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Showcase Entry Rules

Images should represent truthful behavior and natural events. Follow NANPA’s Principles of Ethical Field Practices.

General Information

  1. The 2025 NANPA Showcase is presented by Organizer North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) in conjunction with Organizer American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP).
  2. Submit entries through the NANPA Showcase Entry Portal between July 31, 2024 at 12:00am EDT and September 18, 2024 at 11:59pm EDT.
  3. If your NANPA or ASMP membership is not active as of July 31, 2024, renew well before the submission deadline to avoid delays and exclusion from the contest. Help with renewals takes place during normal office hours, so do not wait until the last minute to renew. Your Membership must remain active at least through the close of the Entry Period on September 18, 2024.
  4. The entry fee for still images is $10 per image for submissions one to five. Any additional images submitted beyond the first five are $8 per image, a 20% savings. This discount is applied automatically. The fee can be paid by credit card on the website. There is no limit to the number of images a member may enter.
  5. The entry fee for the new Video category is $45 / entry. All Videos must be three minutes or less in duration. Any additional video entries submitted beyond the first five are $34/entry, a 20% savings. This discount is applied automatically.
  6. Only NANPA or ASMP members may enter the annual Showcase competition. Each entry must be entirely the creation of the photographer submitting the image. Note to Joint Members: Each member in a Joint Membership must have an individual login account and must login using their own personal account to submit entries. Images are credited and prizes are awarded to the account submitting the images. NANPA is not responsible for incorrect attribution when photos are submitted under the wrong account.
  7. All judging is done anonymously via the NANPA Showcase Entry Portal. Entries are judged on impact, originality and photographic skill.
  8. Photographs of animals in the wild are favored. Images of game farm animals are not accepted. Game farms are defined as private for-profit operations whose primary income is generated from hiring out captive animals for photography, videography and filmmaking. Use of live bait to attract or control subjects is not allowed. Wild species of flora and fauna are preferred over domestic plants and animals. Entries must indicate “captive,” if applicable. See NANPA’s Captioning Guidelines for further details.
  9. All entrants will be notified of their results whether or not their images are selected for recognition.
  10. By entering the contest, each applicant accepts the rules as stated and guarantees that all information provided is truthful and the capture of images complied with local, state, and federal regulations related to photography. Entries not accurately represented or not abiding by contest rules will be disqualified. Refunds will not be given in case of disqualification and prizes will be forfeited. It is the entrant’s responsibility to provide accurate information including a correct email address for notification. NANPA is not responsible for emails that are not received.
  11. At all times, Entrant retains the copyright to the work submitted and this right is not assigned, apportioned, or otherwise impinged by submission.
  12. NANPA assumes no responsibility for submissions. Winning entrants agree that Organizers have the right to use their photographs, as well as their name and likeness in conjunction with the same, without compensation, in Showcase 2025 on the Organizer’s websites as well as in the journal Expressions, and in online promotions of future Showcase contests in a variety of media including but not limited to Facebook and Instagram.
  13. NANPA may also use the images to promote future Showcases, journals, and competitions. The photographer also grants permission to NANPA to use the image(s) in other publications and promotions in support of the NANPA Showcase.
  14. Proper credit will be attributed to images published on the website, in Expressions or in promotional uses, based on photographer information submitted with the entry.
  15. Organizer Staff, as well as Contest-related Contractors, and their immediate families are not eligible to participate. For the purpose of clarity, both NANPA and ASMP volunteer board members not associated with the Contest can participate. All NANPA members will have access to the electronic (PDF) version of Expressions.
  16. The Organizer reserves the right of final judgment concerning items not expressly stated in these Entry Rules. Entrants who do not consent to the organizer’s decisions may withdraw from the contest. All costs associated with withdrawal from the contest are to be borne by the entrant. Decisions of the Organizer are final and binding.

Entry Requirements

  1. The quality of the image file is critical, so be careful when using Photoshop or other enhancing tools. Many otherwise outstanding images are scored down because they are overprocessed, excessively manipulated, or involve unapproved methods described elsewhere in the rules. The exception is the Altered Reality category.
  2. No elements may be added to any entry that were not captured by the entrant’s camera. Adding content using AI tools is unacceptable except in the Altered Reality category.
  3. No names, watermarks, text, logos, borders or other differentiating marks may appear on entries. Likewise, no photographer names or identifying terms may appear in the “Subject”, “Location”, or “Comments” fields on the entry application. These images will be disqualified without refund.
  4. Entries not accurately reflecting the subject matter and scene as it appeared when captured with the camera must be identified as photo illustration. Photo illustration is not allowed in the conservation category. Read details about Photo Illustration in the Contest Info, Tips, and Secrets section on the main page.
  5. Entries appropriate for Showcase must include nature subjects. People in nature, indigenous people, domestic species and the hand of man are acceptable, but wild nature must be the primary point of interest.
  6. Entrants are responsible for the resolution of any legal issues that arise from their submitted works.
  7. Entries may be disqualified at the Organizer’s discretion.
  8. Entries may not contain:
    a. Content that infringes on the copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property or rights of a third person or entity or violates rights of publicity or privacy.
    b. Content that infringes on any laws or is defamatory or libelous.
  9. The judges’ decisions are final and non-appealable.
  10. All judging is blind with no indication to the judges who the author or creator of the work is.

Entry Preparation

  1. Images submitted in previous Showcase competitions may be entered as long as they were not selected for the Showcase Top 250. Judging is subjective, so it is possible this year’s judges may score images differently.
  2. NANPA may require additional information about entries before finalizing the results. Requested files or info must be received within one week of notification or the contending entry may be demoted or disqualified. New this year: please note NANPA’s restrictions on AI software used on entries on the Showcase AI Rules page. For authentication of entries in question, original untouched files or other specific source information may be required.
  3. Entries must be submitted as JPG or JPEG files, RGB or grayscale mode. We cannot accept slides, negatives or prints.
  4. Entry file size must be 5MB or less. Suggested image dimensions are 1920px on longest side at 72dpi, with a file size of between 400kb and 5mb, but the primary consideration is the file size!
  5. There is no naming convention for the files you upload. Use whatever filename you’d like. Images are stored with a numeric index number so judging can remain anonymous. The original file name is stored for winner notification about the specific image that was submitted.
  6. On the entry page, you are required to check one or more image attributes and an image category for each image. This information will be used for sorting purposes if your image is selected for the Top 250.
  7. NANPA cannot provide technical assistance to help members prepare their images for submission. Not only does this represent a conflict of interest, but we are not familiar with all possible software that members might be using. If you are having problems, be sure to see the Image Preparation Tips section.
  8. Pay online via credit card. We cannot accept payment over the telephone or checks by postal mail.