· The first step is to register on the website: www.montphoto.com
· Once registered, the platform gives the option to formalize the inscription to the contest.
· Uploading the photographs will be allowed once the payment of the entry fee is done.
· The uploaded images can be modified at any time until the inscription deadline. Inscriptions will be automatically closed at 23:59 hours on April 30, 2018.

The image format must be a JPEG, converted to the color space sRGB with the profile embedded. The file size must be of 1920 pixels in its longer side.

The organization will request the raw file of ALL the photographs that reach the final stage of the contest on June 11, 2018. From this date participants will have 8 days to upload the original raw files. In case your images go to the last phase of the contest and you foresee you will not be online those days, please contact the organization.

Whenever convenient, the raw file can be requested at any phase of the contest. Not presenting it will suppose the disqualification of that image.

Images not matching the required format standards will be rejected. In case the size of the image is bigger than allowed, it will be automatically reduced to the stipulated size. The organization will not be responsible for the final result.

Photographs selected for printing will have to exceed 8MP (megapixels). All participants need to have the original raw files, besides copies in JPEG or TIFF format for printing, if the organization asks for them.

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:
No manipulation or digital alteration of the pictures is permitted. Only adjustments that effect to the following terms will be accepted:

· A Global corrections of tonal values, white balance, brightness, contrast, saturation, and moderate adjustment of shadows and highlights.
· B The conversion of the image from color to black and white.
· C Moderate sharpening and selective reduction of digital noise.
· D Do away with vignetting, cleaning dust and scratches and correcting optical distortion and aberrations.
· E Cropping is admitted if the final size of the image is still more than 8MP, without interpolation.
· F Photographs composed of multiple images (HDR, panoramic pictures, and focus-stacking), which must have been taken in the same sequence, are admitted. The editing treatment must be indicated in the inscription of the image. In no case images whose purpose is misleading the audience or showing nature improperly will be admitted.

GENERAL RULES:

    • Domestic and farm animals, as well as cultivated plants, are not admitted. It is compulsory to indicate if the animal is captive, if it has been trained or if any actions have been used to induce a special behavior in the moment of taking the picture.
    • Photographs must have been taken during the last four years (after 01 January 2014)
    • Presenting the same picture, or a similar one, in more than one category is not allowed.
    • MontPhoto awards the originality of the works, so images awarded in any other international contest (absolute winner or category winners) cannot be awarded in this one. Finalists, honorable mentions and similar will be accepted.
    • Photographs cannot have frames, edges, watermarks nor captions.Every image must include a caption with the following information:
  • Description of the image with the behavior observed.
  • The exact place and country.
  • Indicate any circumstances associated and relevant to the place where the photograph has been taken (nature reserve, national park, hunting reserve, etc.).
  • Technical information (i.e. camera, lens, exposure –aperture and speed-, ISO value, any specialized equipment, etc.).
  • Any post-production indicated in point 7 of the technical requirements indicated in the present rules.The ethical code of MontPhoto about taking photo¬graphs is based in the AEFONA’s commandments and the ‘Precautions notebook and the good photographic practice in nature’ from the SCFN. To read these works and apply their philosophy is recommended to the participants.