Frequently Asked Questions

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General Rules of Entry

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ANSWERS

How many times can I enter?
You may enter up to three (3) photos in the contest.
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How much does it cost to enter?
Nothing! It’s completely free to enter.
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How are the winners determined?
We will have two Grand Prize Winners:

  1. Experts’ Choice Winner—judged by a panel of expert wildlife photographers. 
  2. People’s Choice Winner—based on number of votes from the public.  See the Voting section below for more info on voting.

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Who is eligible to enter? Do I have to be a professional photographer?
You do not need to be a professional photographer to enter!  Photographers of all levels are invited to enter, including amateurs and professionals alike.  You just have to be at least 18 years old and reside in the United States or Canada.
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Can my 12 year old son or daughter enter?
No. All Entrants must be 18 years of age or older, and all submitted photos must be taken by the Entrant.  Those 18 or older may not submit a photo for someone under 18.​
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Why are you only accepting entries from residents of the USA and Canada?
Each country has its own promotional marketing laws. To conduct a worldwide sweepstakes, we would need a promotional marketing attorney on call in every single country. The rules would have to comply with each country’s laws and be translated into each country’s primary language.
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I share an email address with another person. Can we both enter the contest with that same email address? 
No, we can only accept submissions from one entrant per email address.  If you both want to enter, you must use separate email addresses. 
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Can my partner and I enter the contest together? We share a camera while traveling and can't always remember who took which photos! If we enter together, can we submit six photos?
You’ll each need to enter with your own name and email address.  Each of you can submit up to three (3) photos separately.  If you can’t remember who took which photos, that’s ok—just choose three per person. 
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What qualifies as a “wildlife” photo? 
We are looking for photos of wild animals in their natural habitat.  Please do not submit photos of animals in captivity, including photos of wild animals in zoos, photos of your pets, or photos of farm animals.  Photos of animals in captivity will be disqualified.  Note: Photos of animals in wildlife conservancies or wildlife preserves do not count as captivity and are allowed and encouraged! 
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Is it ok if there are people in my photo?
Yes!  We love photos of people observing animals in the wild, from a safe and respectful distance of course. 
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Can I submit a nature photo that doesn’t have any wildlife in it? 
No, this contest is for wildlife photos only. 
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What do you mean when you say Submitted photos should depict animals in their natural habitat...?
Submitted photos must depict animals in the wild, where they live naturally. Photos taken in a reserve, conservancy, or preserve are ok.  Photos taken in wildlife sanctuaries vary on a case-by-case basis—it depends on what type of sanctuary it is. If the animals in the sanctuary are not enclosed and have a significant amount of natural habitat to roam on, it is probably ok.  Photos taken in your backyard are ok, as long as it’s an animal that would naturally live in that habitat (i.e. birds, deer, or insects).  We will not accept photos of animals in any sort of enclosure, cage, or unnatural environment such as a zoo.  We reserve the right to disqualify any photos that don’t meet these guidelines.  If you are unsure about your photo’s location, please contact us. 
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Why are photos of pets and farm animals not allowed?
This contest is for photos of animals in their natural habitat.  Farm animals and pets are in captivity, and therefore not in their natural habitat. 
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Are there any size requirements for submissions?
Submitted photos must be at least 500 KB and at least 1,024 pixels wide on the long edge.
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Does the photo have to be in color?
No, photos do not have to be in color. 
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Can I have a watermark on my photo?
A small watermark in one corner of the photo is permitted.
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Can my photo be cropped?
Yes, you may crop your photo however you’d like. 
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Can I send you a non-digital photo in the mail?
Sorry, we can only accept photos electronically through the online submission form.
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Prizes

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ANSWERS

What are the prizes?
There are two separate Grand Prizes, one for the People’s Choice Winner and one for the Experts’ Choice Winner.

Prize for the People’s Choice Winner: a spot on Natural Habitat Adventures’ Classic Polar Bear Photography Adventure to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada. This is a 7-day, 6-night trip, valued at $7,900. See the official Terms & Conditions page for more information. 

Prize for the Experts’ Choice Winner: a spot on Natural Habitat Adventures’ Great Alaskan Grizzly Photo Adventure to Katmai National Park. This is an 8-day, 7-night trip, valued at $10,200.  See the official Terms & Conditions page for more information. 
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What if I don’t want the trip, can I take the cash value instead?
All prizes must be accepted as awarded, there are no cash substitutes.
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When do the trips take place?
Travel will take place in 2017 or 2018, and exact dates will be based on availability.  The Classic Polar Bear Photography Adventure takes place in October and November.  The Great Alaskan Grizzly Photo Adventure takes place June through September.
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How will you contact me if I win?
We will contact you at the email address and phone number you provide with your photo submission.  Make sure it’s an email address and phone number you check often!
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When will the winners be contacted?
Winners will be chosen by June 30, 2017 and contacted soon after.
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Are there any other prizes?
Yes! There will be at least three Honorable Mention Awards in both the Experts’ Choice and People’s Choice categories.  Each Honorable Mention will be awarded a $150 gift certificate to B&H photography store.

Who is sponsoring this contest?
This contest is sponsored by Wildlife Photo of the Day and Natural Habitat Adventures.  Wildlife Photo of the Day (WPOTD) is a platform for celebrating and sharing the world’s most stunning wildlife photos.  Natural Habitat Adventures is a leader in responsible adventure travel and ecotourism, and travel partner to World Wildlife Fund, the world’s leading environmental conservation organization.
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Photo Submission Help

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ANSWERS

How do I create an account?
Click here to create an account.  You’ll be asked to enter your email address, then we’ll send you an email with an authentication/Sign In link.  Once you click that link, you’ll be signed into your account. No passwords required!
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Why don’t I need a password for my account? ​
Instead of passwords, Wildlife Photo of the Day uses an email authentication system.  Each time you want to sign in, from any computer or device, all you have to do is enter your email address on the Sign In screen.  Then, you’ll receive an email with an authentication/sign in link. Click that link, and you’ll be logged in. 
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I got logged out. How do I sign back in, or sign in on a different computer?
Each time you want to sign in, from any computer or device, click “Sign In” in the upper right-hand corner.

Then, enter your email address on the Sign In screen.  You’ll receive an email with an authentication/Sign In link. Click that link, and you’ll be signed in.  No password required!
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I'm lost, I don't know where my User Dashboard went! How do I navigate back to my account?​
Click “My Account” in the upper right-hand corner.

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How do I submit a photo to the contest?
You can submit a photo through your User Dashboard. Click here to create an account and submit a photo from your account dashboard.

Once signed in to your account, click “Submit a Photo” in the left-hand dashboard menu.

If you haven’t already filled out your Photographer Profile, you’ll be prompted to do so before you can continue.

Once you’ve filled out your profile, you’ll be taken to the Contest Rules page. Read the rules and click “Agree and Continue to Step 2” at the bottom.

Follow the instructions in the Photo Upload section.  Click “Choose File” to upload your photo from your computer, tablet or mobile device. Make sure your photo meets the size requirements!

Fill in the requested information about your submission.  Make sure you fill in all the fields with an asterisk.  The other fields are optional. 

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When I click “Submit a Photo” from my account, why do I get taken to the Edit Profile page instead of the contest submission page?
That means you are missing some required contact information on your profile.  Once you finish your profile, you’ll be taken to the photo submission page. 
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What if I don’t remember what camera settings I used?
No problem, the camera settings question is optional. 
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How do I know for sure that you received my submission?
When signed in to your account, click “View/Edit Photos” on the left-hand menu, under this year’s contest.  If your photo submission is showing up there, that means it went through and we received it. 
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Help, I keep getting error messages when I try to submit a photo!  Why?
There are a few reasons you might be getting this error message: 

Is your photo the right size? Make sure it’s at least 500 KB and at least 1,024 pixels on the long edge.

Is your photo the right file format?  Submissions must be in JPEG, PNG, or TIFF format.

Did you include all the required information?

If you get an error that looks more like this:

Try one of the following:

Wait a few minutes and clear your internet browser’s cache and cookies, then sign in to your account and navigate to the entry page again.

Try a different internet browser.

If you’re on a mobile device or tablet, try entering on a laptop or desktop computer.

Try restarting your computer.

If you’re still getting an error after trying the tips above, please contact us and we'll get to the bottom of it!
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Why isn’t my uploaded photo showing up immediately on the submission page? 
Your photo won’t show up on the submission page, only the file name will show up on this page. After uploading your photo, you should see the file name to the right of the blue “Choose File” button.
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After I submitted a photo, I went to view the photo’s webpage, but my photo wasn’t showing up! What should I do?
If you check your photo’s webpage immediately after submitting, you might see this blue message:

Wait about 10 minutes, then try refreshing the page.  Your photo should be done processing and show up at that point.  If it doesn’t, please contact us. 
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Oops, I submitted the same photo twice!  How do I delete one?
When signed in to your account, click “View/Edit Photos” on the left-hand menu, under this year’s contest.  Find the photo you’d like to delete, and click the red Delete button next to the photo.  You’ll then be taken to a page where you’ll need to confirm that you want to delete that photo. 
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I accidentally deleted one of my submissions and I didn’t mean to. Can you get it back for me?
Unfortunately, we have no way to retrieve deleted submissions.  You’ll have to submit your photo again. 
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Can I go back and edit the title and other info on a photo I've submitted?
Yes! When signed in to your account, click “View/Edit Photos” on the left-hand menu, under this year’s contest.  Click the blue “Edit” button next to the photo you’d like to edit.  On the next screen, you can change any of the associated photo information, but you cannot change the photo itself (i.e. you cannot swap it for a different photo).  When finished, click “Update.” 
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I changed my mind about one of my submissions. Can I go back and enter a different photo instead?
Yes! You’ll first need to delete the photo you want to remove.  When signed in to your account, click “View/Edit Photos” on the left-hand menu, under this year’s contest.  Find the photo you’d like to delete, and click the red “Delete” button next to the photo.  You’ll then be taken to a page where you’ll need to confirm that you want to delete that photo.  Now you’re ready to submit your new photo.  Click “Submit a Photo” in the left-hand menu to get started. 
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Uh oh, one of my submissions is sideways and/or upside down!  Can I fix it?
The only way to fix this is to delete the sideways or upside down submission and re-submit the photo with the correct orientation. It's a good idea to copy your photo title and description from the original submission before you delete it. That way you can paste it when you submit the new version of the photo.
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Can I change my bio?  How about changing my profile photo? 
Yes and yes!  When signed in to your account, click “Edit Profile” on the left-hand menu. On the next screen, you can edit any of your profile information. Click “Save” when finished. 
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Will I be able to edit my photos after the Submission Period ends?
No, you will only have access to edit your photos during the Submission Period.  Once the Voting Period starts, you will no longer be able to edit your photos. 
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Voting/People's Choice Award

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ANSWERS

What is the People’s Choice Award? 
The People’s Choice Award is one of the Grand Prize Winner categories of the 2017 Wildlife Photography Contest.  The winner is chosen by public voting.
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When does the voting start?
To make sure all photos have the same amount of time to receive votes, the voting period starts as soon as the submission period ends.  Voting will open on June 1, 2017.
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Who can vote?
Anyone can vote, as long as they have a valid email address.  If you enter, make sure to ask your friends and family to vote!  Natural Habitat Adventures, Wildlife Photo of the Day, and WWF will also be encouraging their fans to vote.   
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Can I vote for my own photo?
Yes! You may vote for your own photo once per day.
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How many times can other people vote?
Voters may vote once per day.  Voters may vote for a different photo or the same photo each day.
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Do my friends and family get anything for voting? How can I entice them to vote?
Yes!  Everyone who votes will be entered into a drawing for a $500 Visa gift card. And, they can earn extra drawing entries each time they come back to vote again and when they share your photo.
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WWF & Natural Habitat Adventures. Discovering Our Planet Together.

Since 2003, Natural Habitat Adventures has partnered with World Wildlife Fund, the world’s leading environmental conservation organization, to offer conservation travel—sustainable travel that supports the protection of nature and wildlife. Nat Hab has provided more than $4 million to WWF and will continue to give 1 percent of gross sales plus $150,000 annually through 2023 in support of WWF’s mission to conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.

Learn more about the Nat Hab/WWF partnership.