“Every year, a jury is appointed by us, and the members of the jury are a mix of wildlife and environmental photographers, scientists, journalists, and filmmakers. This is done to ensure that we have a well-rounded approach in understanding all aspects of an image. The jury members select the winning images based on creativity, originality, composition, and technical as well as artistic considerations. The contest is open to all, participants from all over the world are welcome to submit. There is a special category for young photographers who are 17 years of age and under,” Radha told us about the evaluation process of the submissions.

When asked about how the winners are chosen, Radha explained: “Over multiple rounds of judging, the jury and the organisers shortlist images based on various technical and artistic considerations. All the finalists are contacted for RAW image verification, post which the jury members score and decide the final winners. We follow a rule of complete anonymity, where none of the jury members know who the participants are, and the images are judged purely on the merit of each individual photograph.”

“There are 6 main categories and each category winner takes away a cool cash prize of Rs 50,000 (INR). The runner-up wins Rs 25,000 and the second runner-up wins Rs 10,000. All the winners and special mentions get trophies and certificates. Additionally, they get worldwide media coverage and features on our social media channels,” Radha told us about the prizes for the winners.

The creators of the contest are happy about the success they’ve had: “Every single year all of us on the organising team are overwhelmed and inspired by the sheer quality and quantity of submissions that come in. Photographers are constantly pushing the boundaries of technical and artistic excellence and we are in a lucky and unique position to witness this progression, first hand. We are privileged to be in the company of such talented photographers from all over the world, and glad to be able to provide a huge platform for them to showcase their work.”