Buglovers are invited to submit their images to a new photography competition – the Luminar Bug Photography Awards 2020.
The Grand Prize winner of the competition will be awarded £2,500 cash and the title of 'Bug Photographer of the Year 2020', as well as other prizes. There is also a title available for 'Young Bug Photographer of the Year'.
There are 11 categories in the competition:
- aquatic bugs
- arachnids
- beetles
- flies, bees, wasps and dragonflies
- butterflies and moths
- snails and slugs
- all the other bugs
- extreme close up
- bug homes
- mobile phone photography
- Young Bug Photographer (this category is free to enter)
The competition is open to entrants of any age and nationality, although the young photographer category is only open to those ages 13-17 years old.
The award is being launched in association with, and will raise for, the wildlife charity Buglife.
“It is often said we only save the things we know and love,” says Matt Shardlow, CEO of Buglife. “Sadly this seldom applies to the bugs without whom life as we know it would come to an end. These awards will hopefully bring people closer to the beauty and value of our multi-legged friends.”
The submitted entries will be judged by a prestigious panel drawn from the worlds of photography, ecology, television and academia, and include Buglife president Germaine Greer, naturalist and BBC Wildlife columnist Nick Baker, photographers such as Levon Biss and Ross Hoddinott, and scientist Steve Ormerod.
The competition is sponsored by Luminar, the award-winning photo-editing software produced by Skylum, which is also providing an exclusive 60-day free trial to anyone interested in creating photos for the Bug Photography Awards.
Entries must be submitted before 7 September 2020, and the winning and shortlisted photos will be announced on 21 October 2020.
Find out more about entering on the Luminar Bug Photography Awards 2020 website.
Main image: Caterpillar. © Wayne Kliewer
