WILDLIFE & ANIMAL PHOTOGRAPHY AWARD

Invasion.
European Starlings were introduced to New York's Central Park in the 1890's and have since populated most areas of North America, competing with native species. They have made themselves quite comfortable living aside with the American Bison/Buffalo, native to North America.

A Fever Of Cownose Rays.
An extremely rare encounter with a fever of cownose rays on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. The rays With very few reports of cownose ray in this region, identification is speculative. The behaviour displayed is still unknown.
It may be a once in a lifetime encounter.

Kangaroo Island fire. A Koala (looks healthy) looking back towards Kingscote on the Playford Hwy. Picture: Brad Fleet

Black Eared Kite, winter in Hokkaido, Japan..

Freedom at the Falls.
I just love the Iceland ponies in Iceland and was privileged to be in the right spot at the right moment with camera in hand when I got this shot. I took this photograph at Skogafoss Falls, along the south coast of Iceland.

MR PUDGY.
This pink, pudgy fellow, about 1mm in size, is one type of springtail, a diverse group of six-legged animals related to the insects. It was photographed in situ in the damp soil at the base of a pine tree in Centennial Park, Sydney. Living deeper in the soil than some springtail species, they have only rudimentary eyes. I find the habitats of springtail, when viewed at such high magnification, as

Creator of a universe.
This little spider was weaving his web just above the waterline of our little pond. The beautiful web is a masterpiece of this skillful artist which looked to me line a small universe.

The Maze.
A small reef fish sits in a hard coral probably waiting for food to float past. There are a lot of perfect hard corals in Cuba which create a wonderful texture and colour palette.

Photo Collective invites photographers residing in Australia or Australian citizens living overseas to enter the 2021 APA Wildlife & Animal Award.

Supported by Epson Australia, Ilford, Momento Pro, Urth and Format Framing

Since launching in 2016, the APA Wildlife & Animal Award has created an important space for the changing ways Australian photographers interpret the living world.

We seek to award and celebrate unique perspectives of the animal world. This may be achieved through exploring conservation, ecological relationships or the links between human and non-human experiences.

Our committee is particularly interested in finding insightful, non-human stories. We encourage research driven frameworks alongside experimental or observatory points of view. When viewing work, we consider intent and meaning alongside technical ability.

We seek to recognise work which can open important dialogues and explore big ideas through photography. Our committee considers context beyond the surface of the image. We do not encourage work which exploits, endangers, harms or stereotypes. For this reason, image statements are a valuable tool in conveying concepts, techniques and ideas. We encourage entrants to consider pairing their photographs with words.

PRIZES INCLUDE

• (1x) Epson SureColor P906 printer valued at A$2,000
• (1x) Format Framing (print and frame) voucher (600 x 900 mm) valued at A$310
• (1x) Ilford Galerie Paper pack valued at A$500
• (1x) A$1000 Cash Prize provided by Photo Collective
• (1x) Momento Pro Voucher valued at A$100
• (1x) Urth Nature Filter Kit Plus+ valued between A$129 – A$297
• (1x) 1 hour Mentorship Session with Photo Collective valued at A$195
• (1x) Ilford Sprite 35-II reusable camera valued at A$60
• (1x) 12 month membership to Photo Collective valued at A$75
• Feature in the 2021 APA Annual

CATEGORY GUIDELINES

The animal can be part of a larger scene, however the animal should be the key subject
Entries must be 100% photographic and all elements must be produced by the entrant, including textures and borders. No stock photography is allowable
Composite Photography should be entered into the Open category. However diptychs and triptychs are allowable
Removal of incidental elements is allowable, including a branch, dust spots or debris
The photographer should not act upon any animal in a way that stresses, risks injury or death, or damages the habitat or environment of any animal in the taking of the photograph
Please do not add any watermarks to your entries. All entries with watermarks on will be disqualified
Please do not enter any images that have been entered into APA in previous years as they will be disqualified