Welcome!

About this competition

This is our annual nature competition and there are diversity requirements detailed in the definition below.  

Nature Definition

Submissions for the competition are open to images that depict nature subjects, such as animals, birds, plants, geology and phenomena not produced by man.  Evidence of the “hand of man” and man’s specialized environment is to be avoided.  The accurate record of the subject is the primary objective, however, every effort should be made to use the highest levels of artistic skill in Nature photographs.

Click the Nature Competition Definition button below for more details.

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Category Definitions

Zoology deals with animals and animal life. It includes birds, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, and marine and freshwater life. Animals must be photographed in the wild and cannot be reliant on humans for food or shelter or wellbeing. Hand of man is acceptable if the element is pertinent to the story and only forms a minor part of the image. Cultivated plants, scientific bands, and radio collars are acceptable.

Botany includes images that portray uncultivated plant life such as trees, flowering and non- flowering plants, ferns, algae, fungi, etc. in their natural habitat. Images of domestic plants, artificially produced hybrid plants, flower arrangements, cultivated plants, etc. are ineligible. Hand of man is acceptable if the element is pertinent to the story and only forms a minor part of the image.

General Nature would include landscapes and seascapes where animals and plant life is not the main subject, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and existing organisms as the primary subject matter. No hand of man, animate or inanimate is allowed. Night sky photography is also acceptable. Cityscapes are excluded. Use of Photo Techniques and Modifications:

Photo techniques and modifications are allowed as long as the image appears natural looking. Refer to chart in “Club Library/Rules and Regulations/Comparison of Rules for Kay McGregor, Lance Gitter and Naomi Cohen Competitions” for specifics.

Nature Images

Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict all branches of natural history, except anthropology and archaeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject material and certify its honest presentation. The storytelling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality while maintaining high technical quality. Human elements shall not be present, except where those human elements are integral parts of the nature story such as nature subjects, like barn owls or storks, adapted to an environment modified by humans, or where those human elements are in situations depicting natural forces, like hurricanes or tidal waves. Scientific bands, scientific tags or radio collars on wild animals are permissible, but the presence of tethers is not permitted, nor is the removal of them in post-processing.

Photographs of human-created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domestic animals, or mounted specimens are ineligible (except as specified in the Zoology definition), as is any form of manipulation that alters the truth of the photographic statement. Wildlife is not limited to animals, birds and insects. Marine subjects taken in the wild are suitable wildlife subjects, as are carcasses of existing species.

Images meeting the Nature Photography Definition above can have landscapes, geologic formations, weather phenomena, and existing organisms as the primary subject matter.

Digital Realism

Digital images in Nature Photography must adhere to the definition of Digital Realism. The competitions committee retains the right to request the original RAW or JPG file for purposes of determining the eligibility of submitted photos. If the maker is unable to provide the requested original image(s), the competitions committee has the authority to disqualify such images(s) from the competition.

Techniques that enhance the presentation of the photograph without changing the nature story or the pictorial content of the main subjects are permitted, as well as techniques such as HDR, focus stacking (except in ‘Zoology’ category), panorama stitching and dodging/burning. Techniques that remove elements added by the camera, such as dust spots, digital noise, and film scratches, are allowed. Softening backgrounds and minor cloning of background elements are allowed.
Please refer to the chart in the club library to determine the allowable editing adjustments: “Club Library/Rules and Regulations/Comparison of Rules for Kay McGregor, Lance Gitter and Naomi Cohen Competitions”.

All allowed adjustments must appear natural. Colour images can be converted to greyscale monochrome. Infrared images, either direct-captures or derivations, are not allowed.

Nature Titles

Titles for nature images are traditionally governed by different rules than pictorial or photographer’s choice categories.

For nature competitions, the title of the photograph must identify the subject by its common or Latin name. Do not use “pictorial” or “cute” titles such as “little green plant” or “Jolly Green Giant”. “Bald Eagle” is better than “Eagle” which is better than “bird in tree”.

The competition committee may request the maker to provide the original RAW image file to verify adherence to the rules. The competition committee may disqualify an image if the maker does not comply with the rules or the request on a timely basis.

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Screening

We screen the images so all the images you are judging have been accepted by the TDPC competition team.  However, if you, as a judge, have concerns about an image, you can address your issue to the competitions team for guidance.  The images are sorted in random order, regardless of membership division (novice, intermediate, advanced).  We do not display the divisions for judging.

Judging Page (Rating form)

When you first open this page, it will take a few moments (possibly up to a minute or more, depending on the number of images and the speed of your internet) for all of the images to load into your browser.  If you do not clear your cache between sessions, this page will load immediately in subsequent sessions.

Using the rating form (Help information)

Please take the time to read the "Help" information available by clicking on the "Using this rating form" button just above the images, particularly if this is your first time using this judging interface.

If you have used this judging interface before, you can click on the "Show More/Show Less" button below to toggle on/off more detailed information.

Show More

Judging Deadline and Awards

After all three judges complete the scoring, we will combine the scores and award placements. The trophy is awarded to the highest total score of each members' three highest scoring images. For divisional competitions, the trophy is awarded to the highest score in that division, for all other competitions the trophy is awarded to the highest score in the competition, regardless of division.

If there are ties for the winner, we will send you a link to a judging form asking you to indicate your choices for tie-breaking purposes.

Once the judging has been completed, we will send each judge a full report of scores and comments by all three judges and a judging analysis so that you can compare your results and comments with the other judges.

We ask that you complete your scoring no later than 9:00 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2023, (sooner if possible) after which we will advise you whether or not we require your further input to break ties.

Judging Notes

• Each "Save All" button saves all unsaved items. A red outline appears around these boxes indicating which images you have changed but not yet saved. It is recommended that you save often (every few images) so that you don't lose any unsaved entries.
• A small box at the bottom left of your screen keeps track of how many items you have completed.
• You may also sort the images by using any of the available sort buttons at the top of the columns
• Reloading the page will revert it to the original order
• You are able to change your scores and edit your comments until you have completed your scoring form and press the "finished" button
• If you have any images that you have not scored, when you press the "finished" button, it will prompt you to score those images

• You are encouraged to sort the images by score and review your assigned scores before clicking 'finished'

If you have any technical issues or any questions, please email competitions@tdpc.ca for assistance

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