External Competition

Your images for the set subject of Nature Interclub (2 open subject images, 2 set subject Images) are due by 9PM Friday. 6th of March 2026.
Any image that has received an honour or merit in the last 12 months will be considered automatically.
However you can submit up to 4 Nature images for particular consideration for the 2026 Nature Interclub.

There is an entry limit of 10 images per club, a panel of MGPS members will do a selection from the images entered specifically for this and those that received a merit or honour in monthly competitions for the last 12 months.

NOTE: As this is a Nature ONLY competition the "Open Subject" upload section can be used to submit images for consideration.

CATEGORIES

This is a digital only nature competition with no prints.
There are seven categories:

1. Landscape/Seascape
2. Botany
3. Birds
4. Mammals
5. Invertebrates
6. Other Nature
7. Urban Wildlife

DEFINITIONS:

LANDSCAPE/SEASCAPE DEFINITION  (Applies to Category 1)
(Source: The Australian Photographic Society)
The Australian Photographic Society (APS) defines a landscape photograph as one that depicts natural scenery with land and sky-based elements in a pictorial fashion. While it can include evidence of human presence (people, animals, or man-made structures), these elements should not dominate the image. A seascape is a specific type of landscape focusing on coastal scenery, with the sea as the central subject.

NATURE DEFINITION (Applies to Categories 2-6)
(Source: The Australian Photographic Society. Last updated 27th May 2025)
Please note the APS have updated their nature definition from last year. Where possible the definition has been edited to align with our interclub competition which is not an APS exhibition. APS Nature Content Guidelines Nature photography records all branches of natural history except anthropology and archaeology. This includes all aspects of the physical world, both over water and underwater.

Nature images must convey the truth of the scene that was photographed. A well-informed person should be able to identify the subject of the image and be satisfied that it has been presented honestly and that no unethical practices have been used to control the subject or capture the image. Images that directly or indirectly show any human activity that threatens the life or welfare of a living organism are not allowed.

The most important part of a Nature image is the nature story it tells. High technical standards are expected and the image must look natural.

• Objects created by humans, and evidence of human activity, are allowed in Nature images only when they are a necessary part of the Nature story.
• Photographs of human-created hybrid plants, cultivated plants, feral animals, domesticated animals, human-created hybrid animals and mounted or preserved zoological specimens are not allowed.
• Photographs made where the scene is natural and the animal is unharmed in a carefully managed environment, such as Zoo, rescue centres, and ethically managed natural environment farms are permitted.
• Attracting or controlling subjects through the use of food or sound for the purpose of photographing them is not allowed. Maintained situations such as provided supplemental food due to hardship caused by weather conditions or other conditions beyond the animals' control, where photography is incidental to the feeding of the animal does not fall under this provision.
• Controlling live subjects by chilling, anaesthetic or any other method of restricting natural movement for the purpose of a photograph is not allowed.
• Human-made elements shall be permitted under the following circumstances:
  • When they are an integral part of the nature story, such as a songbird singing atop a fence post a manmade object used as nest material, or a weather phenomenon destroying a man-made structure.
  • When they are a small but unavoidable part of the scene, such as an unobtrusive footprint or track in the background.
  • Scientific tags, collars, and bands are specifically allowed.

When photographing at a zoo, sanctuary, or rehabilitation centre, it would be construed that the photographer ensured that it is properly accredited and conforms to best practices.

OTHER NATURE (Category 6)
Includes any subject not included in the previous categories (1-5), and as such includes amphibians, reptiles, marine, frogs, axolotls and fungi.

URBAN WILDLIFE (Category 7)
The subject(s) must be photographed in a setting showing built form or other evidence of human activity. This can be a portrait or behaviour shot. The subject(s) depicted may be either native or feral but must be shown in a setting that indicates the presence of human activity. Captive species are allowed. Domestic animals are not allowed.

EDITING GUIDELINES

Processing or editing must be limited to making the image look as close to the original scene as possible, except that conversion to grayscale monochrome is allowed.

Allowed editing techniques:

• Cropping, straightening and perspective correction.
• Removal or correction of elements added by the camera or lens, such as dust spots, noise, chromatic aberration and lens distortion.
• Global and selective adjustments such as brightness, hue, saturation and contrast to restore the appearance of the original scene.
• Complete conversion of colour images to grayscale monochrome.
• Blending of multiple images of the same subject and combining them in camera or with software (exposure blending or focus stacking);
• Image stitching – combining multiple images with overlapping fields of view that are taken consecutively (panoramas);

Editing techniques that are NOT allowed:

• Removing, adding to, moving or changing any part of an image, except for cropping and straightening.
• Adding a vignette during processing.
• Blurring parts of the image during processing to hide elements in the original scene.
• Darkening parts of the image during processing to hide elements in the original scene.
• All conversions other than to complete grayscale monochrome.
• Conversion of parts of an image to monochrome, or partial toning, desaturation or over-saturation of colour
  
  
  

Your images for the set subject of Australia Cup (2 open subject images, 2 set subject Images) are due by 9PM Tuesday, 12th of May 2026.

Selection for the Australia Cup.

TOPIC: AUSSIE LANDSCAPES AND SEASCAPES

Definition:  

An Australian landscape or seascape captures the beauty of natural scenery, either inland or along the coast. While elements such as houses, people, animals, boats, or other signs of human activity may appear, they should not dominate the image. Coastal shots may include waves or the open sea, but the natural environment remains the main focus.

Composites
Entries must be a single image as captured by the camera.
Images must not be ‘composite images’ that combine subjects or elements from different scenes — replacing a background or sky, for example is not allowed.
HDR, focus stacking etc that has been performed in camera is permissible.

We will be looking at the honours and merits from the last 12 months for the DIGITAL image, if you have received an award for a PRINT image, submitting those for selection would be greatly appreciated.

The final entry the club submits must only have 2 image per author.