Royal Entomological Society Insect Photography Competition 2023

Deadline: 31st of October, 2023

SteamoSeptember 8, 2023

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The Royal Entomological Society Insect Photography Competition 2023 is now accepting applications. As part of its calendar of events, The Royal Entomological Society has organized the bug photography competition to encourage study and involvement in the science, natural history, and conservation of insects.

There are three competition categories:

18 and over (with themes of Insect behaviour, Insects in their environment, Insect portraits)
Under 18
Smartphone

Benefits:

£750 for the 1st prize winner in the 18 and over Category;
£500 for the 2nd prize winner in the 18 and over Category;
£450 for the 1st prize winner in the Under 18 Category; and
£250 for the 2nd prize winner in the Under 18 Category.

The four winning images will be published in the RES’s bulletin Antenna, and its editors may also publish one or more of the runner-up images in addition to those of the prize winners.

Eligibility:

Open to amateur photographers of all ages and nationalities;
RES workers are not eligible. However, those who work as RES volunteers or work for Insect Week partners are not excluded if they are not directly involved in the Competition’s organisation.

Submission Requirements:

Entrants may submit up to three entries. If the RES deems the entrant has exceeded the image entry limit, through multiple accounts or by any other means, the RES may disqualify the entrant from the Competition.
Photographs must be submitted as jpg, jpeg or png files, using the Insect Week website
Image entry file sizes must not exceed 10MB. The RES recommends that entrants choose to submit a file that is the largest possible within that limit.
All the required fields (marked with *) on the online submission form must be completed. Winners and runners-up may be asked to amend a caption if it appears to contain an error.The RES reserves the right not to award a prize if, in the judges’ opinion, the entries do not reach the sufficient standard, or where the contact details provided on the entry form are incorrect or no longer valid.

Photography Requirements:

Photographs entered for the Competition should feature an insect (or group of insects) occurring naturally in the situation in which it is photographed. The subject can be of any life-stage, from egg through nymph, larva or pupa to adult, and can be an insect from anywhere in the world.
Photographs of other invertebrates (e.g. spiders, woodlice, snails) are not eligible (unless they are present in a composition that primarily features insects).
Submissions will be rejected if in the reasonable opinion of the judges it appears that the welfare of the insect(s) or their habitats have been compromised by the entrant, or the image has been otherwise taken in an irresponsible manner.
Images must not include watermarks, borders, or signatures.
Black and white images are eligible for submission.
Digital adjustments that maintain the integrity of the image are allowed. It is not permitted to make any major physical change to the image. Entrants may not, for example, add or remove plants, objects, animals, people, landscapes or any parts of animals, plants, people or landscape to their image.