Northwoods Wildlife Center Photo Gala Rules

1. General Rules

• Photo submission deadline is 12 AM, February 7, or when 300 eligible submissions have been received.
• You can enter as many photos in as many categories as you would like. Each photo is $20.
• There are several categories for amateurs and one special category for professionals.
  • North-American Wildlife, Naturescapes, Bugs and Blooms, Pets, and People in Nature
  • North-American Wildlife photos must be of a species native to North America.
• We define professional photographer as anyone who’s livelihood or income is reliant upon their photography. Another way of looking at it, is that if you can claim your gear as a legitimate business expense, you should enter the Professional category.
• Photo of the Year is awarded by a panel of judges who review each one of the North-American Wildlife photos and judge them based on a set of technical, artistic and emotional criteria. Because the contest was originally created for amateurs, only Amateurs are eligible to win “Photo of the Year” and only for photos submitted to the North American Wildlife Category.
• All other category entries, including professional photos are eligible for “People’s Choice” awards that are voted on during the Gala.

Submission Guidelines

• Many crop ratios are accepted, but the maximum width displayed will be 10″.
  • Specify your photo’s orientation and dimensions when submitting.
• A 1-1/2 inch border matte will be included on all photos.
• Photos will be printed at 300 dpi.
  • Photos that are not 300 dpi will automatically be resampled and resized, without any guarantee as to what the final result will be. If you are particular about how your photo looks, please make sure that it is cropped and sized prior to submission!
• Acceptable formats for uploading are JPG, JPEG, PNG, and HEIC.
• Photos deemed offensive, advocating violence, or political may be rejected from the competition.
• All submissions must be uploaded through the contest website by the specified deadline.
• Each photo file must be named with the photographer’s last name, category, and title (e.g., “Smith_NorthAmericanWildlife_EagleSunset.jpg”).
• No AI-generated or AI-enhanced images are allowed.
• No digitally composited photos are allowed.
• No borders, frames, signatures, or watermarks may be added to the images.

• North-American Wildlife (Eligible for Photo of the Year)
• Naturescapes (Landscapes, natural scenes, weather)
• Bugs and Blooms (Insects, flowers, plant life)
• Pets (Domestic animals in nature)
• People in Nature (Humans interacting with nature. Motorsports activities are not eligible)
• Professional
  • We define professional photographer as anyone who’s livelihood or income is in any way reliant upon their photography.

• Photo of the Year (North-American Wildlife category only) $500 prize and certificate, awarded by a panel of three professional photographers.
• People’s Choice Awards (One per category, excluding Professional) Determined by public voting during the exhibition.
  • Certificate and small prize for the top entry in each category.
  • Public voting will take place during the Photo Gala Exhibition. Attendees may vote for their favorite image in each category, with one vote per person per category.

Judging Criteria

• For Photo of the Year and Category Winners (Selected by judges)
• Technical Excellence (25%) – Sharpness, exposure, and composition.
• Creativity & Originality (25%) – Unique perspective and storytelling.
• Emotional Impact (25%) – Evokes emotion or tells a compelling story.
• Adherence to Theme (25%) – Relevance to the category.

Ready to Enter, go here!

If you have read, understand and agree to everything, enter the contest here.