THE ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2009 COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Supported by

Media Partner

Closes at 5pm on 31st July 2009

The international Environmental Photographer of the Year competition seeks to honour photographers who use their ability to raise awareness of environmental and social issues. The competition encourages entries that are contemporary, creative, resonant, challenging, original and beautiful. But most of all, we want your pictures to inspire people around the world to start taking care of our environment.

ELIGIBILITY
The exhibition is open to all professional and amateur, national and international photographers of all ages working with digital and film photography. However, you must ensure that the image quality meets the competition’s criteria as stated below.

CATEGORIES
There will be a winner for each category, with one overall winner who will become the Environmental Photographer of the Year. Each picture must be assigned to one of the categories below but you may enter more than one picture into a category. There is a maximum of six images per entrant.

• Mott MacDonald's Changing Climates
  These photographs should illustrate the impacts that global warming is having on our world. This may include places and people that are benefitting from a changing climate, or vulnerable ecosystems and communities which are struggling with the affects. You may wish to examine the interaction between economic development, environmental degradation and social inequity, treating climate change as a human rights issue.
  
  
• Black & Veatch’s World of Difference
  Images should capture the contribution made by a project and/or people to the pursuit of sustainable development. You could explore how innovation is helping communities reduce their carbon footprint, adapt to or mitigate impacts of climate change, or increase environmental protection. Or you could focus on an inspirational person or organisation making a difference to a community by encouraging a healthier social or physical environment.
  
  
• Quality of Life
  Photographs might illustrate a particular way of life in various rural, urban or social environments. They may examine individual or community lifestyles, working conditions, leisure activities, cultural traditions, spiritual activities, social inequities, racial prejudices or access to natural resources that impact on people’s quality of life.
  
  
• The Natural World
  These images should celebrate the incredible variety and beauty that exists within our natural environment, serving to remind us what we need to protect.
  
  
• Young Environmental Photographer of the Year (Under 21)
  This section has no thematic boundaries but we would encourage entries that highlight issues important to your generation, explore your place in society or celebrate people or places that you value. This category is open to anyone under 21 throughout the world, including photography students. The winner of this category will become the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year.
  
  N.B. Entrants of any age are eligible to enter the other categories.
  

REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD ENTER THE ENVIRONMENTAL PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION

• Receive international recognition as the Environmental Photographer of the Year

• Win cash prizes of £1,000 if you become the Environmental Photographer of the Year, £500 if you become the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year and £300 if you are a category winner

• Earn money from sales of limited edition prints during launch exhibition, with your permission*

• Receive coverage in international print and online publications, including spreads in WEM – the Environment magazine, and EPOTY’s Media Partner Sublime - the first international sustainable lifestyle magazine

• Have your winning work take part in a roving exhibition throughout the year, launched with a glittering awards ceremony on 8th October 2009 at 3 Bedfordbury in Covent Garden, London www.3bedfordbury.com

• Have your winning work showcased on CIWEM’s popular websites which receive over 150,000 hits per month

*20 limited edition prints of each of the winning and runner up images will be sold during the period of the launch exhibition at 3 Bedfordbury, London in October 2009. Photographers will be asked their permission for their prints to be sold, entering a contract to receive 50% of sales revenues. Photographers can refuse to enter this agreement when contacted by CIWEM. Price per print TBC.

JUDGES

• Anthony Epes, professional photographer, www.anthonyepes.com

• Gary Braasch, professional photographer and winner of the Sierra Club's Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography and author of Earth Under Fire: How Global  Warming is Changing the World www.earthunderfire.com

• Ronnie Israel, professional photographer,  www.ronnieisrael.com

• Representative from Black and Veatch Corporation, a leading global engineering, consulting and construction company specializing in infrastructure development in energy, water, information and government markets,  www.bv.com

• Nick Reeves, Executive Director of CIWEM, (Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) is an independent professional body and a registered charity, advancing the science and practice of water and environmental management for a clean, green and sustainable world, www.ciwem.org

• Lord Smith, Chairman of the Environment Agency, the leading public organisation for protecting and improving the environment in England and Wales, www.environment-agency.gov.uk

•  Laura Santamaria, Editor in Chief, co-founder and owner of Sublime (Media Partner), the first international sustainable lifestyle magazine with worldwide distribution by Condé Nast. Featuring the latest trends in sustainable living, contemporary design, art and fashion, Sublime merges breathtaking photography with in-depth and challenging stories, www.sublimemagazine.com

INDIVIDUAL PIECES OF WORK WILL BE JUDGED ON FIVE QUALITIES

• Impact – does it illustrate immediate, subtle or resonant messages?

• Creativity - is it unusual, thoughtful, beautiful, subversive or ironic?

• Originality – is the subject treated differently, is the subject matter new?

• Composition - consider the perspective, balance, clarity of meaning and focus of statement

• Technical Quality - consider clarity, focus, lighting, exposure, and colour

DIMENSIONS

Your image must be of good enough resolution that it can be printed at the minimum size of A3. Therefore, you must ensure that the jpg is no smaller than 2MB.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

• The photographer must be the sole author and owner of the copyright for all photos entered. Please retain the original digital file for reference; it may be necessary to prove ownership. Photographers retain the copyright of any image entered into the Environmental Photographer of the Year

• Any images submitted must be supplied as publication ready jpgs. Entries will not be accepted if they are below the minimum requirements stated

• Do not send images in zip files or embedded into your email. You must send images as jpgs. No email should exceed 10MB, although you are welcome to send multiple emails for separate images

• All jpgs submitted must be labelled clearly with the photographer’s name and title of the image

• Please ensure that they are entered into the correct category. Entries will not be accepted if the category is not stated. The judges reserve the right to move images to a different category

• You may only enter six photographs in total, although you are welcome to enter different pictures across the categories, or within the same category

• Images may be digitally enhanced for creative effect, but you must not add or remove significant elements of the image. Entries will not be accepted if they have borders or locks on them

• It is the entrant's responsibility to ensure that all the necessary permissions are obtained from people featured in a photograph

• Judges appointed by CIWEM will choose the winners. The judges' decision on all matters relating to the competition is final

• By entering the competition, you accept that your photograph(s) may be exhibited by CIWEM or other exhibitions organised or attended by CIWEM as part of the Environmental Photographer of the Year. CIWEM reserves the right to mount and frame shortlisted entries for exhibition purposes

• CIWEM and the sponsors reserve the right to reproduce any entry free of charge in relation to the competition and exhibition. This includes the right to publish entries in articles, EPOTY book, calendar, posters, postcards or any other EPOTY promotional materials. We will ensure that all photographers receive full credit

• CIWEM reserves the right to pass on any entry to online and print publications to be used either for editorial or image based promotion relating to the Environmental Photographer of the Year, with full credit given to the photographer

• CIWEM will ask permission of all winning and runner up photographers to include their images in a limited edition print run. Each image will have 20 limited edition prints sold during the exhibition and photographers will sign a contract to receive 50% of sales revenue. Photographers will receive their share via cheque once all orders have been processed. CIWEM will not reproduce prints to be sold at any other time and photographers have the right to refuse the agreement

• CIWEM reserves the right to cancel this competition at any stage

• ENTRANTS WILL BE DEEMED TO HAVE UNDERSTOOD THE ABOVE RULES AND ACCEPTED THEM AND AGREE TO BE BOUND TO THEM WHEN ENTERING THE COMPETITION

TO ENTER

2009’S COMPETITION CLOSED ON 31ST JULY 2009. WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN SEPTEMBER 2009