Mount Diablo Bird Alliance 2025 Photo Contest

1. Bird Beauty: Close-up/Abstract/Focus on Color etc. not fitting into the other main categories.
2. Birds and Humans: Urban birds, birds on structures, birds and birders, etc. (no pet birds please).
3. Birds in action: Flight, fight, or just having a bath, for example.
4. Birds Dining: Birds eating seeds, nectar, berries, insects, or vertebrates.
5. Habitat: Show us a special place that birds call home.

YOUTH:

6. Youth: Youth under age 18 are encouraged to submit their two best photos. Membership not required. Repeat winners of this category are asked to enter the Adult categories.

Photos may represent wild birds seen anywhere in the world, and may have been taken at any time in the past. Please do not resubmit photos you have previously submitted to a past MDBA photo contest.

Photos must be saved in JPEG format, no larger than 35 MB, and no smaller than 300 KB. Photos outside of these limits will be automatically disqualified. Please check your photo file size.

Some normal processing of original files is acceptable. Examples of ineligible photographs include frame stacking, stitched panoramic, or photos that have been heavily manipulated beyond what is necessary to represent the scene as it was experienced by the photographer. For example, removal of dust spots or a small number of minor distracting elements is ok, as are tasteful changes to contrast, exposure levels, sharpness, sensor noise, etc. Black and white conversion of color images is allowed. Wholesale removal of or addition of foreground or background elements, sky replacement, or creating unnaturally dramatic images (e.g. reducing exposure of the background to black to isolate a bird subject) are not allowed. Generative AI construction of scenes or subjects is not allowed.

Photos with borders/signatures/watermarks will be automatically disqualified.

Entry is open to MDBA members (except Youth category open to all). Non-members may join at the MDAS Membership page.

Entry is by email only; ONE PHOTO SUBMISSION PER EMAIL. If you have submissions in multiple
categories, you must send separate emails. Batched emails will be returned.

Send photos to photo-contest@mtdiablobirds.org.

Include with DIVISON_CATEGORY_YOUR LAST NAME in subject line:
Example: ADULT__BIRDS IN ACTION_SMITH

Your photo must be sent as an attachment with the following information in body of email:

Entry Must Include:

1. First and Last Name
2. Division (Adult, Youth): Category (which of 1-6 above)
3. Bird Species
4. Place photo was taken (as much detail as possible, but County, State, Country is sufficient)
5. Date photo was taken
6. URL of social media (optional)

Example:

Willow Smith
Adult: Birds in Action
Western bluebird
Borges Ranch, Walnut Creek, CA
1/10/2023