Macarthur Nature Photography Campetition

Entries for the 2023 Macarthur Nature Photography Competition are now closed!

In a world seemingly overloaded by a daily avalanche of images, through Instagram, Facebook and television, a striking image can still cut through the clutter of it all, revealing to us something in our worlds that we have been missing.

The Macarthur councils once again is hosting the highly anticipated Macarthur Nature Photography Competition (MNPC) and is encouraging our community to enter your most striking, engaging and enticing images of local native flora, wildlife and natural scenery taken from within the Macarthur area.

Announcement of Winners

An online album of each age category winner has been developed by the Macarthur Councils and can be viewed on our Facebook page

The winners were announced and shared online via social media, during October 2023 with the winners being contacted ahead of time

All entries are available to view via Council’s website through Flickr.

For more information please contact our Environmental Education Officer nursery@wollondilly.nsw.gov.au.

Competition Categories

The three categories for the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition 2023 are:

Caring for Country

People helping the environment, Cultural Connection, Life, Waterways. Photograph the positive impacts, actions and behaviours of people helping the Macarthur environment. This can include picking up litter, nest boxes, wildlife rescue, habitat gardens, tree planting, bushcare and weeding.

Threatened Species

Our rare, endangered and vulnerable native plants and animals: koalas, orchids, native plants and animals under threat (i.e. birds, mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians).

Australian Native Plants, Animals and Pollinators

Lifecycles, Spring, Macro-Invertebrates, New Growth, Seasonal Changes. Photograph the naturally Australian plants that are found in the Macarthur region. This includes the leaves, branches, flowers, seeds, lichen, bark and fungi that make up the Australian plant community. Australian Animals and Pollinators includes the furry, scaly, slippery, feathery, and crawly beings that are uniquely Australian wildlife.

For inspiration, check out the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition Gallery of last year’s entries.

How to Enter

Entry is easy! This competition is open to residents who live in the Macarthur region (Wollondilly, Camden and Campbelltown Local Government Areas).

Head on outside and take some photos that relate to the competition categories
Before you submit your entry, please ensure you have read the Terms and Conditions below for the competition to ensure your entry is eligible
You can also check out the photography tips and tricks and learn about the native plants and animals of the Macarthur region to help you get started with your photography journey.

Prizes

Primary school aged (5 to 12 years)

$100 prepaid gift card and $100 Narellan Town Centre voucher for first place in each theme
$75 prepaid gift card for second place in each theme

High school aged (13 to 18 years)

$150 prepaid gift card and $100 Narellan Town Centre voucher for first place in each theme
$100 prepaid gift card for second place in each theme

Open section (18+ years)

$250 prepaid gift card and $100 Narellan Town Centre voucher for first place in each theme
$150 prepaid gift card for second place in each theme

Don't forget! The People's Choice Award is back again this year with an amazing prize for the most popular photo, voted by YOU through our exhibition hosted at Narellan Town Centre in October.

Teachers Resources

When students fill out their entry form, all they need to do is specify their age and parent's contact details to go in the running to win a prize for themselves in one of the four main categories.

Cameras come in all shapes and forms these days, encourage students to snap a shot on their smart phone, iPad or camera.

The competition is a great way to engage students in a range of syllabus content and can easily translate into the at-home learning environment for parents and online classes for teachers.

To help deliver this to students, you can use our:

Entering multiple students or classes? download and complete our Macarthur Nature Photography Competition Entry Form 2023(2MB, PDF)

Terms and Conditions

Ethical Photography

A substantial proportion of wildlife photography is undertaken in national parks and reserves. Commonwealth, State and Territory, and local government rules apply.

Native animal and plant species are protected by law throughout Australia regardless of whether they occur in national parks, reserves, or Local government administered areas or private land, unless otherwise stated by Commonwealth, State or Territory fauna/flora agencies.

It is the responsibility of the photographer to ensure that they are aware of the laws and regulations which apply to the regions in which they undertake nature photography.

The kinds of activities often engaged in by nature photographers, which are currently prohibited in some or all government reserves and parks in Australia include:

taking ('take' often defined to include 'interfering') or harassing (call playback is a form of harassment) native wildlife
use a radio, tape recorder or other sound or amplifier system in a way that may cause unreasonable disturbance to an animal (eg call playback)
disturbing or interfering with nests, hollows and habitat
walking or driving off designated tracks or roads
altering native vegetation (eg to get a clearer photo of bird)
erecting structures (eg permanent bird hides), and feeding wildlife (eg using food to attract wildlife)
flash photography on nocturnal species
Interfering with plants that damage or harm the species.

Photos submitted to the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition must be taken in accordance with ethical guidelines.

Competition Terms and Conditions

For the purposes of this competition, the competition organisers are defined as nominated staff involved in the organisation and coordination of the completion form Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly Councils.
The subject matter of the photographs submitted must be from within the Macarthur region, defined as Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly Local Government Areas (LGAs) and must be obtained lawfully.
Images of fauna must not include flash photography and must meet ethical photography guidelines as specified on the council website, any images submitted with flash on fauna will not be judged and residents will be contacted about animal welfare/ethics.
Photographs may be black and white or colour.
Each entrant may enter a maximum of three photographs in the competition, any excess images submitted will not be considered for judging.
The content of a photograph must not be changed or manipulated in any way: that is, no cloning, montaging, or digital manipulation other than cropping, toning, digital spotting, burning and dodging is permitted. No addition or removal of subject matter is accepted. Retouching is limited to removal of normal scratches and dust sports. Colour adjustment should be minimal.
Each photograph can only be entered into one theme.
Photographers who have made more than $500 in photography sales in the 2022/2023 financial year will not be eligible to enter the competition.
A panel of judges representing photography, art and local biodiversity expertise, will select theme place winners, and will shortlist 10 images for the People’s Choice Award. The judge’s decision is final.
Respective Councillors, competition organisers, the judging panel and their immediate families are not eligible to enter the completion.
Entries must be submitted online.
Late entries will not be accepted.
Entrants in this completion give permission for their works to be reproduced by print and electronic media by the competition organisers for not-for-profit publications, advertising and promotional purposes. Entrants will be acknowledged if the image is reproduced.
All personal information gathered by the competition organisers will be used solely for the purposes of administering the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition.