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Wildlife 2022 Contest Winners

Grand Prize : Meg Sommers

Title: Reassurance

“We all need a little reassurance every once in a while. One minute you are happily playing on a tree limb (which happens to be at eye level for a safari vehicle) and the next minute you hear a constant whirl of cameras clicking. You keep playing for another 20 minutes, with mom always nearby. Something tells you though that it’s time to check in and you move closer to her. Mom, an old hand at being a star, knows you are there without even looking. She reaches out and gives you that reassuring touch that says, ‘It’s okay, I’m here.’”

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM. Exposure: 1/250 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 2000.

Second Prize : Craig Elson

Title: Walking the Line

“Iconic Amboseli. I saw this shot in my mind before I made the trip: A large elephant herd emerging from the distant horizon on the vast dry lakebed, first as blurry dots made blurrier by the extreme heat shimmer and the dust devils, then ever so slowly coming into focus as they methodically approached. We waited for the moment to unfold under a deep blue sky filled with clouds, but I was unprepared for the sense of silence and awe I felt as they passed, all walking perfectly in line, directly in front of us, in profile. I knew the key to the image would be finding the separation of each elephant with the next while also trying to capture each elephant’s four legs distinctly. That’s no easy feat when there are 10 elephants! I didn’t quite manage to get all 40 legs in the frame, but I came awfully close. More importantly, I was left with a moment I will never forget. I couldn’t help but feel I was witnessing something that had been happening for thousands of years and, God and man willing will be happening for thousands more to come.”

Sony a1, Sony FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS at 70mm. Exposure: 1/1000 sec., ƒ/8, ISO 400.

Third Prize : Karthik Subramaniam

Title: Look Up To Mom

“A red fox kit shows adoration for its mom. I came across a red fox den with three adults and five kits. It was a joy to watch them bond and play with each other. This is one of my favorite images of the family, and I was thrilled to capture a beautiful moment between these two.”

Sony a1, Sony FE 600mm F4 GM OSS, Gitzo tripod, Wimberley gimbal head. Exposure: 1/1000 sec., ƒ/4, ISO 3200

Prizes

1st Prize
  • $1,000 cash prize
  • One (1) BenQ 27 inch Photo Editing Monitor, 2K Adobe RGB | SW270C
  • One (1) Tamron 150-500mm Di III VC VXD for Sony mirrorless (model A057) OR Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 for Canon or Nikon DSLR (model A022)
  • One (1) Bay Photo 20×30 MetalPrint of your winning image
  • One (1) K&F CONCEPT X PRO Square Filter
  • One (1) Datacolor SpyderX Pro
  • One (1) Skylum Luminar AI – AI Photo Editing for Mac & PC
  • One (1) MK Controls Lightning Bug™ Shutter Trigger
  • One (1) Rogue Round Flash Kit + Rogue Flash Adapter Standard
  • One (1) choice out of 3 courses (Bird Photography, Growing Wild, or Warbler Identification) from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy
  • One (1) One-year Outdoor Photographer VIP Membership
  • Publication in the Outdoor Photographer special contest issue
  • Placement as Outdoor Photographer’s Facebook Cover Photo
  • Publication in a special multi-spread feature in an issue of Outdoor Photographer
  • Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online Winners’ Gallery
2nd Prize
  • $500 cash prize
  • One (1) Bay Photo 11×14 MetalPrint of your winning image
  • One (1) Skylum Luminar AI – AI Photo Editing for Mac & PC
  • One (1) MK Controls Lightning Bug™ Shutter Trigger
  • One (1) Rogue Round Flash Kit + Rogue Flash Adapter Standard
  • One (1) choice out of 3 courses (Bird Photography, Growing Wild, or Warbler Identification) from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy
  • One (1) One-year Outdoor Photographer VIP Membership
  • Publication in the Outdoor Photographer special contest issue
  • Publication in a special multi-spread feature in an issue of Outdoor Photographer
  • Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online Winners’ Gallery
3rd Prize
  • $250 cash prize
  • One (1) Bay Photo 11×14 MetalPrint of your winning image
  • One (1) Skylum Luminar AI – AI Photo Editing for Mac & PC
  • One (1) MK Controls Lightning Bug™ Shutter Trigger
  • One (1) Rogue Round Flash Kit + Rogue Flash Adapter Standard
  • One (1) choice out of 3 courses (Bird Photography, Growing Wild, or Warbler Identification) from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy
  • One (1) One-year Outdoor Photographer VIP Membership
  • Publication in the Outdoor Photographer special contest issue
  • Publication in a special multi-spread feature in an issue of Outdoor Photographer
  • Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online Winners’ Gallery
BenQ, DataColor, Tamron

Past Contests

Explore past winners, finalists and prizes from our previous contests.

View Contests

Frequently asked questions and official rules

Frequently Asked Questions

We’ve compiled a list of frequently asked questions. If your question isn’t answered here, please send us an email at [email protected] with the following details:

  1. The name of the contest (Wildlife 2022 Photo Contest)
  2. Your username
  3. The image ID # (if applicable)
  4. The exact nature of your problem

Question: Who may enter?

Answer:

Contest is open to individuals over the age of 18 and residents of the U.S.

Question: How do I enter?

Answer:

Click “Submit Your Images.” You’ll need to be logged in to your Outdoor Photographer account to enter. If you don’t have an account, click here to register for your free account.

Question: In what format should I submit my photos?

Answer:

Each photograph must be submitted in .JPG format and cannot exceed 5 MB in size. Also, make sure your photo is in the sRGB color space, or else your image may look discolored.

Question: What kind of photography is eligible?

Answer:

Outdoor Photographer is committed to ethical practices in wildlife photography. If your image contains wildlife, the following types of photographs are considered ineligible for entry in this contest:

  • Images that appear to be the result of “baiting”
  • Images that indicate the wildlife subject is “harassed” or crowded
  • Close-up images of nests using a wide-angle lens
  • Images taken at “game farms.” Images of captive wildlife must be identified as such and the facility at which they were taken must be noted. The contest judges reserve the right to disqualify images that, in their sole discretion, appear to be the result of questionable practices, as defined by, but not limited to, those described above.

Question: How many photos may I enter?

Answer:

There is no limit to the amount of photos you may enter.

Question: How much does it cost to enter?

Answer:

Enter with an “Early Entry Fee” from June 14, 2022 until July 26, 2022 at 11:59 PM PST at $30 for one (1) image. When purchasing more than one entry in a single transaction, each additional entry will cost $20. From July 27, 2022 until August 9, 2022 at 11:59 PM PST, the “Entry Fee” will be $40 for one (1) image, and $25 for each additional entry purchased with it.

Question: Is my credit card information secure?

Answer:

Absolutely! The payment form is hosted on our secure payment processor’s site and your credit card information (including your physical address) is submitted directly to the applicable credit card company through 256-bit encrypted pages. The header graphic is the only non-secure item on the payment page and only your email and the success/failure message of the transaction are submitted back to our site.

Question: I want to enter your contest but I’m confused about how entering works. It’s asking me to pay before uploading my image(s). Is this right?

Answer:

In order to enter our photo contests, you first pay for your submission package. Once you do this, you will be redirected to submit your entry. You can submit your entry any time before the contest deadline.

Question: Can I pass the word on this competition to my friends, classmates, Facebook/Twitter followers, etc.?

Answer:

Yes, please! The link to the contest portal is www.outdoorphotographer.com/photo-contests/wildlife

Question: Do I have to print or mail in my photos?

Answer:

No. Please upload entries using the online entry form. Mailed submissions will not be accepted.

Question: Can I process my photos using Photoshop or another image-processing program?

Answer:

Entries must be a single image as captured by the camera, with adjustments limited to standard photo processing such as color and exposure adjustments and basic retouching such as spot removal or noise reduction. Images must not be “composite images” that combine subjects or elements from different scenes—replacing a background or sky, for example. Exceptions include the use of HDR exposure stacking, focus stacking or similar techniques used for a single composition where the camera was not moved. As part of the judging process, our judges at their discretion may request the original RAW file capture for review.

Question: When will the winners be notified & announced?

Answer:

By December 31, 2022

Question: What are the prizes?

Answer:

See the contest landing page or the official rules for a complete list of contest prizes.

Question: Can I edit my submission after I’ve already submitted it?

Answer:

If you’d like to make any changes to your entry, please email us and indicate:

  1. The name of the contest (Wildlife Photo Contest)
  2. Your username
  3. The image name
  4. The changes you would like made to the submission

Question: I accidentally submitted the same photo twice. How do I fix this?

Answer:

Please email us with the name of your duplicate submission, and we will remove it for you so you can re-upload. In your email, please indicate:

  1. The name of the contest (Wildlife Photo Contest)
  2. Your username/email
  3. The image name

Question: When I try to enter online, I get an error message. What's going on?

Answer:

If your attempts at entering online aren’t successful, our system might be struggling. Try waiting a few minutes, then clear your browser’s cache and cookies—you might even try restarting your computer—and go to the online entry page again.
Additionally, title your photos with alphanumeric characters only. Please don’t use apostrophes, ampersands or any other character symbol, as doing so may cause errors during
uploading.

Question: I've tried clearing my cache and cookies, and I even bought a new computer. The online entry form just isn't working for me.

Answer:

Double-check that the size of your images meets our requirements. If all else fails, send us an email at [email protected]. In your email, please indicate:

  1. The name of the contest (Wildlife Photo Contest)
  2. Your username
  3. The image name
  4. The exact nature of your problem

Outdoor Photographer Wildlife 2022 Official Rules

ELIGIBILITY:
Outdoor Photographer’s 2022 Outdoor Photographer Wildlife (“Contest”) is open only to individuals who are over 18 years of age and who are residents of the U.S. Employees of Madavor Media, LLC, (“Sponsors”), and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, and advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members (spouse, parent, child and sibling and their respective spouses, regardless of where they reside) and/or those living in same household of each, whether or not related, are not eligible to participate or win. Sponsors reserve the right to verify all eligibility requirements. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

QUALIFIED ENTRIES:
Entries must be a single image as captured by the camera, with adjustments limited to standard photo processing such as color and exposure adjustments and basic retouching such as spot removal or noise reduction. Images must not be “composite images” that combine subjects or elements from different scenes—replacing a background or sky, for example. Exceptions include the use of HDR exposure stacking, focus stacking or similar techniques used for a single composition where the camera was not moved. As part of the judging process, our judges at their discretion may request the original RAW file capture for review.

Outdoor Photographer is committed to ethical practices in wildlife photography. If your image contains wildlife, the following types of photographs are considered ineligible for entry in this contest:

  • Images that appear to be the result of “baiting”
  • Images that indicate the wildlife subject is “harassed” or crowded
  • Close-up images of nests using a wide-angle lens
  • Images taken at “game farms.” Images of captive wildlife must be identified as such and the facility at which they were taken must be noted. The contest judges reserve the right to disqualify images that, in their sole discretion, appear to be the result of questionable practices, as defined by, but not limited to, those described above.

CONTEST PERIOD:
The Contest will begin on June 14, 2022 at 7:00 AM PST, and end on August 9, 2022 at 11:59 PM PST (the “Contest Period”).

HOW TO ENTER:
Click the submit your images button above to submit. All entries must be received by August 9, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. PST to be eligible. Each photograph must be submitted in .JPG and cannot exceed 5 MB in size. Enter with an “Early Entry Fee” from June 14, 2022 until July 26, 2022 at 11:59 PM PST at $30 for one (1) image. When purchasing more than one entry in a single transaction, each additional entry will cost $20. From July 27, 2022 until August 9, 2022 at 11:59 PM PST, the “Entry Fee” will be $40 for one (1) image, and $25 for each additional entry purchased with it.
Please note: Entries submitted online will be eligible for (i) the Grand Place Prize (as described below), (ii) Second Place Prize (as described below), (iii) Third Place Prize (as described below), and (iv) Finalist Prize (as described below).
Entry must be the original work of the entrant and entrant must be the sole owner of the copyright of such entry. Entry must be in keeping with the Sponsors’ image and may not be inappropriate or offensive, as determined by the Sponsors in their sole discretion, nor can it defame or invade publicity rights or privacy of any person, living or deceased, or otherwise infringe upon any person’s personal or property rights or any other third-party rights. The Sponsors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to disqualify any entry they deem to be offensive, inappropriate, that is not in keeping with Sponsors’ image or that is otherwise not in compliance with the terms of these Official Rules. Entrant must have obtained express written consent to submit any entry that contains persons other than entrant or third-party elements not owned by entrant and, if requested to do so, produce such written consent from appropriate parties in a form and manner acceptable to the Sponsors.
By submitting an Entry, entrant acknowledges and agrees that Sponsors may obtain many Entries in connection with this Contest and/or other contests staged and/or promoted by the Sponsors, and that such Entries may be similar or identical in theme, idea, format or other respects to other Entries submitted in connection with this Contest and/or other contests sponsored by the Sponsors or submitted for other reasons or other materials developed by the Sponsors. Entrant waives any and all claims entrant may have had, may have, and/or may have in the future, that any Entry and/or other works accepted, reviewed and/or used by the entrant may be similar to his/her Entry, or that any compensation is due to entrant in connection with such Entry or other works used by Sponsors.

GRAND PLACE PRIZE JUDGING:
One (1) potential Grand Place Prize winner, one (1) potential Second Place winner, one (1) potential Third Place winner, and up to twenty-five (25) potential Finalists will be determined from among all eligible entries received by a panel of qualified judges, based equally on the following criteria: Adherence to Theme, Composition and Creativity/Originality (“Judging Criteria”). The entrants who submitted the entry receiving the highest scores, as determined by the Sponsors in their sole discretion, will be the potential winners and finalists respectively.
In the event of a tie for any prize, an additional “tie-breaking” judge will determine the applicable winner or finalists from among those tied using the Criteria. The Sponsors reserve the right to not award any prize if, in their sole discretion, an insufficient number of eligible and qualified entries are received. Decisions of the Sponsors and judges are final and binding.

WINNER NOTIFICATION:
Potential winners will be notified by telephone, mail and/or e-mail by December 31, 2022 and will be required to execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility and Liability and, unless prohibited, a Publicity Release, a W-9 Form and any additional documents that may be required by prize provider within fourteen (14) days of date of issuance. If any potential winner is an eligible minor in his or her jurisdiction of residence, prize may, at the Sponsors’ discretion, be awarded in the name of the parent or legal guardian, and such parent or legal guardian will be required to fulfill all requirements imposed on winners set forth herein. Noncompliance with this time period or with these Official Rules, or the return of any prize notification as undeliverable, may result in disqualification and, at the Sponsors’ discretion, the prize will be awarded to an applicable runner-up.

PRIZES:

Grand Place Prize: $1,000 (U$D) cash prize;

One (1) BenQ 27 inch Photo Editing Monitor, 2K Adobe RGB | SW270C (ARV $799.99); One (1) choice of Tamron 150-500mm Di III VC VXD for Sony mirrorless (model A057, value $1399) -or- Tamron SP 150-600mm Di VC USD G2 for Canon or Nikon DSLR (Model A022, value $1299) (ARV $1349); One (1) Bay Photo 20×30 MetalPrint of your winning image (ARV $165); One (1) K&F CONCEPT X PRO Square Filter (ARV $269.99); One (1) Datacolor SpyderX Pro (ARV $169.99); One (1) Skylum Luminar AI – AI Photo Editing for Mac & PC (ARV $79); One (1) Lightning Bug™ (ARV $179); One (1) Rogue Round Flash Kit + Rogue Flash Adapter Standard Kits (ARV $129.95); One (1) choice out of 3 courses (Bird Photography, Growing Wild, or Warbler Identification) from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy; One (1) One-year Outdoor Photographer VIP Membership (ARV $95.88); publication in the Outdoor Photographer special contest issue; Placement as Outdoor Photographer’s Facebook Cover Photo (ARV priceless); publication in a special multi-spread feature in an issue of Outdoor Photographer (ARV priceless); Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online Winners’ gallery.

Total First Place ARV: Approximately $4,238.79

Second Place Prize: $500 (U$D) cash prize;

One (1) Bay Photo 11×14 MetalPrint of your winning image (ARV $45.95); One (1) Skylum Luminar AI – AI Photo Editing for Mac & PC (ARV $79); One (1) Lightning Bug™ (ARV $179); One (1) Rogue Round Flash Kit + Rogue Flash Adapter Standard Kits (ARV $129.95); One (1) choice out of 3 courses (Bird Photography, Growing Wild, or Warbler Identification) from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy; One (1) One-year Outdoor Photographer VIP Membership (ARV $95.88); publication in the Outdoor Photographer special contest issue; publication in a special multi-spread feature in an issue of Outdoor Photographer (ARV priceless); Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online Winners’ gallery.

Total Second Place ARV: approximately $1,029.78

Third Place Prize: $250 (U$D) cash prize;

One (1) Bay Photo 11×14 MetalPrint of your winning image (ARV $45.95); One (1) Skylum Luminar AI – AI Photo Editing for Mac & PC (ARV $79); One (1) Lightning Bug™ (ARV $179); One (1) Rogue Round Flash Kit + Rogue Flash Adapter Standard Kits (ARV $129.95); One (1) choice out of 3 courses (Bird Photography, Growing Wild, or Warbler Identification) from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Academy; One (1) One-year Outdoor Photographer VIP Membership (ARV $95.88); publication in the Outdoor Photographer special contest issue; publication in a special multi-spread feature in an issue of Outdoor Photographer (ARV priceless); Publication in the Outdoor Photographer online Winners’ gallery.

Total Third Place ARV: Approximately $779.78

Current total ARV of all prizes: $6,048.35

If, for any reason, the Sponsors do not feature any of the winning entries in Outdoor Photographer Magazine, no compensation or substitution will be provided; however, the remainder of prize package will be awarded and the Sponsors will have no further obligation to winners. All prize details are at the sole discretion of the Sponsors. No substitution, cash equivalent or transfer of prizes permitted by winners. Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a prize (or portion thereof) of comparable or greater value, in their sole discretion. All federal, state and local taxes as well as any costs and expenses associated with prize acceptance and use not specified herein as being awarded are the sole responsibility of each winner. Prizes are awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either expressed or implied by the Sponsors. Limit one (1) prize per household.

USE OF ENTRY:
By submitting an entry, entrant grants the Sponsors and their designees an irrevocable, royalty-free, nonexclusive, worldwide perpetual license to use the entry and his/her name, city and state of residence for credit purposes in Sponsors’ online galleries, without further compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law. In addition, each winner grants to the Sponsors and their designees an irrevocable, royalty-free, nonexclusive, worldwide perpetual license to use and distribute the entry (as submitted, or as cropped by the Sponsors), and his/her name, city and state of residence for credit purposes, in any and all media now or hereafter known, including without limitation in Outdoor Photographer and any Madavor Media magazines for purposes of promotion of this Contest and for publication in Outdoor Photographer’s special contest issue. except as otherwise stated herein, without further compensation, notification or permission, unless prohibited by law.

USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION:
Your personal information collected in connection with this Contest will be used in accordance with Madavor Media’s Privacy Policy (available at http://www.outdoorphotographer.com/privacy-policy) including, without limitation, for marketing and promotional purposes.

MISCELLANEOUS: Released Parties (as defined below) are not responsible for late, lost, garbled, damaged, incomplete, delayed, undelivered, or misdirected entries or photographs or for computer, technical, printing, typographical, human or other errors relating to or in connection with the Contest, including, without limitation, inability to access any website associated with the Contest, errors which may occur in the administration of the Contest, the processing or judging of entries, the announcement of the prizes or in any Contest-related materials. If for any reason the Contest (or any portion thereof) is not capable of running as planned, including infection by tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Contest, Sponsors reserve the right, at their sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest and, if terminated, at its discretion, determine winners from among all non-suspect, eligible entries received up to time of such action using judging procedure described above. By participating, entrant agrees (i) to be bound by the terms of these Official Rules and the decisions of the Sponsors and judges, which are final and binding in all respects, and (ii) to hold the Sponsors and their respective parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, prize suppliers and advertising and promotion agencies, and the respective directors, officers, employees and agents of the foregoing (collectively, the “Released Parties”), harmless against any and all claims and liability arising, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, out of or in connection with participation in this Contest, acceptance and use of any prize or Released Parties’ use of any of the rights granted herein. Sponsors may disqualify (and void all associated entries) anyone from participating in the Contest or winning a prize if, in its sole discretion, it determines that such person is attempting to undermine the legitimate operation of the Contest by cheating, deception or other unfair practices, or intending to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass any other entrant or Sponsors’ representatives or who is otherwise not in compliance with the terms of these rules. ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CONTEST MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, THE SPONSORS RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES AND OTHER REMEDIES (INCLUDING ATTORNEYS’ FEES) FROM ANY SUCH INDIVIDUAL TO THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW, INCLUDING CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

WINNERS’ LIST: For the list of winners (available after December 2022), send a separate, stamped, self-addressed envelope to: OPH 2022 Wildlife Winners’ List, Attn: Marketing Department, 35 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 101, Braintree, MA 02184, to be received by January 31, 2023.

SPONSORS:
Madavor Media, 35 Braintree Hill Office Park, Suite 101, Braintree, MA 02184
Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850
ExpoImaging, Inc., 121 Aviation Way, Watsonville, CA, 95076, United States
Datacolor, 5 Princess Rd, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, 08648
Bayphoto, 920 Disc Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066
BenQ America Corp, 3200 Park Center Drive, Suite 150 Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Skylum, USA, 142 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019, United States
MK Controls
Tamron, Ten Austin Boulevard Commack, NY 11725 USA