Journeys Camera Trap Awards

Despite large-scale tourism, animals have mostly continued to keep their lives secret and away from human eyes. Several have even managed to shy away from cameras. Animals behave differently in our absence, completely wild and unfiltered, and all of this has largely been hidden from us. Their behaviour, movement and other species and animal specific traits have been a mystery for even seasoned wildlifers. The advent of trail cameras, however, enabled us to see what was unseen before. They became our eyes in the wild, without being conspicuous. These cameras silently, secretly watched animals in their natural habitat and documented their presence and unique behaviour. Primarily taking only still images, trail cameras soon were equipped to shoot videos as well. This gave us further insight into some intriguing species in various forests and their behaviour. Over time, DSLRs were also tailored to act as camera traps and shoot photographs and videos without being noticed by animals. These new camera traps brought with them an improved image quality despite the light conditions.

Earlier camera traps were used primarily to document wildlife, their movement and behaviour inside protected areas. Today, as the boundaries between urban and wildlife spaces blur, animals have been venturing outside protected areas. Through the Journeys Camera Trapping Contest we aim to celebrate the content and hard work of researchers documenting wildlife inside parks but also private individuals documenting wildlife in urban areas. This contest doesn’t only celebrate the secret lives of wildlife but also aims to create a citizen science project, which will empower research work on animal movement outside parks aimed at reducing conflict with humans.

A 2 day exhibition organised in June will showcase selected artwork from the contest, have screenings, interactions with experts and a lot more.

Click Here to Register

To participate in the contest read below:

Contest Categories:

Trail Camera Photographs
Trail Camera Videos
DSLR Camera Trap Photographs

Winners:

2 winners in each category will be celebrated.

We believe that all the participants of the Journeys camera Trap Awards should put ethical treatment of animals as the utmost priority. We encourage each artist to respect ethical behavior towards nature and wildlife. We hope there was minimal possible interference in the life of animals and their habitats during the shoot. The use of captive animals is not accepted in the contest entries. Image manipulation should not alter essential content that misrepresents actual events. Photographs could often be understood with the help of captions and description. We encourage artists to give correct, relevant information about their submissions.

Important Contest Dates:

Contest Goes Live: 1st March 2025
Last Date of Submission: 30th April 2025
Judging Starts: 5th May 2025
Submission of RAW Files by Finalist: 20th May 2025
Exhibition and Award Ceremony: 7th-8th June 2025

Submission Guidelines:

The contest is open to everyone. The winners will be chosen by a panel of judges, appointed by Journeys Explore, whose decision will be final.
The entrant must be the sole author and owner of the copyright for all content entered. By entering the contest, the entrant certifies that the entries do not infringe on the copyright, trademark or intellectual property rights of any other person or organization.
If the content is shot in a protected area, then related documents from associated authorities/organisation/departments are necessary.
There is no limit to the number of artwork submitted per category by one participant.
The last date for submission of all entries is midnight, April 30, 2025, Indian Standard Time.
Please submit photographs preferably in digital (jpeg/raw) format only.
Submit your entries through our website www.journeysexplore.com clearly mentioning your name, postal & email address and telephone number.
File names should include the artist’s name_caption_location”. For example “Sushil Chikane_Eye of the Tiger_Ranthambhore.jpg”. Description to each entry is important.
Images for submission should be 12 by 18 inches to a maximum file size of 10 MB.
The animal should be in natural form, behavior or phenomenon must be maintained. Images may be cropped with minimum digital manipulation such as cleaning, sharpening, adjusting levels, curves, colour and contrast is permissible when applied to the image as a whole. Adding or removing elements is absolutely not permitted, nor is the combination of two different images allowed.
Only images from the wild will be eligible.
Judges may ask for original copy of shortlisted entries
Prints will not be returned after the exhibition.
For videos, the data of the trail camera should be maintained without any cropping.
Videos submitted should be no more than 2 ½ minutes long
Videos must have a resolution suitable for large screen projection. Videos not achieving suitable resolution will be disqualified.
No copyrighted material may be used.
All videos must be submitted in an MP4 format.
Videos should be unedited.
Make sure all entries are supported by relevant captions and Description.
While every care will be taken of submissions, the organizers cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage.
Entries received will also be uploaded on Journeys Explore Social Media Handles with Caption, Description & Owners details for viewers choice award, picture with most number of likes shall receive this award.
Copyright, even over winning images, will remain with the photographer.
Journeys Explore will have the right to share content on social media handles with due credit to the photographer.

Reasons for Refusal:

The artwork does not meet the technical requirements specified in the contest specifications.
Judges and the organizers have a reason to believe that the picture was taken by cruel and unethical methods.
Inappropriate caption and description.
The frame is a compilation of several frames (no stacking or multiple exposures).
Animals were shot in captivity or animals were handled
Baiting to attract animals.

Exhibition and Event:

We will be celebrating the contest entries in a 2 day exhibition in Pune, India. The exhibition will be on the 7th-8th June 2025. Chosen entries will be displayed at the event. The event will also include guest talks on camera trapping, innovations in the field and new tech for wildlife.

The winners will be celebrated on the evening of 8th June 2025.

Prizes:

Trail Camera Photographs:

First Prize: 2 nights stay at Pangolakha Wilderness Homestay worth INR 25,000, Zeiss Trail Camera worth INR 24,000, Himmaleh apparel worth INR 10,000, The Mahua Store apparel worth INR 1,000, merchandise from Wild Ink Inc. worth INR 2,000, Nagpur Camera Rental Vouchers worth INR 10,000.
Second Prize: 2 nights stay at Pangolakha Wilderness Homestay worth INR 25,000, Zeiss lenswear vouchers worth INR 10,000, Himmaleh apparel worth INR 5,000, The Mahua Store apparel worth INR 1,000, merchandise from Wild Ink Inc. worth INR 2,000, Nagpur Camera Rental Vouchers worth INR 5,000.

Trail Camera Videos:

First Prize: 2 nights stay at Greetoe Resorts worth INR 25,000, Zeiss Trail Camera worth INR 24,000, Himmaleh apparel worth INR 10,000, The Mahua Store apparel worth INR 1,000, merchandise from Wild Ink Inc. worth INR 2,000, Nagpur Camera Rental Vouchers worth INR 10,000.
Second Prize: 2 nights stay at Greetoe Resorts worth INR 25,000, Zeiss lenswear vouchers worth INR 10,000, Himmaleh apparel worth INR 5,000, The Mahua Store apparel worth INR 1,000, merchandise from Wild Ink Inc. worth INR 2,000, Nagpur Camera Rental Vouchers worth INR 5,000.

DSLR Camera Trap Photographs:

First Prize: 2 nights stay at Greetoe Resorts worth INR 25,000, Pardus DSLR Camera Trap Sensor worth INR 15,000, Himmaleh apparel worth INR 10,000, The Mahua Store apparel worth INR 1,000, merchandise from Wild Ink Inc. worth INR 2,000, Nagpur Camera Rental Vouchers worth INR 10,000.
Second Prize: 2 nights stay at Greetoe Resorts worth INR 25,000, Pardus DSLR Camera Trap Sensor worth INR 15,000, Himmaleh apparel worth INR 5,000, The Mahua Store apparel worth INR 1,000, merchandise from Wild Ink Inc. worth INR 2,000, Nagpur Camera Rental Vouchers worth INR 5,000.

Judges:

Yashpal Rathore

Yashpal Rathore is an engineer-turned-photographer who also guides photography tours and expeditions to some of the world’s most extraordinary locations like the Arctic region. Apart from publishing a coffee table book on Project Tiger, he has delivered talks and workshops at prestigious platforms and has won the prestigious Sanctuary Wildlife Photography award in 2019. Yashpal is an authority in DSLR-based camera traps, revolutionising the capacity to capture rare and elusive species.

Shivang Mehta

Camera trapping – be it for research or photography – is an art which has been growing rapidly in a country like India which offers a plethora of species in various habitats. This contest is a unique opportunity for researchers and photographers to showcase their art and being one of the flag bearers of this technique in India I am really looking forward to seeing some innovation, creativity and natural history from the community of Indian camera trappers.

Suman Raju

Suman Raju is a highly skilled professional specializing in motion-sensing camera traps, long lens, 360 VR and aerial cinematography. With extensive experience as a wildlife cameraman, he has contributed to several high-profile natural history films, including the BBC Asia series, Disney Nature’s Tigers on the Rise, and a feature-length documentary on “Project Tiger”. His groundbreaking work on the tigers of the Bhopal landscape stands as the most comprehensive documentation of these elusive felines, showcasing his dedication and expertise in wildlife filmmaking.

Sushil Chikane

Sushil is an avid traveller and a photo artist based out of Pune. He has traversed India extensively and there’s nothing he loves doing more. His passion for what he does translates into every one of his travels, ensuring every client experiences and makes the most out of their travel with him. With a cumulative experience of 15 years in the field in association with an array of organisations, In the course of his travels and having mastered in biodiversity, he has had the privilege to observe some very fascinating and rare creatures that inhabit the wildernesses. Additionally, his unique ability to compose images of wildlife in an artistic manner, gives them a unique feel and can be interpreted in a myriad ways.