Wikipedia:Meetup/NYC/Prospect Park nature photo contest

Shortcut: WP:PROSPECTPARK2021

Wiki Loves NYC Parks!

The contest has ended! Click here for the winners!

Prospect Park and Wikimedia New York City are hosting a Nature Photography Contest from September 18-October 31, 2021!

The contest period has ended, and entries are now closed. File maintenance and judging will take place over the course of November. Check back on this page to see the results! If you're a winner, you'll receive a message on your Wikimedia Commons user page. As long as you entered an email address when you signed up, you'll be notified by email, too.

Essential information

What: A nature photography contest hosted by Wikimedia New York City

Where: Prospect Park

When: September 18 - October 31, 2021

Why: Become part of the largest free media repository and the most popular encyclopedia in the world. Also, prizes!

Convenience note: This page has a long url, but can also be accessed using the shorturl https://enwp.org/WP:PROSPECTPARK2021

This event is also listed on the Prospect Park website.

What is Wikimedia Commons?

Wikimedia Commons is the largest repository of free-to-use images in the world. It's home to more than 60 million pictures, including the photos and illustrations you see in Wikipedia articles. Without photographers uploading their work to Wikimedia Commons, Wikipedia would just be text! If you take a high quality photo during this contest, in addition to possibly winning a prize, it might wind up being seen by millions of people through Wikipedia.

What is Wikimedia New York City?

Wikimedia New York City is a local nonprofit which brings New York together to share in the free knowledge ecosystem. It runs events with the people and institutions of New York to help people contribute to projects like Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. To learn more about us and to find future free events, check out our page on Wikipedia.

How to enter

Take pictures of birds, plants, insects, trees, squirrels, the lake, or any other nature in Prospect Park and upload them to Wikimedia Commons using this link. If you don't already have an account, you'll be prompted to create one. When you do, be sure to include your email address. Winners will be notified on their Wikimedia Commons "user page" and notified with the email you provide when you sign up.

Who can participate?

Anyone! This competition invites brand new and experienced photographers, nature-lovers, and other park-goers to take pictures and upload them to Wikimedia Commons.

Rules

Photos must be your own work.
Photos must be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons during the contest period, September 18 - October 31, 2021
- Photos must be uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by October 31 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Uploads after that time will not be considered, so please allow some extra time to be safe. See below for how to get help.
- Note: Photos taken before the contest period are allowed. If you have an excellent nature picture of Prospect Park taken in the past, you're welcome to upload that, too. If you've previously published the photo (for example, posting to social media), you may be contacted to complete an additional step to make sure you're the same person who published it elsewhere.
Photos must be taken inside Prospect Park. For the purposes of this contest, that does not include Brooklyn Botanic Garden (although we love BBG and would love to run an event with them in the future!).
Photos must depict nature in some form. This will mostly include wildlife and plants, but we have an open mind! The only animals which cannot win prizes are pets and captive animals inside the zoo. Also, please don't feed the wildlife!

Prizes

Prizes will be awarded in several categories. One photographer may be eligible to win two prizes, but one photo cannot win more than one prize.

Because of the time of year, prizes are focused on birds and plants/trees, but all photos of nature are welcome!

Best overall
- First place - $150
- Second place - $100
Birds
- First place - $100
- Second place - $50
Trees and plants
- First place - $100
- Second place - $50
Other wildlife
- Best insect - $50
- Best animal other than birds (squirrels, rabbits, fish, chipmunks, turtles, etc.) - $50
Best photo taken with a phone camera - $25
Creativity prize - $25

In-person events

Walks and tours

Other events, such as nature walks, photography walks, and tours. These events are not formally connected to the photo contest, but may provide opportunities to take great photos. Some are free; others require tickets; some require advance registration.

The Brooklyn Bird Club is holding frequent walks and events in Prospect Park throughout the contest period. Brooklyn Bird Club events are typically open only to members ($25/year) and require advanced registration. For more information see the official club website.
9/18, Saturday, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Prospect Park Walking Tour presented by Turnstile Tours and Prospect Park Alliance [requires tickets]
9/25, Saturday, 7:30 AM: Bird walk led by the Queens County Bird Club. Non-members are typically allowed to join, but registration is required at least two days in advance and there may be a limit on participation. See the Queens County Bird Club website for more information.
9/25, Saturday, 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM: Bird walk led by NYC Audubon. Membership ($25/year) and advanced registration are required. See the NYC Audubon website for details.
9/25, Saturday, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM: Prospect Park Walking Tour presented by Turnstile Tours and Prospect Park Alliance [requires tickets]
10/16 and 10/17, Saturday and Sunday: Open House New York Weekend will likely have events in Prospect Park

Note: As these walks/opportunities are offered independently from the photo contest, we are unable to answer questions or provide support for them.

Judging

A volunteer jury will judge the photos following the conclusion of the contest.

Felicity Frisbie, Creative Director of the Prospect Park Alliance
Tony Jin, New York metro-based Wikimedia Commons photographer
Andreas Vesterlund, Brooklyn-based photographer and artist

Got questions?

The contest period has ended, and entries are now closed. File maintenance and judging will take place over the course of November. Check back on this page to see the results! If you're a winner, you'll receive a message on your Wikimedia Commons user page. As long as you entered an email address when you signed up, you'll be notified by email, too.

If you have questions about the contest, either leave a message on the discussion page (where your comments will be public), or email ryan [AT] wikimedianyc.org