Submission Guidelines for Shutter Shark 2025

Rules and Guidelines:

  1. The Shutter Shark Nature Photography Contest is open to all Halmos College of Arts and Sciences (HCAS) students, graduate and undergraduate, registered between January 6, 2025 and May 4, 2025.
  2. Alumni may also enter, but they will be judged separately from current students. There will only be alumni winners for overall first, second, and third, not for each individual category. Photos submitted must fit into one of the other specified categories in order to qualify.
  3. All entries must be received by midnight on March 14, 2025. The awards ceremony will be held April 11, 2025 from 5:00-7:00 pm.
  4. Submissions are made online through NSU Works. By creating a free account, you will be able to upload your pictures directly into our system. You can view and edit your submissions anytime during the submission period.
  5. All photographs should have a nature-related composition. Non-nature entries will not be judged.
  6. Photos will not be accepted in which animals, plants, or objects have been staged or handled. No pool or aquarium shots will be accepted.
  7. By submitting your photos, you are stating that no species were harassed or harmed, nor were ecosystems disturbed or damaged in the process of obtaining your photo. Violators of this rule will not be allowed to participate in this contest or future contests.
  8. All photos must have been taken in 2024 or 2025. Photos that have been submitted in previous contests are not eligible.
  9. mages may be optimized (i.e., adjusted while maintaining the image's integrity) but not altered such that an image does not reflect the actual subject matter.
  10. This is an amateur contest (defined as photographers who earn less than 20% of their income from their photography).
  11. Photos will be judged anonymously by qualified judges with a background in photography local underwater / landscape photographers. All decisions will be final.
  12. Ownership and copyrights of all submitted photos remain with the photographer. However, NSU reserves the right to publish the winning photos without compensation for educational and promotional purposes, including, but not limited to, publication on the NSU website, NSUWorks, in brochures, or for future contest promotion. The winning photographs will also be printed as part of an exhibit within the NSU community.
  13. Proper credit will be given to all winners.
  14. Contestants may enter up to three categories with a maximum of two entries per category. The same photo cannot be submitted to multiple categories. The maximum file size is 10GB.
  15. Contestants are responsible for choosing the most appropriate category for their submissions. Photographs submitted to the wrong category will be automatically disqualified.
  16. No contestant can win first place in more than one category. The overall winner will be a different contestant than any first place winner in another category.
  17. Digital images should be a minimum of 150 dpi at 8.5 X 11 inches in order to enlarge to 11 X 14 inches.

Categories

  1. Anthropogenic Impacts/Conservation– An image illustrating human impacts on the environment and/or conservation efforts taken to address an environmental issue. Submissions may be taken underwater or terrestrial. Please include a short description of your picture as to how it relates to the theme. Maximum word limit: 100 words.
  2. Marine Life– An image depicting marine or aquatic fauna (non-human) or flora.
  3. Terrestrial Life– An image depicting terrestrial fauna (non-human) or flora.
  4. Anyscapes – An image of a marine or terrestrial landscape.
  5. Culture– An image depicting a community, tradition, or way of life that is connected to nature. Themes may include community gatherings, human interactions, ceremonies, and artistic expressions in a natural setting.
  6. Alumni– Category is only open to alumni, and photos must fit under categories open to current students to qualify (Anthropogenic Impacts/Conservation, Marine Life, Terrestrial Life, Anyscapes, or Culture). Please indicate which category your photo falls under. Alumni must also provide a graduation date with their entry.