In association with BGCI

Wildflowers that were once widespread amongst fields, meadows and woods are now extremely rare and some have become extinct in the wild. This is largely due to disappearing habitats. Wildflower Landscapes that are home to distinctive species of plants are under threat. Bring this to the world's attention through your photography of wildflower plants in the landscape. The wildflowers you photograph may be in gardens – which can be fragile landscapes in their own right – or in the true 'wild'.

The judges will be looking for wildflowers as part of naturalised habitats or in the wild fields and hedgerows. They can be wide shots, close-ups of individual species or a single wildflower. Now is your chance to seek out the wild spaces on your doorstep and to celebrate them through photography.

Some of the most decorated photographs in this category display superb control of light, even when shooting directly into the sun. Winning images in this category also depict interesting geographic features: context is key. From the jagged rocks of the Hengduan Mountain Range to the volcanic soil of Etna. Showing the wildflower in its habitat with a sense of place works toward creating an exciting and powerful authenticity.

Lead the visual conversation of plant life through the most popular IGPOTY category.  Your image will also be automatically considered for the BGCI Threatened Plants Photographic Award, which has special prizes on offer. So, brush up on your beautiful flowers and threatened plant species and use photography to share their importance with the world.

Photography of wildflowers can open up discussions about native and invasive species as well as the condition of the environment they are in. Indeed, this encourages us to think about why certain landscapes look the way they do and the importance we place on preserving this distinct look for future generations. Documenting a wildflower can also give an international perspective on habitats and on any rare/threatened species which may need intervention to protect them.

Prizes

First prize:

By entering this category your image stands a chance to win the overall IGPOTY title and prize of £7,500! Please note - you cannot win this category prize and the overall prize.

£250 (GBP)
1 x prize copy of IGPOTY Book 12
Signed individual certificate
Your image goes on tour in the travelling exhibition!
1 year subscription to ImageRights Ascent – read more about this prize

Second prize:

1 x prize copy of IGPOTY Book 12
Signed individual certificate
Your image goes on tour in the travelling exhibition!
1 year subscription to ImageRights Launch – read more about this prize

Third prize:

1 x prize copy of IGPOTY Book 12
Signed individual certificate
Your image goes on tour in the travelling exhibition!
1 year subscription to ImageRights Pilot – read more about this prize

Entry benefits 

Exposure, international press coverage, world's most prestigious photographic category for wildflower images, opportunities for growth and feedback, become a stakeholder in conservation, cultivate your skills, reinforce or launch your photographic career.

General rules:

• You may not submit watermarked images with your name or website visible on the photo. Please do not frame your images with borders.
• Entrants may submit a maximum of 4 images per single entry token and a maximum of 6 images per portfolio entry token.
• For free-to-enter competitions you should enter 1 image per token given, up to a maximum of 8 images (8 tokens).
• Entrants' images must be .jpg or .jpeg format and of high enough quality.
• We recommend all images are output to 1920px on their longest side at 72 ppi (ideally with an sRGB colour profile). Any larger than this and you are supplying images bigger than they will be seen or used by IGPOTY judges; your files will take longer to upload and/or download to judges and viewers’ screens.
• The absolute maximum for each image must not be more than 7MB in file size and no more than 3000px on their longest side.
• All entrants must be able to supply a high-res image (300 ppi) suitable for printing/exhibiting should the image be shortlisted. You may be asked for this when the time comes.

N.B.

• High-res source file/s need to be at least 3780 pixels (longest side) @ 300 ppi, ideally larger (and ideally with an Adobe RGB (1998) colour profile).

Full competition rules:

Please see the IGPOTY competition rules, which always prevail:
https://igpoty.com/igpoty-rules/

Category rules:

Please see IGPOTY competition rules.

Please purchase Single/Portfolio slots using the cart buttons above.

For help please visit our Frequently-Asked-Questions page: https://igpoty.com/igpoty-faqs/

For help please visit our Frequently-Asked-Questions page.