The Nature's Best Photography concept began with simple yet
dynamic goals: to celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature
through the art of photography, and to use this far-reaching medium as a creative tool for encouraging greater public interest in outdoor enjoyment and conservation stewardship. The annual Windland Smith Rice International Awards program evolved from this ambitious mission to become one of the most highly-respected and visually compelling nature photography competitions in the world. More than 25,000 entries in the international Awards are received and judged each year. Go to the "Enter Your Photos" section of this website to learn more about this year's competition and get the  GUIDELINES, TIPS,and read about the JUDGES.You may get the PDF with all the Rules, Entry Form, and complete list of Categories by clicking here to DOWNLOAD THE PDF.

Smithsonian Photo Exhibitions

In partnership with the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, the Winners of each awards category (see GALLERIES) and a selection of Highly Honored images from the Windland Smith Rice Awards are displayed to millions of visitors in a popular annual EXHIBITION. The complete collection of all Winners and Highly Honored images from 2009 is in the Fall/Winter 2009 Collectors Edition (top, right) of Nature's Best Photography magazine. 

WINNERS FOR 2009:
Visit the Galleries to view the winning images for each catgeory. Click the photographer's names in the list below to visit the websites and see more about our award-winners.

GRAND PRIZE:
Mountain Gorilla, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
By John Reiter, New Jersey, USA

YOUTH PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR:
Barred Owl, Everglades National Park, Florida, USA
By Alexander Mody, USA

CONSERVATION PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Patricio Robles Gil, Mexico

WILDLIFE WINNER:
Burchell’s Zebra and Lion
Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
By John Reiter, USA

ANIMAL ANTICS WINNER:

Cheetahs, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya
By Federico Veronesi, Kenya

ART IN NATURE WINNER:

Northern Gannets, Bonaventure Island, Gaspé, Quebec, Canada
By Arthur Morris, USA

BIRDS WINNER:
Atlantic Puffin, Treshnish Isles, Scotland, UK
By Danny Green, UK

CAMERA CLUB WINNER:
Victoria Camera Club, British Columbia, Canada
Group montage

CREATIVE DIGITAL WINNER:

Summer By Catlin Harrison, UK

ENDANGERED SPECIES WINNER:
Giant Pandas, Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan, China
By Juan Carlos Muñoz, Spain

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES WINNER:

Polar bear, Svalbard Islands, Arctic Ocean, Norway
By Hans Strand, Sweden

INDIGENOUS CULTURES WINNER:
Hunters with Golden Eagles
Bayan Ölgii, Altai Mountains, Mongolia
By David Tipling, UK

LANDSCAPE WINNER:

Boulders Beach and African Penguins
Table Mountain National Park,
Cape Town, South Africa
By MaryLou Graham, USA

OCEANS WINNER:
Saltwater Crocodile, Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea
By Yeang H. Ch’ng, USA

PEOPLE IN NATURE WINNER:
Photographer at Milford Sound
Fiordland National Park, New Zealand
By Mike Reyfman, USA

PLANT LIFE WINNER:

Hemlock and Huckleberry
Mount Baker Wilderness, Washington, USA
By Dennis Frates, USA

SMALL WORLD SPECTACULARS WINNER:

Damselflies, Confederation Park, Calgary, Canada
By Minghui Chen, USA

WEATHER WINNER:

Northern Lights, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
By Linda Drake, USA

ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS WINNER:
Mountain Lion at Elmwood Park Zoo
Norristown, Pennsylvania, USA
By David F. Bezold, USA

Photo Competitions and Deadlines:

2010 WINDLAND SMITH RICE
INTERNATIONAL AWARDS CLICK TO ENTER
ENTER NOW! DEADLINE: April 5, 2010!
Winners are featured in our Fall/Winter Collectors Edition and may be chosen to be displayed in the the annual photo exhibition at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.
Download the 2010 WINDLAND AWARDS GUIDELINES PDF.
Questions or about the upcoming competition?
E-mail Awards@naturesbestphotography.com

CLICK TO ENLARGE

CLICK ON VIDEOS TO VIEW:
Video from the 2009 Exhibition


Video from the 2008 Exhibition

Video from the 2007 Exhibition

Review of Sony Alpha A700 DSLR