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The Nature Conservancy Photo Contest is Accepting Submissions for 2022

western lowland gorilla walking through a cloud of butterflies
Malui Anup Shah of the United Kingdom won the 2021 Grand Prize with this photo of a western lowland gorilla surrounded by butterflies in the Central African Republic © Anup Shah/TNC Photo Contest 2021

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Today, The Nature Conservancy announced the 2022 Global Photo Contest is now open for submissions. The celebrated global photography competition will begin accepting submissions starting today through the contest’s deadline of August 31, 2022.

Past winning photographs have come from across the globe and featured a wide range of incredible animals, locations, and moments that celebrate the breathtaking beauty and crucial importance of nature. The 2021 contest received more than 100,000 photo submissions from a record-breaking 158 countries, with the top prize going to photographer Anup Shah of the United Kingdom for his photo of a western lowland gorilla walking through a cloud of butterflies in the Central African Republic.

The 2022 contest has several exciting changes for entrants. This year, the contest debuts two new categories, Plants or Fungi and Climate, to accompany last year’s categories of People & Nature, Landscape, Water, and Wildlife. As the world faces a worsening climate crisis, the Climate category offers participating photographers a way to illustrate the toll that climate change takes on communities and ecosystems around the globe, and demonstrate the urgent need for continued action. Winning images will be selected by a panel of renowned judges that includes leading conservation photographer Ami Vitale as well as YouTube star and wildlife educator Coyote Peterson.

Our 2022 panel of judges will award our Grand Prize—a trip to Punta del Este, Uruguay to attend an Extreme-E race (www.extreme-e.com). Also, up for grabs is the Guest Judge Choice award (chosen by Ami Vitale) with a prize of a $5,000 USD-value camera kit, and the Celebrity Choice award (chosen by Coyote Peterson) with a prize of a $2,500 USD gift card and a 1:1 virtual meeting with Coyote. First-place winners of the contest’s six categories will each receive a gift card valued at $750 USD, while second-place winners will each receive a $500 USD gift card.

Photographers of all skill levels are encouraged to enter. All winners will be announced in September.

Go to nature.org/photocontest for more info on contest rules, photo specifications and how to enter. To view all the 2021 winning photos please visit: https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/photo-contest/2021-winners/

The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world’s toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. The Nature Conservancy is working to make a lasting difference around the world in 77 countries and territories (41 by direct conservation impact and 36 through partners) through a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit nature.org or follow @nature_press on X.