Atlas of LifE: Coastal wilderness

2024 photo competition

PEOPLE’S CHOICE voting FORM

Please put in your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choices into the below form and press submit. Please be aware that you are limited to one entry form per person.

The photos can be found on the 2024 Atlas of Life Photo Competition Gallery page. Voting in the People’s Choice Award is now closed.

After a two year break, it’s again time to celebrate the wonder and beauty of our region's biodiversity. 
Send us your best photos of wild nature from across the Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness region,
the Sapphire Coast of NSW.

Entry for the 2024 competition is open from June 1st to July 14th. Our celebration exhibition will happen on Wednesday August 14th at Wheeler’s restaurant in Merimbula at 5:00pm. during Science Week
Go to the galleries to view all the entries as they appear

Prizes

Overall first prize is two weekday nights in a luxurious Tanja Lagoon Camp safari tent or cabin
There is a $150 voucher to Wheeler’s Seafood Restaurant , kindly donated by Jacqui Smith

a $300 voucher with Navigate Expeditions( = a 2person Kayak tour)

and a Family Pass for Potaroo Palace

There will also be a prize for the ‘People’s Choice’ which you can vote for after the main judging.

"what are the categories?"

Images will be judged in each of the 10 categories above. Overall winning entries will then be selected from among the category award winners.

Note: please only enter images of wild nature. For example, a photo of a pet snake, a caged bird, a cultivated plant, or a feral animal will not be accepted. 

"am i eligible to enter?"

Entry is open to all ages, and to residents and visitors to the Sapphire Coast alike. The only requirement is that you are a registered contributor to the Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness database in iNaturalist. [not registered yet? click here]

All images must have been taken within the Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness region, that is from Nadgee in the South, to the Moruya River in the North and West to the ranges. Indeed, we urge all entrants to ensure that their photos are also recorded as sightings on our Atlas of Life in the Coastal Wilderness database. 

"How many images MAY I enter?"

Up to 3 images per Primary Category, and up to 10 images in total. (Please submit a separate form for each entry.)

Note: Photos taken prior to 2024 are eligible for entry. However, images entered in previous years' Atlas of Life Photo Competitions are not eligible for re-entry.

"what are the judges looking for?"

The judges are all experienced and awarded nature photographers, and contributors to the Atlas of Life. They will be judging images against the following criteria:

• Interest and appeal: is the image visually interesting and 'eye-catching'?

• Composition

• Technical qualities: lighting and exposure, clarity and focus

In addition, they will be looking for images which capture the 'nature' of nature. For example: the growth of a fungus; the structure of a flower; the behaviour of an animal; the adaptations of a species to its environment.

key dates

Entry opens 1st June 2024, and closes on 14th July. Winners will be announced and celebrated at the exhibition at Wheeler’s restaurant in Merimbula on Wednesday August 14th at 5:00pm.

Updates, information and results on our social media.

Exhibition and prizes

All images will be displayed as a Gallery on this website. The winning images will be highlighted in the Gallery, and will also be printed and displayed in an exhibition which can be viewed at various libraries and other public venues around the region.

JUDGES 2024

All of our judges are expert, local photographers themselves, with many years of practical experience. They are awarded nature photographers and know what to look for in identifying outstanding images. As members of our broader Atlas of Life community, these photographers have kindly offered their support to this year's competition.

1: Jess Taunton
2: Harrison Warne
3: Bob Georgeson 4: Deb Taylor

For more information and images by our 2024 judges, head to our Projects & Events page.

Further Terms and Conditions:
Image sharing - By entering your image or video to this competition you acknowledge Atlas of Life reserves the right to publish, distribute and display said entered image/s as they see fit(without profit), including on social media and including distribution to various Australian media outlets, funding bodies and other science bodies similar to Atlas of Life, videos may be uploaded to the Atlas of Life YouTube channel.

See the spectacular gallery of images from previous competitions below.

Here are a few of the entries from previous years …

select entries from 2017

The Atlas of Life thanks the following organisations for their ongoing support of this competition: