The Great Outdoors Photo Contest

National Geographic Traveler (NGT) and Photo District News (PDN) are sponsoring "The Great Outdoors Photo Contest." The entry deadline is less than a month away: April 20, 2009 -- but you can extend the deadline to May 4th, if you're willing to pay an additional $10 per entry.

The contest is open to both amateur and professional photographers. There are five categories: 1) Parks and safaris, 2) plants, animals, insects, and gardens, 3) beaches, islands and underwater, 4) scenes of the natural world, 5) outdoor sports and activities. Entries will be judged on basis of creativity (34%), sense of place (33%), and capturing the moment (33%).

There will be a prize awarded in each category, (for both amateur and professionals), and a grand prize awarded in both the amateur and professional contests. The two grand prizes are five-night stays for two at Mandarin Oriental Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico (with a retail value of $6,000).

Entry fees are $12 per entry for amateur submissions and $35 per entry for professional submissions. Winners will be selected on or about June 1, 2009, and notified by e-mail by June 15, 2009. The Amateur Contest winners will be published online by NGT after June 15, 2009; and the Professional Contest winners will be published in the August issue of PDN.

Contest entries are to be submitted electronically to the web site, www.TheGreatOutdoorsPhotoContest.com, where full details are available. You can also get an idea of your competition because the site has images of the "Latest Entries" (the contest began on February 6th)!

My Comments: Typically, I'm not a big fan of photo contests, because many are just a cheap way for publishers and corporations to obtain use of your images; however, NGT and PDN are top-notch companies and assure that "You retain copyright to your photograph and the Sponsors may not sell your photo entry for a fee."