This worldwide contest is open to residents of legal age in their respective countries. The following are excluded from entering: employees, representatives, and agents of Rolf C. Hagen Inc., and participating dealers; their immediate families; and persons with whom they are domiciled. No purchase necessary for entry into this contest. All information on the official entry form must be provided in order for the entry to be valid. By submitting the obligatory Official Entry Form, each contestant agrees to abide by the rules and regulations governing this contest. The pictures have to be sent to a dedicated email address (see below).
Subjects
Only reptiles or amphibians on a natural background are eligible subjects. Natural prey items are the only other animals allowed in the composition, no humans. Hybrids or cultivated colour morphs are not eligible subjects. You must indicate if a picture has been taken in captivity or in the wild. Details must be provided in the relevant email or file summary. If cruel or unethical practices are suspected, the picture will be disqualified.
Categories
There a 6 categories in the 2008 competition;
Amphibians in their environment
The habitat must be as important a part of the image as well as the amphibian species being photographed and represent the relationship or interaction between them.
Reptiles in their environment
The habitat must be as important a part of the image as well as the reptilian species being photographed and represent the relationship or interaction between them.
Animal portraits
The picture must capture the character or spirit of the animal.
Animal behaviour
The pictures in this category must show memorable, unusual or striking behaviour.
Scientific Record
The picture shows the entire animal from nose to tail tip and really represents the species or morph the best possible way.
Endangered species
The subject in this category is part of a conservation effort, occurs on the Cites Appendix I list or is mentioned in the IUCN red list of threatened species.
Limitations
There is no limit on to how many images can be submitted per category.
Copyright
You must be the sole author and owner of the copyright in all pictures entered.
Format
Entries must be digital images. Save images as a JPEG at the highest possible quality setting (e.g. 12 in Photoshop) and the lowest or no compression.
Size
Minimum five million pixels or above.
Labeling
The file should carry your name and the key subject, for example TPeters_Phelsumalaticauda.jpg or MKern_Testudosp.jpg. Full contact and picture details should also be contained in the ‘File Info’ or 'Summary tag' of the digital file.
Manipulation
Images should be submitted at their native resolution with no interpolation applied. Digital adjustments are only acceptable if limited to cleaning work, levels, curves, colour, saturation and contrast work, applied to the image as a whole. The faithful representation of a natural form, behaviour or phenomenon must be maintained. Masking sections of the work, compositing, multiple exposures, filters are NOT allowed. Cropping is allowed, but by no more than 20% of original size. Photographs that consist in any way of more than one separate image and images that have been digitally manipulated other then mentioned above are not eligible.
Calibration
Images should be colour profiled using correctly calibrated monitor and utilizing Adobe RGB 98 colour space.
Emailing images
Send a separate email per picture to nactusaward@exo-terra.com. The following information must be included in the body of the email:
- Name & address
- Category
- Latin name of the subject(s)
- Description of the subject
- Place & Date when taken
- Camera and settings
Judges
A team of five judges will be appointed by Rolf C. Hagen Inc. and will nominate the 36 best pictures, 6 in each category.
Voting
The pictures will be published on the Exo Terra website where the public voting determines the winner. Should the quality of entries fall below the standard required, the organizers reserve the right not to award prizes. Public voting will start on January 7, 2009 and close on January 21, 2009.
Notification
Nominated photographers will be notified on January 7, 2009. The results will be published on the Exo Terra website. The winner of the Nactus Award 2008 will be notified on January 31, 2009.
Reproduction
By entering this contest, all entrants agree to the use and publication of their names, addresses and photos to be used for promotion purposes by Rolf C. Hagen Inc., or its advertising agencies, without compensation either during or after the contest. Rolf C. Hagen, Inc. reserves the worldwide rights to reproduce, publish and exhibit the 36 nominated images, in any form or on any type of medium without any form of compensation. Not nominated photographers regain the full rights to their images on January 7, 2009, nominated photographers regain the copyright on January 1st 2010, however, Rolf C. Hagen, Inc. reserves the right to use the nominated images on 'Hagen' or 'Exo Terra' branded material or publications.
Closing date
Entries must be sent to nactusaward@exo-terra.com by December 22, 2008.
