Celebrating Diversity Through Nature: Queer Nature Photography Awards
Our Top 10 selection of 2024
Welcome to the Queer Nature Photography Awards, where we celebrate the vibrant intersection of queerness and biodiversity. In a world where nature flourishes in all its diverse forms, our mission is to highlight the importance of embracing and honoring this diversity that is often still unseen and at times, misunderstood. This year, the awards proudly showcase the top 10 selected photographs that not only capture the beauty of the natural world but also reflect the unique perspectives of these photographers.
Through their lenses, these talented artists reveal how nature challenges conventional norms and inspires us to embrace a broader understanding of identity and existence. Each photograph tells a powerful story of connection, resilience, and the intricate web of life that surrounds us.
Join us in honoring these extraordinary works that inspire us to see the world through a more inclusive and compassionate lens. Together, let’s celebrate the beauty of our planet and the diverse voices that contribute to its richness.
We hope you will enjoy our selection,
Warm regards,
The Narwhal Rainbow Alliance team and our Allies
Why the queer nature photography awards?
Nature is queer, but many people do not know this. That's a shame because by spreading this knowledge people can better understand that 'being queer' is natural and this (bio)diversity should be celebrated.
Queer nature and animal stories have the potential to:
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Contribute to the self-acceptance of queers
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Contribute to the acceptance of queers by non-queers
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Reach new targets groups and involve them more in stopping the current extinction wave by combining queer nature stories with the state of nature.
The Queer Nature Photography Awards gives a stage to our colourful world and offers a fresh perspective on queer topics.
What others say:
"Long overdue, these awards are a great way to make wildlife photography more inclusive and to fully honor the wonders of nature!"
Empowering Queer Ecology
‘’An image speaks louder than a thousands words.’’ However the topic of queer ecology and queer animals has long been underrepresented. Making content about queer animals and nature scarce.
The queer animal photography awards hold the potential to celebrate queerness in nature whilst creating more content that can help in raising the awareness around queer nature.
Our Awards Criteria
A jury of 3-4 with varying backgrounds (from biology to antropology to photography), will score your pictures based on three criteria:
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Power of the Image (visual and aesthetic appeal);
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Story (mood; emotion; relevance; subject; impact): how does this relate to the queer community?, and;
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General characteristic (originality; style; context; photographic vision)
We ask you to send in your pictures with a paragraph that tells the story of the picture (relevance; subject; impact). What do we see? And how does this relate to the queer community?
It is up to your own interpretation and that of the jury to judge what that means to them and how it resonates. The link with the rainbow community can vary from Eg. different genders in Fungi to a lesbian couple, etc. Your pictures have to be of good quality for print and publishing. For this edition we focus on non-human nature (see FAQ below).
When participating in the award you agree that this image can be used by the Narwhal Rainbow Alliance and her partners in the promotion and aftermath of the award - always with full credentials to the creators.
Disclaimer: A biologist will do a small check on certain claims (eg. gender
of dimorphic animals), it will however be challenging to validate certain claims. The Narwhal Rainbow Alliance holds the right to withdraw the award if any false claims were made by the photographer that could have been foreseen.
How does joining the contest work (photographers)
Thank you for your interest in participating in the first ever Queer Nature Photography Awards! We are delighted and looking forward to seeing your work!
How does participating work?
We kindly ask you to send your picture(s) to us via wetransfer (or another tool) for optimal quality retention by mail to narwhalrainbowalliance@gmail.com. Please do so before the 31st of August by the latest. There is a maximum of 3 pictures per participant. We also kindly ask you to send in your picture(s) with a paragraph that tells the story of the picture (relevance; subject; impact). What do we see? And how does this relate to the queer community? Please make sure it is easy to trace which paragraph belongs to which picture.
About the jury process: in step 1 we will select a top 10 that will be exhibited during the awards event. At the event itself the top 3 will be announced. We are currently still searching for other sponsors but are delighted to share that the number 1 will win a cheque of €1000,- and will be published through different media channels.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is nature?
Nature is a broad term that encompasses everything in the physical universe that is not created or significantly altered by human beings. It includes the earth, its landscapes, flora, fauna, atmosphere, and all natural phenomena. Nature encompasses the entire spectrum of life, from microscopic organisms to vast ecosystems, and it operates according to natural laws and processes. It's both the source of life and inspiration for many, embodying beauty, diversity, and balance. For this edition we focus on non-human nature although we want the impact of these images go into human lives. For a competition focussing on human queer identities we can suggest to check out the Pride Photo Competition.