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Photographic Competition 2004

The 2003 competition exceeded all our expectations, both in quantity and in quality of entries. More than eighty photographers submitted entries, giving our judges over 700 photographs to sift through. Details of the winners and commended entries can be found at this link. All photographers are to be congratulated on the very high standards achieved; and the judges are to be thanked for their sterling work. If we experience anything like the same growth this year as last, the task of judging will be too big to ask our judges to carry out in the short time available, so we are changing the rules slightly - see below. Again, we shall judge in four classes. This time it will be three adult classes and, because the first prizes are only available to people aged 16 and over, there will be a fourth class for under 16s. Judging by some of last year's entries, it will be as hard-fought as the adult classes.

Click here for the 2002 pictures Click here for the 2003 pictures Click here for the 2004 pictures

In each of the adult classes, the First prize will be the winner's choice of an Activity Day or a Photographic Day for one person), to be taken during 2005. Runner-up prize will be two tickets to an Owls by Torchlight evening, also to be taken during 2005. First prize in the under-16 class will be one year's Trust membership for the winner's family and the runner up will receive be two tickets to an Owls by Torchlight evening, to be taken during 2005.

The classes are:

1. Artistic - The winner of this class will be the photograph felt to be highest in artistic merit.
2. Technical - The winner of this class will be the photograph considered to be highest in technical merit.
3. Visually pleasing - Not necessarily technically or artistically brilliant, but just a jolly nice picture
4. Under-16 - We are looking for the best picture overall taken by a person of age 15 years or less.

During the season, from 14th February, 2004 to 31st October, 2004, each entrant may submit to me a total of up to twenty images, which will be displayed in the galleries. The galleries will remain in place for as long as we can manage, although circumstances may require us to limit the number of years' images we can hold and display.

By 15th November each entrant must nominate a maximum of one photograph for each category - a maximum of three photographs per person. These are the photographs that will go forward for judging. If I do not have your selection by 15th November, no photographs will go forward. Your selection email will be acknowledged, and there will be a separate gallery containing the entrants in each class. Under 16s may elect to enter in the under 16s class or the adult classes but not both.

Photographs will be judged in the class in which you have entered individual photographs. There will be different judges for each class at the second round. The judges will include an experienced wildlife photographer and a wildlife artist. As always, the judges' decisions will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Send me (electronically) images of birds of prey that you have taken yourself. They should be in .jpg or .png format, at least 600 pixels along the longest edge, and saved with the best quality you can. Send them to me, info@hawk-conservancy.org, and be sure to include the following statement in each email with photographs attached. For reasons of copyright (yours) I cannot accept into the competition any photographs not accompanied with this wording:-

The photographs accompanying this email were taken by me and are my property. I have not assigned my rights over these photographs to anyone.
By sending these photographs, I hereby grant to The Hawk Conservancy Trust, and to Keith Channing, their webmaster, the right to display these photographs on their websites and to incorporate them in their literature provided that in every place where they are displayed, I am named as the photographer.
Neither The Hawk Conservancy Trust nor their webmaster has permission to grant any rights over these photographs to any other party, and I reserve all other rights.

For under-16s the wording should be:

The photographs accompanying this email were taken by a minor in my care and are his/her property. We have not assigned our rights over these photographs to anyone.
By sending these photographs, I hereby grant to The Hawk Conservancy Trust, and to Keith Channing, their webmaster, the right to display these photographs on their websites and to incorporate them in their literature provided that in every place where they are displayed, credit is given to the photographer.
Neither The Hawk Conservancy Trust nor their webmaster has permission to grant any rights over these photographs to any other party, and we reserve all other rights.

Wherever the photographs are displayed on the web site or in other literature, you will be named as the photographer. The competition is intended for amateur photographers only. If you are a professional photographer, you may submit photographs to the gallery, but not into the competition itself, and I shall include the name of your organisation or studio in the credit and, where applicable, a link to your web site. Closing date for submissions will be 31st October, 2004. Closing date for nomination of competition entries will be 15th November, 2004. The first round of judging will take place and the class finalists notified before 10th December, 2004, and the winners will be notified before Christmas, 2004.

For the competition, all photographs will be resized as necessary to a maximum of 600 pixels along the longest edge to establish a level playing field, although you may submit in a higher resolution that will reproduce better. Photographs that come to me at a smaller size will be left as they are. In fairness to our site sponsors iZr Solutions, I need to limit to 20 photographs per entrant.
Good shooting!

Click here for the 2004 pictures

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