RULES

Nature and Humans Photography Competition
Fourth Edition (2026)
Competition Rules

The DESEA Foundation www.fundaciondesea.es (short name for Fundación Desarrollo Sostenible ADF, registered in the State Foundations Registry of the Ministry of Justice under number 2,453, whose purposes have been declared by the Spanish State to be of general interest), hereinafter referred to as the Foundation, or the Organizing Entity, announces the fourth edition of the “Nature and Humans” Photography Competition, governed by these rules.

The “Nature and Humans” Photography Competition offers FIFTEEN awarded categories: FOUR Conservation categories, TWO special categories, SIX thematic categories, and THREE additional awards (Young, Child, and People’s Choice).

As a new feature in the 2026 edition, the competition will also appoint TWO OVERALL WINNERS: one overall winner from the conservation categories and one overall winner from the thematic categories. Each of them will receive an additional cash prize of 500 euros, which will be added to the prize obtained in their corresponding category.

The total value of the prizes is around €17,000 (seventeen thousand euros), including €10,000 (ten thousand euros) in cash prizes. It is therefore one of the most generous competitions on the Spanish and international circuit.

In addition, it has a jury made up of photographers of great international prestige.

The categories are detailed in Rule 2, and the prizes and sponsors are detailed in Rule 4.

In this 2026 edition, we propose FOUR conservation photography categories, each awarded with €2,000 in cash (€8,000 in cash across the four categories), provided by the Foundation. Three of them are photojournalism categories (Series, Single Image, and Spain), and the fourth is the category called “Conservation Told by Women”.

We propose TWO special categories, called “The Beauty of the Planet” and “The Beauty of Spain”, for images taken in hides and trips organized by their sponsor, WildWatchingSpain.

We propose SIX thematic categories (Mammals, Birds, Oceans, Other Animals, Landscape, and Creative), sponsored by OM SYSTEM and SONY — world-leading photographic equipment brands — by Fotografiarte and FotoRuano — two of the best photographic equipment distributors in Spain — and by the Foundation.

Finally, we propose an award for young photographers (between 16 and 18 years old), an award for child photographers (under 15 years old), and a People’s Choice award.

Lastly, we are once again fortunate to have the generous collaboration of PANGEA (the largest travel store in Spain) and FONAMAD (Association of Nature Photographers of Madrid).

RULE 1 – PARTICIPANTS

The NATURE AND HUMANS Photography Competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers of any nationality.

Each participant must have a valid email address.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY, BY AND FOR CONSERVATION

Jacques Cousteau once said that “people only protect what they love, and they only love what they know”. At the Foundation, we want to ensure that everyone — and especially new generations — commits throughout their lives to the conservation of nature. And we believe that the best way to achieve this is to showcase the beauty of nature, using the power of the universal language of photography.

For all these reasons, with this NATURE AND HUMANS Photography Competition we seek images that are:

• spectacularly beautiful,

• that inspire in the viewer the need to conserve the wonderful nature that surrounds us,

• that contribute to environmental education and awareness, and

• that help us reflect on the relationship between people and nature.

Below, by way of example (the list is not intended to be exhaustive), we mention some types of content that would make an image inspire the idea of conservation:

• threatened species, especially those classified as critically endangered by the IUCN.

• protected areas, not only the planet’s most iconic ones (such as the Arctic, the Amazon, etc.), but also protected natural areas in Spain, especially those under the greatest pressure (such as Doñana, Daimiel, the Ebro Delta, etc.).

• a scene especially capable of inspiring love for nature.

• examples of the relationship between human beings and nature, both positive and negative.

Participants must explain, in the description of the submitted photographs, what they see in their images that inspires and supports the conservation of nature.

RULE 2 – THEME AND CATEGORIES

The theme of the Competition shall be nature photography in all its forms and subject to the restrictions set out in these rules. The Competition organization reserves the right to reject the submission of any image that does not comply with these rules or that is considered outside the theme of the Competition.

Below, we list the categories of the competition, beginning with the four conservation categories, the two special categories, the six thematic categories, and the three additional categories: Young, Child, and People’s Choice. More details about the prizes for each category can be found in Rule 4.

01 – Category “Conservation Photography – Thematic Series”

The category rewards a series of six images with a common conservation theme. The winning series will receive a cash prize of 1,500 euros, and the runner-up series (the second most voted) will receive a cash prize of 500 euros.

02 – Category “Conservation Photography – Single Image”

The category rewards a single image with an unequivocal conservation message. The winning image will receive a cash prize of 1,500 euros, and the runner-up image (the second most voted) will receive a cash prize of 500 euros.

03 – Category “Conservation Photography – Spain”

The category rewards a single image with an unequivocal conservation message, taken in Spain. The winning image will receive a cash prize of 1,500 euros, and the runner-up image (the second most voted) will receive a cash prize of 500 euros.

The three “Conservation Photography” categories seek images with strong photojournalistic content that investigate the relationship between the natural environment and us, human beings. The images may be challenging, uplifting, provocative or revealing, and must illustrate how our attitudes, decisions and actions impact the natural environment, positively or negatively. Originality will be especially valued, as well as the ability of the images to help the public strengthen environmental awareness. The author must explain in detail the issue being denounced, providing specific data. The judges will have access to this information during the selection phases.

Likewise, the three “Conservation Photography” categories are the only categories that allow images of animals that are not free or wild: animals in recovery centres, or in situations of economic exploitation (factory farms, circuses, slaughterhouses, etc.), or similar. They are also the only categories that allow images of dead animals (species trafficking, poaching, items made from animal parts, etc.). Although these three categories, due to their denunciatory content, may lend themselves to especially harsh or graphic images, the Organizing Entity wishes to clarify that an excessively graphic image will not necessarily be regarded as more effective in the field of Conservation.

04 – Category “Conservation, Told by Women”

The category rewards a story about Nature and its conservation, portrayed by a female photographer through a series of six images. In this category, the concept of conservation may have a broader, more intimate, and less photojournalistic approach than in the previous categories. The winning story will receive a cash prize of 1,500 euros. The runner-up story (the second most voted) will receive a cash prize of 500 euros.

05 – Special Category “The Beauty of the Planet”

An individual image showing the astonishing beauty and fragility of the animal species of our planet. The images submitted in this category must have been taken during any nature photography trip outside Spain organized by Wildwatching Spain after 01-01-2022.

06 – Special Category “The Beauty of Spain”

An individual image showing the astonishing beauty and fragility of the animal species of Spain. The images submitted in this category must have been taken during any “hide” session or observation outing organized in Spain by Wildwatching Spain after 01-01-2022.

07 – Mammals Category

Wild and free mammals, at any stage of their lives and anywhere on the Planet.

08 – Birds Category

Wild and free birds, at any stage of their lives and anywhere on the Planet. Images of nests will not be accepted under any circumstances.

09 – Oceans Category

Underwater images taken in the seas and oceans of our Planet. The animal species portrayed must, of course, be wild and free.

10 – Other Animals Category

Images of any animal not included in the Mammals, Birds, and Oceans categories, wild and free, at any stage of their lives, and anywhere on the Planet.

11 – Landscape Category

Images of the natural paradises that still exist on our Planet.

12 – Creative Category

In this category, the images must propose new visions of the natural world that go beyond the obvious. Through a visual language focused on colours, shapes, and textures, with a strong emphasis on abstraction and originality, the objective of this category is to seduce, surprise, awaken emotions, and help the viewer surrender to contemplation.

13 – Young Photographer Award

In this category, we expect nature images without limitation regarding theme or content (except, naturally, that they comply with the competition’s ethical code), taken by persons who had not reached the age of 18 by 1 June 2026.

14 – Child Photographer Award

In this category, we expect nature images without limitation regarding theme or content (except, naturally, that they comply with the competition’s ethical code), taken by persons who had not reached the age of 15 by 1 June 2026.

15 – People’s Choice Award

The Jury will select a series of images to be submitted to public voting, which will take place through the Competition website or Instagram account.

During the evaluation process, and only with the express agreement of the Jury, the Organizing Entity reserves the right to move an image from one category to another.

RULE 3 – ETHICAL CODE

The practice of any type of photography requires a strong ethical code, and in the case of nature photography, this requirement is even more important. It is essential to avoid interfering with the behaviour of animals, and of course even more so to avoid any kind of disturbance, stress or suffering. Animal welfare must always take precedence over obtaining a photograph.

This is especially important in the case of the three special “Conservation Photography” categories, since in these categories — and in no others — the Competition accepts images of domestic or farm animals, or animals whose freedom has in some way been manipulated. In these cases, the possibility of disturbing the animal increases.

Therefore, any image for whose creation the Jury may reasonably consider that the welfare of the animal has been compromised will be disqualified.

In addition, it is strictly forbidden to submit images obtained through the use of live bait, a practice that the Organizing Entity considers highly reprehensible from an ethical point of view, and which it strongly discourages among all photography and nature enthusiasts.

Another essential aspect of the ethical code in nature photography is authenticity and truthfulness. Moderate image editing is permitted, but images that represent Nature in a distorted way are not allowed, except in the “Creative” category. If a clear intention to deceive on the part of a participant is detected, the Organizing Entity reserves the right to disqualify all images submitted to the Competition by that person.

The Competition recommends the Aefona Ethical Decalogue, which can be consulted on the Competition website (www.natureandhumans.com). Likewise, we recommend reading resources from the International League of Conservation Photographers (iLCP), such as “From Wild to Captive: A Call for Ethics in Modern Nature Photography” (https://www.conservationphotographers.org/ethics-nature-photography) and “A Light Touch: Reflections on Using Additional Light When Photographing Wildlife” (https://www.conservationphotographers.org/u/ilcp/post/ilcp-april-15).

RULE 4 – PRIZES AND SPONSORS

In total, the Competition offers more than €17,000 (seventeen thousand euros) in prizes, of which €10,000 (ten thousand euros) are cash prizes.

As a new feature in the 2026 edition, the competition will appoint TWO OVERALL WINNING IMAGES: one overall winner from the conservation categories and one overall winner from the thematic categories.

Overall Conservation Winner. Among all the winning photographs and series from Categories 01, 02, 03 and 04, the jury will select a single image as the overall conservation winner. The selected photograph will receive an additional cash prize of €500 (five hundred euros), offered by the Foundation, which will be added to the €1,500 prize from its category, meaning that this image will receive a total prize of €2,000 (two thousand euros).

Overall Winner of Thematic Categories. Among all the winning images from Thematic Categories 07, 08, 09, 10, 11 and 12, the jury will select one image as the overall winner of the thematic categories. The selected photograph will receive an additional cash prize of €500 (five hundred euros), offered by the Foundation. This prize will be added to the prize corresponding to the thematic category won by the photograph.

The prizes for each category are as follows:

Category 01 “Conservation Photography – thematic series”. The winning series will receive a cash prize of €1,500 (one thousand five hundred euros), and the runner-up (the series placed second) will receive a cash prize of €500 (five hundred euros), both offered by the Foundation.

Category 02 “Conservation Photography – single image”. The winning image will receive a cash prize of €1,500 (one thousand five hundred euros), and the runner-up (the image placed second) will receive a cash prize of €500 (five hundred euros), both offered by the Foundation.

Category 03 “Conservation Photography – Spain”. The winning image will receive a cash prize of €1,500 (one thousand five hundred euros), and the runner-up (the image placed second) will receive a cash prize of €500 (five hundred euros), both offered by the Foundation.

Category 04 “Conservation, Told by Women”. The winning story will receive a cash prize of €1,500 (one thousand five hundred euros), and the runner-up (the story placed second) will receive a cash prize of €500 (five hundred euros), both offered by the Foundation.

Special Category 05 “The Beauty of the Planet”. The winning image will receive a €1,000 (one thousand euros) voucher, with no expiration date, redeemable against the booking of any international trip offered by Wildwatching Spain.

Special Category 06 “The Beauty of Spain”. The winning image will receive a €500 (five hundred euros) voucher, with no expiration date, redeemable against the booking of any nature photography hide offered by Wildwatching Spain.

Thematic Category 07 – Mammals. The winning image will receive SONY photographic equipment, offered by SONY Spain. The equipment to be delivered is yet to be confirmed, but its retail price will in any case exceed €1,700 (one thousand seven hundred euros).

Thematic Category 08 – Birds. The winning image will receive a €500 (five hundred euros) voucher redeemable against the purchase of photographic equipment at Fotografiarte, one of the best specialist photography retailers in Spain.

Thematic Category 09 – Oceans. The winning image will receive a compact camera waterproof up to 15 metres without the need for a housing, offered by OM SYSTEM. The recommended retail price of this equipment is €479. The winning image will also receive up to €100 (one hundred euros) in cash to cover shipping costs, all offered by the Foundation.

Thematic Category 10 – Other Animals. The winning image will receive €400 (four hundred euros) in cash, offered by the Foundation.

Thematic Category 11 – Landscape. The winning image will receive an OM-5 Mark II with 12-45 mm lens, offered by OM SYSTEM. The recommended retail price of this equipment is €1,549. The winning image will also receive up to €100 (one hundred euros) in cash to cover shipping costs, offered by the Foundation.

Thematic Category 12 – Creative. The winning image will receive a €300 (three hundred euros) voucher redeemable against the purchase of photographic equipment at FotoRuano, one of the best specialist photography retailers in Spain, and €200 (two hundred euros) in cash, offered by the Foundation.

Special Award 13 – Young. The winning image will receive a collection of photography books valued at €300 (three hundred euros), and up to €100 (one hundred euros) in cash to cover shipping costs, all offered by the Foundation.

Special Award 14 – Child. The winning image will receive a collection of photography books valued at €300 (three hundred euros), and up to €100 (one hundred euros) in cash to cover shipping costs, all offered by the Foundation.

Special Award 15 – People’s Choice. The winning image will receive a gift card offered by Pangea valued at €300 (three hundred euros), and up to €100 (one hundred euros) in cash to cover shipping costs, all offered by the Foundation.

Additionally, FONAMAD will offer free membership during 2026 to all awarded persons (winning image, runner-up, or finalist), or a gift of similar value if the awarded persons are already members of FONAMAD.

RUNNER-UPS. One runner-up (the series or image placed second) will be named in each of the fourteen categories (from 01 to 14).

The authors of the category-winning images and the runner-ups may request their corresponding diploma in digital format from the Organizing Entity.

FINALISTS. At least two finalists will be named in each of the fourteen categories (from 01 to 14).

The winning images, runner-ups and finalists from all categories will be published in a gallery on the Competition web platform (www.natureandhumans.com) and in the printed Competition catalogue. In addition, the Organizing Entity and the other sponsors and collaborators may do the same on their websites and social media accounts (see Rule 13 regarding Copyright).

Each prize will be delivered directly by each sponsor. The Organizing Entity will put the prize winners in contact with the sponsors in order to arrange the delivery of each prize. The value of the prizes will be subject to withholding according to current tax legislation (both IRPF for residents and IRNR for non-residents). Award winners must provide their full name, tax address and tax identification number in order to collect the prizes.

The Foundation, as the Organizing Entity of the Competition, deeply appreciates the generosity and support of all sponsors and collaborators.

The Organizing Entity of the Competition may add new prizes to those mentioned above once the competition has started. This will be duly announced and published on the Competition web platform and on the social media accounts of the Competition (IG: @natureandhumansphoto) and the Foundation (IG: @fundacion_desea).

Likewise, the Organizing Entity may replace all or part of any of the aforementioned prizes with another prize of similar or greater economic value.

RULE 5 – ENTRY FEE

Participants must pay an entry fee of 25 euros, regardless of the number of photographs submitted.

Members of FONAMAD (Nature Photographers of Madrid) may participate by paying a reduced entry fee of 15 euros.

The Organizing Entity may extend the offer of a reduced entry fee to other photography associations, which, where applicable, will be duly announced and published on the Competition web platform and on the social media accounts of the Competition (IG: @natureandhumansphoto) and the Foundation (IG: @fundacion_desea).

The entry fee must be paid by credit card or PayPal, following the instructions provided on the Competition web platform.

Persons under 18 years of age may participate free of charge. They must have the appropriate authorization from one of their parents or legal guardians. They must not yet have reached the age of 18 on 1 June 2026. To participate free of charge, minors must contact the Competition management in advance at the email address natureandhumans@fundaciondesea.es. The organization will request documentary proof of age from persons wishing to participate free of charge.

RULE 6 – SUBMISSION OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND REQUIREMENTS

Participation is exclusively digital, through the Competition web platform:
www.natureandhumans.com

Photographs must be submitted in JPG format and must contain their metadata or Exif data. These data are automatically encrypted and the judges cannot view them at any time, so it is not a problem if the metadata include the authorship of the image. Images must be submitted without frames, signatures or watermarks.

IMPORTANT: the JPG image must have a minimum of 3000 pixels on its longest side and a resolution of 300 ppi. The maximum file size limit for each image is 100 Mb.

At the time of submitting their photographs to the competition, participants may also attach the RAW file for each image. Although submitting the RAW file is voluntary at the time of submitting the JPG, participants may do so in order to save themselves the work of uploading the RAW file if their image is selected for the final phase (at which point uploading the RAW file will become mandatory).

Each participant may submit a maximum of 30 photographs and may freely choose the distribution of the images among the categories.

The same photograph may not be submitted in more than one category.

In the case of photographs reaching the final phase, the jury may request any clarification it considers appropriate regarding the image in order to ensure compliance with the rules. Failure by the participant to respond will result in the disqualification of the photograph.

Originality is important. The jury will take into account whether any of the submitted images has won a first prize (overall award or category award) in any of the main Spanish or international competitions, if this circumstance is known at the time of their deliberations.

Each image must be accompanied by a caption, comment or description*.

(*) IMPORTANT NOTE: The description of each image must include a brief comment explaining the reason why the image inspires conservation, in line with what is stated in the preamble of these rules. The absence of this comment may result in the disqualification of the image.

Photographs uploaded to the Competition web platform may be modified or deleted at any time until the participant decides to close their participation, or until the closing date of the Competition, at which point the submitted images will be considered final.

We insist: except in the three special “Conservation Photography” categories, only images of free and wild animals will be accepted. If the behaviour of the wild animal has been induced or provoked in any way, or if the animal has been manipulated in any way, this must be explained in the greatest possible detail in the image description.

Images that do not comply with these rules, themes and categories will not be accepted into the competition, including especially the provisions mentioned in Rule 3 (Ethical Code).

RULE 7 – PROCESSING OF PHOTOGRAPHS

Moderate processing of the original photograph is permitted: adjustments to brightness, contrast, saturation, levels, curves, colour casts, etc. In all cases, the adjustments must not substantially alter the appearance of the original image.

Moderate cropping is permitted, provided that the resulting JPG exceeds 3000 pixels on its longest side without interpolation.

Black and white versions of colour originals may be submitted.

It is not permitted to add or remove anything from the image, nor to perform cloning or similar manipulations of the image. As the sole exception to this rule, the removal of sensor dust spots is permitted. Corrections for lens distortion and optical aberrations are allowed.

RULE 8 – VERIFICATION OF JPG AND RAW FILES

In order to verify compliance with the provisions set out in Rule 7, all finalist images will be reviewed by comparing the JPG file submitted to the competition with the original RAW file. Any finalist image for which the original RAW file is not provided within the required deadline will be disqualified. DNG files will only be accepted as RAW files if they are the original file generated by the camera or drone.

The technical shooting parameters will be automatically extracted from the data embedded in the image file, so it is not necessary to detail them, and they must be present in every JPG photograph submitted.

RULE 9 – CALENDAR

The most important dates of the Competition are:

• 31 May 2026 – Opening of the submission period for photographs.
• 28 September 2026 (23:59h) – Closing date for photograph submissions.
• 10 October 2026 – Request for RAW files from images in the final round.
• 20 October 2026 (23:59h) – Deadline for RAW file submission.
• October and November 2026 – Deliberations, voting, and Jury decision.
  November 2026 – Announcement of winning images (except for the People’s Choice winner).
• December 2026 – Development of the People’s Choice voting process (whose details will be duly announced in due time and form) and announcement of the awarded images in the People’s Choice category. We will contact the winners to arrange the delivery of each prize. Online award ceremony, where applicable.

In principle, the submission deadline for photographs will not be extended. The organization may decide on a short extension if very special circumstances arise. This decision will be sufficiently publicised on the Competition web platform and on the Competition Instagram account (@natureandhumansphoto). This extension should not substantially alter the remaining dates.

An online award ceremony may be organized with the aim of promoting the Competition and the awarded images to the widest possible audience.

RULE 10 – THE JURY

The jury is composed of photographers and/or experts in nature and conservation of recognised national and international prestige. Their names and a brief biography will be published on the Competition web platform.

The members of the Jury will evaluate each image individually through the Competition web platform and without knowing at any time the authorship of the image.

All decisions will be taken collectively and will be final.

Neither the members of the Jury, nor the Competition director, nor their first- and second-degree relatives may participate in this Competition.

RULE 11 – CONTACT

The Organizing Entity of the Competition may contact any participant from the email address natureandhumans@fundaciondesea.es addressed to the participant’s registration account. It is recommended to add this address to the email contact list in order to prevent communications from being blocked by security and anti-spam systems.

The Competition website includes a “Contact” section for any technical questions or comments. It is also possible to contact the Competition director, Arturo de Frías, with more general comments, at the same email address natureandhumans@fundaciondesea.es or at arturodefrias@fundaciondesea.es.

RULE 12 – SPECIAL COLLABORATORS

The special collaborators of the Competition are: FONAMAD (Nature Photographers of Madrid), Viajes de Autor SL, through its commercial brand PANGEA The Travel Store, NCJ Media Solutions, and Grávalos Aplicaciones Gráficas.

RULE 13 – COPYRIGHT

Participants must be the sole holders of the copyright of the photographs and shall be fully responsible for ensuring that no third-party rights exist in the submitted works. Therefore, participants shall be liable to the organizers and to the Foundation for any financial liabilities that may arise in favour of third parties as a result of actions, claims or disputes deriving from the participants’ failure to comply with these obligations.

The Organizing Entity, as well as the sponsors and special collaborators of the Competition, may make and store copies of the awarded photographs (winners, runner-ups, and finalists) for reproduction, in digital or printed format, in exhibitions, screenings or publications, including their temporary or permanent inclusion on the Competition web platform or on their websites and social media accounts. The Organizing Entity, the sponsors and the special collaborators of the Competition may also use them for the future promotion of the Competition by any means, including their social media accounts.

Participants retain all rights over the submitted images and grant only, on a non-exclusive basis, the right of publication and solely for the aforementioned purpose. Any awarded photograph published by the Organizing Entity, the sponsors or the special collaborators of the Competition must clearly indicate the authorship in a legible manner.

RULE 14 – TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY AND SECURITY POLICY

All participants declare that they have read and understood the terms of use and the privacy and security policy contained in the “Legal Information” section of the Competition website, expressly accepting them.

RULE 15 – ACCEPTANCE OF THE RULES

Participation in this competition implies full acceptance of each and every one of these rules, as well as of the jury’s decision, which shall in all cases be final. The organization of the Competition may also resolve, with equally final character, any matter not provided for in these rules.