Photo Competition 2024
Fascinating Bird Photography
We at the Swiss Ornithological Institute in Sempach hope to inspire public interest in birds and raise awareness for their protection. Widespread understanding and appreciation of our native birdlife are key factors to the success of our efforts. The more people care about birds and enjoy watching them, the better our chances of implementing effective conservation measures for threatened species.
Stunning photographs perfectly convey the fascination that birds evoke in us: images that display the striking colours of a bird’s plumage, introduce us to a wide range of behaviours, showcase the many shapes and sizes of birds from the Swan to the tiny Firecrest, and allow us to witness their aerobatic feats.
The photo competition is organized by the Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach with the support of our main partner Canon (Switzerland) AG, the category partners Nikon Europe B.V., OM Digital Solutions GmbH and Sony Europe B.V. as well as other partners.
We also extend our warmest thanks to all our other partners who support the competition by sponsoring the
prizes.
At a Glance
Competition 2012-2023
Approximately 80’000 photos entered so far
Organiser
The photo competition is organized by the Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach with the support of our main partner Canon (Switzerland) AG, the category partners Nikon Europe B.V., OM Digital Solutions GmbH and Sony Europe B.V. as well as other partners.
Goal
The goal of the competition is to showcase the beauty and fascination of our native birdlife and encourage involvement in nature and bird conservation by means of unique images.
Procedure
Participants can submit in each category a maximum of 10 photos online in a preview format during the month of May 2024. In June, the expert panel will make a preselection and request the selected images in RAW format or as the original JPG files. Based on this shortlist, the panel will choose the overall winner as well as three winning images per category in September 2024.
Dates
1st to 31st May 2024:
Online submission of preview images at: photo.vogelwarte.ch
15th July 2024:
Request for RAW files or original JPG files (only preselected images)
15th August 2024:
Submission deadline for RAW files or original JPG files (only preselected images)
October 2024
Notification of the winners
Image File Requirements
Preview images:
At least 1400 pixels on the longest side
High-resolution images:
The chosen section of the original file must be at least 4000 pixels on the longest side, or 3000 pixels for square images. This is without recalculating the data.
Image processing:
Image processing is allowed in accordance with the conditions of entry.
Intellectual Property Rights
The author must hold the copyright of the submitted images. By entering the competition, participants confirm that they are the sole author of the images and that no rights of third parties are involved.
Photo Competition: the book
A stunning collection of images celebrates the beauty of our native birds and the fascination they inspire in us.