All entrants must agree to the following terms and conditions. Please do not submit to the competition if you do not agree with these terms and conditions.

1. Categories

1.1 Day in the Life of a Zookeeper - Images should show a keeper(s) at work and may illustrate any aspect of the modern keepers/aquarists working day; for example, this category may include animal care, veterinary work, training (where the staff member involved is clearly shown), visitor engagement, cleaning, researching etc.

1.2 Enrichment and/or Training - Images should illustrate the use and effectiveness of enrichment and/or training. (The enrichment and/or training method must be clearly identified and described).

1.3 Animal Portrait in a Zoo/Aquarium - An individual animal or group of animals’ photograph. The photographs entered in this category must be taken in captivity in the UK & Ireland and be accompanied by a note on species, and location taken. Underwater pictures are welcomed.

1.4 Animal Portrait Wild - An individual animal or group of animals photographed. The photographs entered in this category must be taken in the wild (UK or abroad) – and be accompanied by a note on species, and location taken.

2. Photography & Personal Information. 

A short, written description is required with each entry:

• Name, time, and date of photograph
• If you work in a zoo, please give profession/role and zoo of employment.
• Where the photograph was taken
• Category entered
• Include a little more about the photograph and subject such as how you felt when you took it or any interesting behaviours that you saw etc.

Please note that only successful entrants will be contacted individually, and no correspondence will be entered regarding the entries or results. There will be one winner for each category and 2 runners up in each category.

3. Prizes: 

For the 4 category winners will win 1 year’s membership to ABWAK (renewal & subject to eligibility) and a £50 Amazon gift voucher. Non-members win a £50 Amazon gift voucher and if they are eligible for ABWAK can also win 1 year’s membership. The winning and runner-up photographs will be in the calendar that is handed out alongside the December issue of RATEL.

Once submitting an entry, ABWAK holds the right to use and keep the photographs to use in future ABWAK activities however it will not share with companies and organisations outside of ABWAK and BIAZA.

4. Images:

4.1 Image size & quality

All images must be submitted electronically in jpeg format not RAW and not blurry. For good quality reproduction in the calendar a resolution setting of 1600 x 1200 or above is best (we will accept files over 1 MB and up to a max of 10 MB; if the image is lower or higher than the stated threshold, they may be rejected).

PLEASE ENSURE ALL PHOTOS WHICH ARE ENTERED ARE LANDSCAPE FORMAT. 

Images which have been compressed for sending must be available at a higher quality for printing, if this is not possible, the photo cannot be accepted for judging. ABWAK has the right to discard any entries that it deems inappropriate. ABWAK also reserves the right to disqualify photos if they have been digitally manipulated (e.g. Filtered/Edited/Photoshopped).

Photos entered in categories 1, 2, and 3 must be taken in the UK or Ireland. Entries to category 4 may be taken anywhere permitting the animal is not in captivity. Please remember to include the correct information with the photographs. If any images have not been received successfully, we will make every effort to contact the entrant via email and request that the image is re-submitted.

ABWAK will not accept photos if they breach any UK or international law, animal welfare standards, or if there is any offensive material involved or breaches of copyright. Submitted photos should not have won any other photographic competition.

4.2 Rights of Use & Copyright

By submitting your images, you agree that ABWAK may use them in the future, free of charge, in any ABWAK publications, which includes any advertising for example, the website and RATEL and BIAZA. Each photo must be accompanied by the information in Section 2. Where appropriate, permission should be obtained from any persons featured in submitted images and if required from the place (zoo) at which photos are taken. (ABWAK assumes this has been done to enable us to publish images submitted).

By entering you also confirm that the image belongs to you and you alone and is not subject to any copyright or alternative ownership and has not been published elsewhere.

4.3 Winners

Only winners and runners up will be notified via email. Results will be published in the December RATEL, on www.abwak.org & ABWAK social media accounts. If a winning entrant cannot be contacted, ABWAK reserves the right to offer the prize to another entrant.  If you work in a zoo, please give profession/role and zoo of employment. Professional photographers that work in zoos and are members of ABWAK may enter but please state this.

5. Judging: 

Members of ABWAK Council will form the panel judging entries (and those Council members are not entitled to enter the competition). The judges’ decision is final, and no discussion or negotiations will be entered. The photos will be judged on technical quality, aesthetics & suitability for the calendar. ABWAK reserves the right not to publish the photos, or to publish fewer images, if there are insufficient entries of suitable quality. We may use the images for a calendar or other publications.

6. Entries: 

A maximum of 3 photos per category per person (the same photo CANNOT be entered in more than one category).