Rules & Regulations

Participation Rules

  • We organise quarterly collections.
  • There is registration fee required for all the participants who are participating in the collection.
  • The collection is open to everyone from amateur photographer to talented professionals. But pictures must belong to Flora, Fauna and Biodiversity of India.
  • There is no category in the collection, you can submit any kind of Nature & Wildlife photography, be it animal portraits, bird portraits, landscapes of the habitat, microorganisms, insects, etc.
  • Participants are not allowed to submit the pictures of farm animals, family pets, or animal models.
  • Please avoid digital manipulation such as cloning and combining visual elements.
  • Pictures with watermarks, frames, borders, or any kind of logos will not be accepted.
  • We may ask for the Raw file of the picture.
  • You can submit three pictures in each collection.

Ethical Standards

  • Participants must take care of the welfare of the animals they are photographing and ensure the safety of animals or the habitat in an attempt to secure the picture.
  • Pictures of nesting birds and feeding birds are not permitted. However, in some cases, pictures depicting brood parasitism in birds and their bird behavior are allowed.
  • Night Photography is Prohibited in the following cases thus pictures would not be accepted :
    • If the animal is disturbed or hampered without any concerns
    • If a person has used heavy flash lights for capturing the image
    • The photograph is taken/captured in a Restricted area (National park/Wildlife sanctuary/any Reserve)
    Night photography would be accepted in the following cases :
    • If it is performed for the purpose of Micro photography
    • If the Night photography is permitted/allowed in some National park/ Wildlife sanctuary or Reserve.
    • If the photograph has been taken to either study the species, carry out research on that particular species or for any Documentary purpose; but with the prior permission of the Authorities.
    • If the photograph is captured through Trap cameras, with the permission of Authorities.
  • Pictures of captive animals will not be accepted unless the said picture has been shot for a specific purpose to portray issues regarding animal conservation or treatment of the species.
  • Pictures captured using live bait will not be accepted and If any other forms of attraction have been used to click the picture, like birdseed, food, or scent, then picture will be disqualified.
  • Participants must not deceive the audience or attempt to disguise or misrepresent the reality of the natural scene.
  • Information submitted in the caption must be accurate, true, and complete.
  • If the picture sent by a photographer does not belong to the Indian mainland or Indian Biodiversity, then that particular picture is not eligible for sending further to the Jury. Pictures must only belong to the Indian mainland Flora & Fauna and Biodiversity. Even after completion of the whole process, if someone has surpassed the pictures of outside Indian Subcontinent, then that person shall be further disqualified or the selected pictures will be removed from the Collection.
  • If our Team suspects any conflict throughout the process or even after the announcement of the results, then we have an authority to take an action. We will eliminate that particular picture and remove the picture from the collection or disqualify the participant.
  • Any breach of these ethical standards will be listed as breaching of collection rules and thus will result in the disqualification of the participants.

Judging Criteria

  • The jury is composed of renowned people in the field of photography and the conservation of animals. To select the winning picture the following criteria will be kept in mind.
    • Creativity
    • Originality
    • Composition
    • Technical Consideration
    • Uniqueness
    • Aesthetic Criteria
  • Once the collection is closed to the public, the participants will only hear from our INW Awards Team if their picture/s are shortlisted.
  • The Team of INW Awards has the right to disqualify participants who approach the jury by any other means to influence the judging process or requesting feedback prior to the announcement of results.

Process & Rewards

Way of Processing

  • We organise Quarterly collections with different combination of judges.
  • You can submit only 3 photographs in each quarterly collection.
  • First screening will be done by the internal members of the team where we will remove the picture if it won't satisfy our criteria.
  • A Jury(judges) will evaluate and select the photographs for each quarterly collection.
  • Jury will select the best pictures to exhibit on our website & same will be shared on our social media platforms.
  • Digital Certificates will be given for each selected picture.
  • Each selected picture will remain showcased on our collection page in website as well as they will be depicted on our social media pages.
  • Top10 Photographers & 10 Special Mentions will be announced in January-2025, based on the number of photos selected and marks evaluated throughout the year 2024 (Collection-25 to Collection-28)

Yearly Rewards

After 4 Quarterly Collections, We will be announcing the list of TOP 10 PHOTOGRAPHERS & 10 Special Mentions, and give them the following Rewards.

  • THE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR (i.e, 1st winner) will get INR 11000 (Eleven Thousand Rupees Only) along with INW Trophy & a Certificate.
  • 1st RUNNER UP (i.e, 2nd winner) will get INR 5100 (Five Thousand One Hundred Rupees Only) along with INW Trophy & a Certificate.
  • 2nd RUNNER UP (i.e, 3rd winner) will get INR 2100 (Two Thousand One Hundred Rupees Only) along with INW Trophy & a Certificate.
  • The remaining 7 Photographers of Top10 will get INR 1100 (One Thousand One Hundred Rupees Only) along INW Trophy & a Certificate
  • & 10 Special Mentions will get INW Tropy & a Certificates