WHO CAN APPLY?
Open to all photographers residing in Singapore, regardless of nationality. All you have to do is to pay an entry fee of $20 per quarter.
NPSS members can take part in this competition for FREE.
The grand prizes are based your entries of ALL 3 QUARTERS. Hence we highly recommend that you submit the maximum amount of images in each quarter (maximum 4 images per category in OPEN AWARDS) to make the most out of this competition.
HOW TO APPLY?
HOW TO ENTER?
Submit your images using our online form.
NUMBER OF IMAGES?
Each participant can submit up 4 images per category in OPEN SECTION. That makes up to a total of 12 images per quarter. For the YOUTH SECTION, you can submit a total of 12 images regardless of categories.
SUBMIT EARLY.
We highly encourage you to submit early because the website traffic might be heavier towards closing date. Entries that cannot be submitted due to slow or no website response will not qualify for scoring in that quarter.
CONTEST SCHEDULE
The Competition runs from 1st January 2017 to 31st October 2017 with 3 quarterly themes. The themes will be announced on the first day of each quarter.
1. First Quarter : 1st Jan 2017 – 30th Apr 2017 11:59PM (Singapore Time) – DEADLINE EXTENDED
2. Second Quarter : 1st May 2017 – 31st July2017 11:59PM (Singapore Time)
3. Third Quarter : 1st Aug 2017 – 30th November 2017 11:59PM (Singapore Time) – DEADLINE EXTENDED
Winners will be announced 6 weeks after each closing date, with the exception of the third quarter where the results will be announced during the prize presentation ceremony that is slated to happen on 31st March 2018. The date of the prize presentation ceremony will be announced at a later date.
AWARDS & PRIZES
OPEN SECTION
Grand Prize
S$3,000 cash & S$4,000 Canon e-Voucher
Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year 2017
Category Prizes
S$1,000 cash & S$1,500 Canon e-Voucher each
Landscape Photographer of the Year
Avian / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Underwater / Macro Photographer of the Year
Quarterly Category Prizes
S$250 cash each
SNPY Landscape Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
SNPY Avian/Wildlife Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
SNPY Underwater/Macro Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
YOUTH SECTION
Grand Prize
S$1,000 & S$1,500 Canon e-Voucher
Singapore Young Nature Photographer of the Year 2017
Quarterly Prizes
S$250 each
SNPY Young Photographer Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
JUDGES
Dr Chua Ee Kiam - Nature Photographer & Author of Nature-related books
Associate Professor Chua Ee Kiam is an award winning nature photographer. He is the First Prize Winner of the Nikon / Fox Channel Photo Competition 2013. He is also the Grand Prize Winner of the “City in a Garden” Photo Competition 2012.
In addition, he has published 8 books since 1993 depicting the various aspects of nature in Singapore. Four of these books received special mention and won awards such as the National Development Book Council Award 1994, Nautilus Book Award 2015, Living Now Evergreen Medal 2015 and Honorable Mention Independent Publisher in 2005.
Associate Professor Chua is a dental surgeon at the National Dental Centre Singapore as well as Honorary Museum Associate with the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NUS.
Lee Tiah Khee - Lianhe Zaobao Chief Photographer
Lee Tiah Khee has over 28 years of experience as a professional photographer. While Tiah Khee’s work constantly challenges him with the rigours of photo journalism, he is also a passionate photographer of wild birds and is one of Singapore’s leading nature photographers. He has published two coffee table books, Birds in a Garden City, published in March 2010 and the second being Birds of Singapore in June 2013.
His other accomplishments include a FIAP Silver Medal in the 54th Singapore International Photography Award (Digital Nature Section, 2007), first prize in the Merlion Park International Photo Competition (2002), Overall Best Award in the Discovering Singapore and The World Photography Competition (1995) and the Young Artist Award (Photography, 1992). In his bid to give back to the industry, he spends time to judge for local and international photography contests.
Nicky Bay - Macro Photographer
Nicky Bay is a prolific macro photographer whose works have traveled across the globe through magazines, books, newspapers, television segments and online publications. On top of two solo photo exhibitions in Europe, he has also conducted extensive workshops in the most remote jungles around the world with participants from five different continents. Nicky’s photography style is diverse, approached with continual innovation on his techniques and equipment setup.
With weekly field trips, he has a massive collection of arthropod photos and is currently co-authoring books on Spiders of Southeast Asia and Spiders of Borneo. A freelance web and mobile developer as well as a photography instructor, Nicky blogs about his field trip discoveries at sgmacro.blogspot.com.
William Tan - Underwater Photographer
William Tan has been fascinated with the creatures of the sea since childhood. While studying at the Johns Hopkins University (USA), much of his spare time was spent gazing at the extensive marine collection of the National Aquarium in Baltimore. A violinist with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, William earned his scuba diving certification in 1994. Thereafter, without his prized antique Italian violin, he travels extensively between concert seasons throughout the Pacific region judging underwater photo competitions, and photographing marine life for tourism organizations, scientific research groups, dive magazines, camera manufacturers, and resorts. William is sponsored by Nauticam International Ltd; Fourth Element; RGBlue Underwater Lighting System; and works very closely with Canon Inc. Singapore.
Michael Ee - Nature Photographer
Michael started his journey in nature & microphotography since the day he joins Nature Photographic Society Singapore (NPSS) as member in 2005. Over the years, he has won many medals and awards from various international photo salons worldwide under nature section which include the following:
2009- Toronto International Of Photography- FIAP Gold & Best Insect
2011- Malta International Photographic Exhibition UK- PSA Gold & Maltese Falcon Master Photographer Award.
- NorthStar International Circuit of Nature Photography USA- Best Zoology & Best of show.
PAB Biennial International Digital Salon India- Best Insect.
Singapore International Photography Award- Best of Section & Best Local Entry.
Michael has attained EFIAP in 2012 & in 2014; he has attained PSA star rating of 5 Stars in Nature Division. Over the last few years, he has been invited to be in the judging panel for various international salons.
COMPETITION RULES & REGULATIONS
Updated on 28th March 2017
The English Language Version of these competition rules (‘the Rules’) is binding
1.The Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year Competition (‘the Competition’) is owned by the Nature Photographic Society, Singapore (NPSS) (‘the Organiser’).
2.The Competition is open to all photographers residing in Singapore, regardless of nationality. The Competition is organised in two sections:
- Open Section. This is open to participants age 27 years or older on 1 January 2017. The winner of this Section will be awarded the Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year 2017.
- Youth Section. This is open to participants between the age of 18 years and 26 years on 1 January 2017. The winner of this Section will be awarded the Singapore Young Nature Photographer of the Year 2017.
3. The Competition will be held over a period of 10 months starting from 1st January 2017. The final winners are selected based on the total score of the entries submitted over three quarters in 2017. The total score is the sum of the Participant’s scores from shortlisted entries per quarter.
4. Each entry comprises a single image along with a write-up not exceeding 300 words. The write-up should convey insights into the species behaviour, habitat, ecology or environmental pressures or concerns threatening its existence. Description of the geological and environmental factors or weather conditions plus the technique used to capture the image are also accepted in the write-up.
1. Entries in each quarter must be submitted online, via the Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year Competition website www.npss.org.sg/snpy2017, by 30 April 2017 11.59PM Singapore time, 30 July 2017 11.59PM Singapore time, and 31 October 2017 11.59PM Singapore time, to qualify for the First, Second, and Third Quarter respectively. Entries submitted past each quarterly deadline will be automatically considered as submission for the following quarter. Any entry submitted after 31 October 2017 will be disqualified.
2. Images submitted for the Competition must be the ORIGINAL WORK of the Participant who own sole copyrights to the images. Images of animals and birds in captivity will not be accepted for the Competition.
3. Images submitted must not include any Hand Of Man (‘HOM’) elements. HOM elements refer to any man-made structure or human element, which include but not limited to:
- Still Life Objects
- People
- Buildings
- Transport & Infrastructure
- Plane Contrails
4. The winning photographers grants the Organiser, sponsors and its supporting partners the non-exclusive right to reproduce, display and use the entries in an exhibition organised in Singapore (‘the Exhibition’) or for any promotional materials such as media/press releases, media pitches, online pages/website, or any other publicity materials relating to the Competition and Exhibition, or for non-commercial use to promote nature awareness & conservation in Singapore. Such publications containing the winning entries may be sold to recover the cost of printing. Photographer credit will be included wherever possible.
5. Members of the NPSS Executive Committee are prohibited from participating in this Competition.
6. The Organiser, sponsors & supporting partners are prohibited from distributing or selling the entries to other parties without the consent of the photographer.
1. Entry is free for NPSS members. Entry fee for non-NPSS members is $20 per quarter.
2. Participants are allowed and encouraged to submit a maximum of 12 entries per quarter (maximum 4 entries per category for Open Section). Additional entries for that quarter will be disqualified. However, only ONE shortlisted entry per category per quarter will be taken into account for calculation of total score.
3. Shortlisted entries of the previous quarter cannot be resubmitted in subsequent quarters.
4. The Competition consists of the following categories:
- Open Section – 3 categories
- Landscape
- Avian / Wildlife
- Underwater / Macro
- Youth Section
- Landscape/Avian/Wildlife/Underwater/Macro in 1 category
1. Each image must be submitted as JPEG, with 1500 pixels along the longest dimension and at maximum file size of 2MB.
2. Images should not include any borders, watermarks, identifying marks, signatures, and names.
3. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard image quality optimization (removal of dust specks, cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, colour and contrast, etc.) will be disqualified. Multiple exposures that have been combined to produce a single “High Dynamic Range” image, stitched panoramas, focus stacking taken at the same location and the same time are acceptable provided that they are reported in the write-up. Images that do not meet these requirements may be disqualified at the Judges’ sole discretion.
4. Images submitted can be in colour or monochrome, and can be shot in or outside of Singapore unless specified by the theme for that quarter.
5. Submitted image files must comply with the following file-naming convention:
Q1_Category_FullName_serialnumber.jpg where:
- Q1 = Quarter 1, Q2 = Quarter 2, Q3= Quarter 3
- Category refers to LS for Landscape, AW for Avian/Wildlife, UM for Underwater/Macro and YP for Youth Section
- Serial number is a 2 digit number from 01 to 04 for the sequential numbering of the Participant’s entries in each category. For the Youth Section, the 2 digit number will be from 01 to 12.
6. Shortlisted Winners will be required to provide the following:
- RAW files (eg .CR2, .NEF, .ORF, .PEF etc), original untouched JPEGs, or original transparencies or negatives, for authentication. DNG files are only permitted if this is the native RAW format of the camera
- High-resolution files (preferably TIFF) with at least 3000 pixels along the longest dimension and file size not exceeding 500MB. These images should be in 8-bit, Adobe RGB (1998), and match the colour and cropping of the JPEG submitted at entry for printing purpose. Please do not upscale the images.
- Proof of residence in Singapore.
7. Any entry that cannot be authenticated or is not of acceptable quality will be disqualified.
1. An independent panel of judges comprising of industry professionals and nature photography experts will be appointed by the Organiser to select the winning entries in all categories.
2. Judging will be based on each entry’s relevance to the theme, and its technical, aesthetics and creative.
3. Each image submitted must be accompanied by a write-up not exceeding 300 words, which will be taken into consideration during judging.
4. Only the top 10 shortlisted entries per category per quarter will be announced. Points will be award to the shortlisted based on the following:
- 1st position – 10 points
- 2nd position – 9 points
- 3rd position – 8 points
- 4th position – 7 points
- 5th position – 6 points
- 6th position – 5 points
- 7th position – 4 points
- 8th position – 3 points
- 9th position – 2 points
- 10th position – 1 point
Each Participant will have only 1 shortlisted entry per category per quarter. First position in each category and Youth Section will win the Quarterly Category Prize.
5. Results per quarter will be announced online 6 weeks after the closing of the quarter entry deadline, with the exception of the final quarter which will be announced during the prize presentation.
6. All points awarded to each participant per quarter will accumulate over the 3 quarters to decide the winner of the Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year 2017 and Young Nature Photographer of the Year 2017 for Open and Youth Sections respectively.
7. All points awarded to each participant in each category will accumulate over the 3 quarters to decide the winners for Category Prizes (Landscape, Avian/Wildlife, Underwater/Macro) in Open Section.
8. Winners will be asked to provide raw files to the Organiser for authentication. See Section 4, (6).
9. The Judges reserves the right not to award any prizes if the entries submitted do not meet the rules, ethics or requirements stated herein or are not up to Judges’ expectation.
10. The decision of the Judges and the Organiser is final.
1. Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year (S$3,000 cash + S$4,000 Canon e-Voucher)
This award is given to the Participant with the highest total score accumulated across all categories and over the three quarters of the Competition.
2. Landscape Photographer of the Year (S$1,000 cash + S$1,500 Canon e-Voucher
This award is given to the Participant with the highest total score accumulated in the Landscape Category over the three quarters of the Competition.
3. Avian/Wildlife Photographer of the Year (S$1,000 cash + S$1,500 Canon e-Voucher)
This award is given to the Participant with the highest total score accumulated in the Avian/Wildlife Category over the three quarters of the Competition.
4. Underwater/ Macro Photographer of the Year (S$1,000 cash + S$1,500 Canon e-Voucher)
This award is given to the Participant with the highest total score accumulated in the Underwater/Macro Category over the three quarters of the Competition.
5. A Participant may win only ONE of the four top prizes listed in para 6.1 to 6.4 above. In the event a Participant is first position in two or more categories, he/she will be awarded only the prize for his/her highest scoring category. The prize(s) for the other category/categories will then be awarded to the Participant with next highest score in that category/categories.
6. Young Nature Photographer of the Year (S$1,000 cash + S$1,500 Canon e-Voucher)
This award is given to the Participant with the highest total score accumulated in the Youth Section over the three quarters of the Competition.
7. Quarter Category Prizes in each Category and Youth Section (S$250 cash)
For each quarter, prizes will be awarded to the top entry for each category and Youth Section. The prize consists of S$250.00 cash for each of the following:
- SNPY Landscape Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
- SNPY Avian/Wildlife Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
- SNPY Underwater/Macro Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
- SNPY Young Photographer Prize for Quarter 1/2/3
A Participant may win more than one Quarterly Category Prizes for any particular quarter.
8. Prize presentation ceremony for all winners is scheduled in late 2017. Winners will be notified via phone, and/or email to attend the prize presentation ceremony.
9. The prize winners will be announced on the Competition website. The prizes are non-transferable or exchangeable. The Organiser reserves the right to substitute the whole or part of any of the listed prizes with an alternative of equal monetary value.
1. Participants agree that, if their entry is selected by the Judges, they may be asked to participate in related publicity and agree to the use of their name and likeness for the purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity of the Competition and/or the Exhibition without compensation.
1. All entries must comply with NPSS Code of Conduct.
2. Subjects must not be displaced from their natural habitat for ease of shooting. If the subject(s) is/are not in its original habitat or state, the Participant must state so in the write-up.
3. Participants are not allowed to do anything that harm or stress any animal or destroy its habitat in an attempt to photograph the subject. For images captured in Singapore’s nature reserves, parks & gardens, the NParks rules & regulations on park users must be adhered to. The Organiser reserves the right to withdraw the award any time should the code of conduct be broken. Participant must compensate and/or return the award given.
4. Entries which the Organiser and/or Judges suspect that have been achieved via any unethical practices will be disqualified.
5. The Organiser and/or Judges reserve the right to request for any raw files to authenticate if the images had violated any ethical practices.
1. Submission of entries signifies acceptance of the rules, the Ethics and the requirements of the Competition. Any breach of the rules and regulations by a participant will void his/her submission.
- It is the legal responsibility of each Participant to read the Rules and ensure each and every entry complies with the Rules. The Participant will be liable to the Organiser, the sponsors and their partners for any damages or loss incurred as a breach of the Rules by the Participant.
The Organiser reserves the right to amend any of the rules and regulations without prior notice. Any amendments will be published on www.npss.org.sg/snpy2017 and it is the Participant’s responsibility to check the website for any such amendments.
PHOTOGRAPHY ETHICS
We strongly believe that the environment and nature subjects are not harmed during photography. In the event that we discover unethical means are used to photograph a subject, the participant will be disqualified from the Competition.
F.A.Q
This contest is open to anyone above 18 years old and residing in Singapore, as well as to all NPSS members.
Entry is FREE if you are a NPSS member (1 year NPSS membership costs S$50).
If you are not a NPSS member, you will have to pay an entry fee of S$20 PER QUARTER. That makes up to a total of S$60 should you wish to participate in all 3 quarters to stand a better chance at winning the grand prizes.
Entry fee paid will not be refunded if you choose to join as an NPSS member mid-way through the competition.
This depends on the theme of the quarter. Should the theme specify that photos must be taken in Singapore, only those taken in Singapore will be considered for shortlisting and scoring. However, if the theme does not specify, photos can be of any where in the world.
We highly recommend you to note in your write-up/caption where the photo was taken.
This Competition is organised with the aim of encouraging nature photographers to have a deeper understanding of the nature subjects beyond photography, and at the same time, to educate the public on the beauty and fragility of nature through photographic images.
As such, good and informative write-up will be highly valued and may lend an edge to your entry.
This is one of the rare few competitions that involves a consolidation of scores over 10 months. Our main aim is to ensure that the winning photographers are those who has been actively photographing nature, understanding it and to celebrate their efforts.
A celebrated nature photographer should be one who understands nature and our environment, one who takes the effort in spending time in the wild photographing subjects and inspire others to preserve and conserve our natural environment. Hence, to win any of the top prizes, we would take into account the total score of a participant’s shortlisted entries over three quarters.
In any quarter, participant may win more than 1 Quarterly Category Prizes.
However, for the top 4 prizes – Singapore Nature Photographer of the Year 2017, Landscape Photographer of the Year 2017, Avian/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 and Underwater/Macro Photographer of the Year 2017, participant may only win 1 of these prizes.
In the event participant is highest score in 2 or more categories across all 3 quarters, he/she will be awarded only the prize for his/her highest scoring category. The prize(s) for the other category/categories will then be awarded to the participant with next highest score in that category/categories.
No, entries will only be accepted through upload on this website, with no exceptions made. We will not reply to any e-mails requesting for entry acceptance after the entry deadline has passed.
Sorry, we do not accept entries after the deadlines has passed.
1st Quarter: 30 April 2017 11.59PM Singapore time (EXTENDED)
2nd Quarter: 30 July 2017 11.59PM Singapore time
3rd Quarter: 31 October 2017 11.59PM Singapore time
Any entries submitted past the deadline will be automatically considered as submission for the following quarter. Any entry submitted after 31 October 2017 will be disqualified. No exceptions made, so please submit early.
Winners will be contacted via e-mail through the e-mail addresses given in the entry form. The e-mail will contain instructions for the original file to be sent to NPSS by a specified date. If the winner does not agree with all of the terms, they may be disqualified.
Prizes will be given out during a prize presentation ceremony in late 2017. Prizes can be claimed earlier on a case by case basis. In whatever method the winner opt for, NPSS accepts no responsibility for loss of the prize during transit.
CONTACT US
Please allow a few days for a reply. Replies to inquiries received close to the entry deadline may not be sent out in time for the deadline.
Please also read the contest rules, terms and conditions carefully. Inquiries pertaining to information already listed in the terms or on the website may not be entertained.
Main Organizer
Main Sponsor
We would like to thank CANON Singapore for being the biggest sponsor, without whom, this competition would not have been possible.
SUPPORTING PARTNERS
