2023 Exhibition

An exhibition of photography to highlight the wonderful nature and wild spaces on our doorstep, celebrating the important relationships between people and local wildlife in Ealing.

We explore what nature and wildlife mean to you. As everyone sees their surroundings through a different lens, we look to celebrate the diverse personal journeys and individual relationships we have with nature.

This is not purely a technical photography exhibition. Equally if not more important is the portrayal of images to engage the public with the natural world at a local level in Ealing.

We judge each photograph impartially without bias always keeping the exhibition mission in mind.

The judging panel consists of wildlife and/or photography enthusiasts, including members of Ealing Wildlife Group, and Ealing Council Park Rangers who are all keen photographers.

Beautiful Ealing: Showcase our beautiful Borough’s natural landscapes, plants, fauna etc. Anything that tells a story of Ealing’s natural spaces.

Abstract Nature: Capture the artistry and magic of nature, which could be the play of light and shadows creating fascinating patterns and shapes or an abstract image exploring an object’s natural shape and form. This category is wide open so let your creativity go wild!

Urban Nature: It’s incredible what creatures and life appear in urban environment, so show us where the man-made environment meets the wild.

Relationships with Nature: Capture the meaning of nature and wildlife to you and tell us why it makes your heart sing.

Up Close and Personal: This can be taken literally if you’ve captured incredible detail, it can cover macro photography or you can interpret it as imaginatively as you wish.

Young Wildlife Explorers: This is the under 16s category and seeks to celebrate our young wildlife enthusiasts to engage other young people with nature.

All submissions must be your work and in entering you declare you have the legal rights to that image.

Each entrant can only submit a total of three photographic images across all six categories.

Submission of entries does not guarantee inclusion in the exhibition.

Entries will be eligible for a first, second and third award in six categories as well as placing in the overall winner category.

You should specify which category you are entering; judges will appraise each entry using the categories as judging criteria but may move your photo to another category if deemed fit.

High res original jpeg files are to be submitted online HERE by 23:59 on 31 July  2023.  The maximum size of images is 15MB, minimum resolution is 300ppi. No screenshots, please upload the actual jpeg.

Entries submitted after the deadline will not be eligible. Late entries cause extra admin and will NOT be accepted.

Excessive manipulation of images is not allowed and will be grounds for disqualifying a photograph.

Types of editing NOT ALLOWED:

• Excessive vignettes.
• Artificial borders.
• Extreme changes to colour, saturation, light, or contrast.
• Adding, moving or removing objects, animals or parts of animals, plants, people etc.
• The removal of dirt, highlights, backscatter, bubbles, debris and similar.
• Composites.
• Painting the foreground/painting out the background
• Anything that could be viewed as rendering the image a dishonest representation will be disqualified, including generative AI.
• Watermark/Signature of the photographer as you will be fully credited on the board if your photo is selected to be displayed

Types of editing allowed:

• Digital adjustments including tone and contrast, burning, dodging, cropping, sharpening, noise reduction, minor cleaning work e.g. removal of sensor dust or scratches on transparencies/scans, removal of chromatic aberration
• HDR, stitched panoramas and focus stacking are permitted providing that they do not deceive the viewer or misrepresent the reality of nature, or what was originally captured by the camera.

No photos of staged wildlife shots, captive animals, or dead creatures posed as if alive are allowed.

Photographs must have been taken within the Borough of Ealing within the last three years; the exact location is to be included in the submission details. NB – the following are NOT within the Borough of Ealing; Boston Manor Park, Gunnersbury Park and Osterley Park.

Please include your camera or phone details e.g. “iPhone 11” is fine as we have exhibitors every year using phone cameras who have won categories. List the settings if you wish so others who are interested in technical details can learn.

Your description of the photo is just as important as the photo itself and is part of the judging criteria so please provide more details than just a name of species, subject and location. We want to hear the photo’s story and what it means to you. Failure to provide a good description that will be displayed with your entry may lose you significant points in judging.

By submitting your photo to the competition, you agree that EWG will share the image in promotional materials in the future, crediting you as the photographer.

Winners will be announced at the opening of the exhibition in Walpole Park on Saturday, 30 September 2023; do put that date in your diaries now. A full list of winners will be posted online on Facebook and our website shortly after the launch. We do not guarantee all winners will be informed individually afterwards, and certainly not before the exhibition’s opening!

Political agendas are not factored into any part of the judging criteria. Photos win on their own merits.