Additionally, we'll award cash prizes to the subjects below. These special prizes are funded by sponsors and we encourage everyone to visit the sponsor websites to learn more about them.

Special Awards are OPTIONAL! All entries will be considered for the Grand Prize, First, and Second Prizes, and Top 250 group. Photos may also qualify for Special Awards, so check the box(es) for each award subject. For example, a polar bear photo taken in northern Canada might be entered in the Mammals category. If you want it considered for the Polar Regions Special Award as well, you must check the box next to Polar Regions.

And it is possible for an image to be entered for more than one Special Award, so check each subject for which you feel your image is eligible. Please note that each image can only win one prize.

This year's Special Awards are:

Colorado Nature and Wildlife - $250: Sponsored by Colorado Life Magazine
The top nature or wildlife photo from Colorado as selected by the editors of Colorado Life Magazine.
Fresh Water - $250: Sponsored by No Water No Life
A scene or wildlife image in a freshwater environment.Read more...
Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds, wetlands, vernal pools, oases and puddles. People and structures may be included, but nature must be the primary subject.
National Parks and Wildlife Refuges - $250: Sponsored by The NANPA Foundation (North American Nature Photography Assn.)
Images taken within the borders of a national park or wildlife refuge worldwide.
Ocean Life - $250: Sponsored by Cloud Ridge Naturalists
A scene or wildlife image in an ocean environment. Read more...
Nature subjects can be on, under, or above water. Oceans are defined as Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic and Southern Ocean and their direct extensions, such as seas, bays and gulfs.
Polar Regions - $250: Sponsored by Cloud Ridge Naturalists
Wildlife or landscapes from the Arctic, Subarctic, Antarctic or Subantarctic region.
Salish Sea - $250: Sponsored by The SeaDoc Society
Photos must be taken in the Salish Sea, the area that encompasses Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands and the waters off Seattle, WA and Vancouver, BC. Read more...
The area spans from Olympia, Washington in the south to the Campbell River, British Columbia in the north, and west to Neah Bay.
Sense of Place - $250: Sponsored by Cloud Ridge Naturalists
A wildlife subject within a scene that connects the viewer with the animal's environment.
Urban Wildlife - $250: Sponsored by Colorado Urban Wildlife Photo Club
Show nature's presence in a human-made environment. Read more...
Flora or fauna must be the primary interest and human structures have to be visible. These are often in a town or city, but other elements that were created by people, such as fences, signs, roads, barbed wire, etc. are also applicable.

New This Year: The Water Challenge - Entries for Fresh Water, Ocean Life and the Salish Sea should showcase scenes and/or wildlife with water in its liquid form. From water drops to waterfalls, wetlands to the high seas, compelling images will be selected for recognition.