Apply for CIFOR-ICRAF Photo Competition

The CIFOR-ICRAF invites you to capture the essential role of forests and trees in promoting biodiversity, mitigating climate change, and driving restoration efforts. Your photos should illustrate any of the following aspects:

• The incredible diversity of life supported by forests and trees
• How trees and forests contribute to climate stability and resilience
• Efforts to restore landscapes through tree planting and conservation
• The presence of trees in various environments: natural forests, agricultural lands, urban areas and more
• The relationship between trees and people, emphasizing their importance to our well-being and culture.

Prize Information

• 1st Prize: USD 500
• 2nd Prize:  USD 400
• People’s Choice Award: USD 300

Rules

• Please note the following rules:
  • Entries should not include watermarks, signatures, or captions.
  • Entries that have previously won other photography competitions will be automatically disqualified.
  • Submissions featuring children or minors are not eligible.
  • Entries generated using generative artificial intelligence tools or with their assistance are ineligible.
  • Images portraying the willful harassment of wildlife will not be accepted.
  • Photos taken in ways that cause or have caused environmental damage by the photographer, including capturing images in areas where human presence is restricted by authorities or property managers, are not eligible.
  • Photos taken before the year 2010 will not be eligible.

Eligibility Criteria

• The CIFOR-ICRAF photo competition welcomes participants aged 18 or older. You are encouraged to use the photography equipment with which you are most comfortable. Employees of CIFOR-ICRAF are not eligible to enter.
• By submitting photos to the competition, the contributor agrees to a creative common, attribution, non-commercial share-alike license (BY-NC-SA).
• By uploading the image, the contributor ensures that the image was taken legally and that they have the right to portray all people or other information contained in the image.
• Competition organizers reserve the right to use all photos submitted through the competition for CIFOR-ICRAF materials and exhibitions during CIFOR-ICRAF events. Contributors will be given credit when the organizers publish or use their pictures. Contributors do not have permission to use the photos they submitted for commercial purposes.
• Contributors who work for the media are required to attach an authorization signed by a representative of the media company employing them. This authorization should state that the contest organizers have
• permission to publish the author’s piece from the media outlet where the photo originally appeared. Please attach your approval (if applicable) in the submission form.

Selection Criteria

• All entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by the CIFOR-ICRAF team, who will select at least 30 photos from all eligible submissions received during the competition period. Finalists will be chosen based on the following criteria:
  • Creativity (30%)
  • Photographic quality (30%)
  • Composition (30%)
  • Execution of theme (10%)
• CIFOR-ICRAF will publish the finalist entries on its online platforms. The panel of judges will choose the first and second prize winners from the finalist entries, while members of the public will be invited to vote online for their favorite entry. The photo with the most votes will receive the ‘popular vote’ award. The CIFOR-ICRAF team will ensure that the first prize, second prize and popular vote winners are all selected from different participants.

For more information, visit CIFOR-ICRAF.