It’s that time of the year: awards season. Last night was the Grammys and before that the Golden Globes, Directors’ Guild and Screen Actors Guild. The Oscar nominee list is out and, soon, the Emmy list will be, too. And just how is this related to nature photography?
What all these awards have in common is a focus on honoring outstanding achievement in their respective fields. So, too, do NANPA awards.
Like many nonprofit and membership organizations, the work of NANPA and its members sometimes flies under the radar of the public at large. There typically isn’t a glitzy TV special or a New York Times feature story on the accomplishments of nature photographers, yet their photos have and continue to have an enormous impact in the appreciation and conservation of species and lands.
From all the way back in 1864, when the photographs of Carleton Watkins helped convince President Abraham Lincoln and Congress to preserve Yosemite Valley, to Joel Sartore’s ongoing Photo Ark (for which he received a 2019 NANPA Lifetime Achievement Award) nature photographers have been producing work that makes a difference in the world.
So, who do you know that exemplifies excellence in nature photography? NANPA members can submit nominations for one of three prestigious awards:
Outstanding Young Nature Photographer Award
This is a new award for which the nominee must be between 15 and 30 years of age.
The nominee should have a growing body of work that demonstrates an ever increasing maturity in his/her artistic abilities and craftsmanship. If the nominee is not a NANPA member he/she must be born or reside in North America or his/her body of work must focus on North America.
NANPA Fellow Award
A NANPA member who has made significant contributions to the professional nature photography industry over a period of at least 20 years and who demonstrates dedicated adherence to NANPA’s values and mission statement.
Community Recognition Award (formerly Industry Recognition Award)
This award goes to a supplier of services or products to the photo industry and may go to a specific individual or a company. Examples include, but are not limited to, stock agencies, manufacturers, retailers, magazine and newsletters and staff, galleries and photo service providers.
You must be a NANPA member to submit a nomination and can do so in the Members’ Area of the NANPA website. Go to the Nominate Members for Awards link under Recognition for more information and the online nomination forms. You can nominate more than one person for any award. Nominations must be received by the end of the day on Friday, February 14th, 2020.
Special thanks to NANPA’s Awards Committee for all the work they put into managing NANPA’s awards programs.
