Thanks to a new partnership between Rewilding Europe and the German Society for Nature Photography, this year’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition will offer a special rewilding award. The collaboration will help to promote nature and rewilding.
Inspiring excellence
Attention all wildlife photographers! Rewilding Europe and the German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) have signed a new agreement which will see this year’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition feature a special Rewilding Europe Award. The winner of this special prize will receive a Rewilding Europe travel voucher worth a total of 1500 Euros to one of Rewilding Europe’s rewilding landscapes, as well as pride of place in the competition exhibition (which travels across Germany and Europe for three years) and catalogue.
“I am really excited to see this year’s competition entries,” says Karen Korte, Managing Director of the GDT. “Many of those photographers who submit images are passionate about the protection and restoration of nature, so this new award will no doubt inspire them to be even more creative. Their fantastic imagery will help to raise the profile and appeal of rewilding even further. But hurry, the submission deadline is rapidly approaching!”
Wild about photos
The new agreement is a natural fit for both parties. The annual European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (EWPY) competition, which was launched by the GDT in 2001, showcases some of the finest nature photography from Europe and around the world. These images, and the work of the wildlife photographers who submit them, allows the GDT to promote the idea of nature conservation to a wide-reaching audience.
Impactful, high-quality nature photos have always been a cornerstone of Rewilding Europe’s communications too, helping us to capture people’s hearts and minds as we work to make Europe a wilder place. The new award is an excellent opportunity to engage people around the world, educating them about many aspects of rewilding and the diverse benefits that it offers.
“Rewilding Europe and the GDT share many of the same goals and philosophies,” says GDT President Stephan Fürnrohr. “We both recognise the value of stunning photography when it comes to reaching out to people, conveying the wonder of the natural world, and the need to cherish and coexist with wildlife.”
Submit your photos!
Images for the Rewilding Europe Award will be selected this year by a jury consisting of representatives from Rewilding Europe, sourced from all the images submitted to GDT EWPY. From 2023, the prize will be offered as a special category of the GDT EWPY competition, for an initial period of two years.
To be eligible for the Rewilding Europe Award, images should relate to one or more rewilding themes. These include:
- Iconic rewilding species, such as wolves, bear, ibex and salmon.
- Animal-habitat interactions, such as the impact of large herbivores on the landscape.
- Interaction between animal species, such as predator-prey relationships.
- Examples of human-wildlife coexistence.
- Measures for the protection and dispersal of wildlife, such as wildlife corridors or river restoration.
- Large aggregations of animals, such as herds, packs or flocks.
- Positive economic impacts of rewilding, such as nature-based tourism.
- Positive impacts of rewilding on resource conservation and biodiversity.
The European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 competition closes on March 1, 2022 at midnight CET, and is open to all amateur and professional photographers based in Europe, as well as all GDT members. Further information on rules and participation can be found on the GDT website.