Energy − in harmony with nature!

Invitation: Naturefriends International Photo Championship 2014

FIAP-Patronage 2014/103; VÖAV-Patronage 25/2014; IIWF-Patronage 2014/25

Impressive natural beauty, striking places and atmospheres have always exerted a strong pull on people. Hidden caves and canyons, remote valleys and paths, springs, water bod-ies, old churches and temples have been considered places of power and energy for centuries. But also old trees, stones or bizarrely shaped mountains cast a spell over us. These are places boasting the extraordinary beauty of nature, where time seems to stand still. It‘s in these places, where people had erected ritual sites, that we gather new strength and perceive the energies surrounding us. (Category: General – Places of energy in nature).

Since time immemorial, people have used energy from wind, sun, water, earth and renewable resources. Renewable (= al-ternative or regenerative) energy sources renew themselves or grow again, as opposed to fossil and nuclear (= conventional) energy sources, which only regenerate over millions of years. Alternative energy technologies mostly use radiation energy of the sun: in the form of solar heat and photovoltaics or in the form of biomass, wind power and hydropower. In order to have a climate-friendly and environmentally sustainable energy future, it is of central importance to systematically change from conventional to renewable energy sources. (Category: Theme 1 – Renewable energy vs. conventional energy).

In order to secure a sustainable energy future, we need to reduce our energy consumption. We can do this by using energy-effi cient devices and by changing our behaviour − e. g. by turning off the lights upon leaving a room, by reducing the room temperature in winter, by not heating little-used rooms or by driving less by car. (Category: Theme 2 − Saving energy).

NFI-Photo Championship 2014

Energy − in harmony with nature!

Energy transition and implementation of sustainable energy supply is an important issue in the Upper Rhine region as well. Already in 2006, the German / French / Swiss Upper Rhine Conference signed a common cross-border climate protection strategy and set itself the target of making the Upper Rhine region a model region for energy. (All categories: special prizes for the region Landscape of the Year 2013/14 Upper Rhine Valley).

Competition Categories and PrizesGeneral: digitals only(A1) Places of energy in nature (colour)(A2) Places of energy in nature (black / white)

Themes: digitals only(T1) Renewable energy vs. conventional energy (contrastive pairs: 2 × 2)(T2) Saving energy

The awarding ceremony and the exhibition will take place mid-October 2014 at the closing ceremony of the Landscape of the Year 2013/14 Upper Rhine Valley (Baden-Württemberg, Germany). Subsequently, the works will be displayed at a number of other exhibitions.

Prizes will, inter alia, come in the form of sojourns in tourism regions committed to sustainable development. In every cat-egory there will be a special prize for photos from the region Landscape of the Year 2013/14 Upper Rhine Valley.

Seven-day canoe tourWestern Pomeranian River District (Germany)

Romantic weekendRegion Kuldiga (Latvia)

PRIZE PRIZE

Rules for entryEach photographer is entitled to enter 4 works per competi-tion category. Entry of works implies authors’ acceptance of the rules for entry. Entries not complying with the terms set out in the invitation will be excluded.

Formats and CaptionsEntry is restricted to digital pictures. Picture fi les: JPG or RGB with a resolution of 72 dpi (pixels / inch) with at least 3000 pixels at the longer edge. Photomontages will not be admitted.

The pictures entered need to be titled and accompanied by a brief description (max. 25 words). Pictures taken in the region „Landscape of the Year 2013/14 Upper Rhine Valley” need to be entered with the note “Landscape of the Year” in the description.

Filename: Category_Country_PC_Name_Family Name_Picture Title_Location.jpge. g. T2_Austria_3004_John Q. Public _Flower_Kaiser-Valley.jpgPlease refrain from using “umlauts”!

Transmittal on CD or by e-mailThe pictures can be sent by post on CD or by e-mail (photo@nf-int.org). The maximum permissible size per e-mail is 10 MB.

Deadline for entries: 15 September 2014

Naturefriends InternationalCode word: Photo ChampionshipDiefenbachgasse 36/9, A-1150 Wien, Austria

Adjudication and Results BrochureEntries will be adjudicated by a specialist jury (Herbert Rainer, Vice President of the Verband Österreichischer Ama-teurfotografen-Vereine; Dr. Christian Baumgartner, Secretary General of Naturefriends International; Regina Hrbek, Head of nature and environmental conservation, Naturefriends Austria). Adjudication will be fi nalised by 30 September 2014. The decision of the jury is fi nal and incontestable.

The title of honour – “NFI Master Photographer 2014” – and the award of honour will be conferred on the winners in the General (A) and the Themes (T) categories at the NFI Prize Awarding Ceremony. In each category the best three individual photographs will each receive a medal (4 FIAP, 4 IIWF, 4 VÖAV). The fi ve pictures obtaining the highest rat-ings in each category will each receive a certifi cate. The best pictures taken in the region Landscape of the Year 2013/14 Upper Rhine will receive a special prize in each category.

The results of the competition will be circulated directly after the adjudication by e-mail. The pictures of the winners and – space permitting – of the second and third place winners will be quoted in the catalogue (CD or printed version).

Reproduction and CopyrightAs the organisers we take it for granted that the authors own all rights to the pictures they enter and that the persons depicted agree to their publication. “All” parts of the image need to be photographed by the author, the use of foreign imputed graphics / image elements is not allowed.

By participating in the Photo Championship, participants grant the organiser the right to use their photos free of charge, with attribution of the author, within the context of the Photo Championship 2014 in online and print media.

Seven-day sojournRegion Nin (Croatia)

All details concerning prizes:www.nf-int.org/photochampionship2014

PRIZE

Naturefriends International

Diefenbachgasse 36A-1150 Vienna

Phone.: +43 1 8923877Fax: +43 1 8129789

photo@nf-int.orgwww.nf-int.org

Imprint: Owner / Publisher: Naturfreunde Internationale, A-1150 Wien, Diefenbachgasse 36. Texts: Anita Pinter, Regina Hrbek. Pictures: Archiv (Abenteuer Flusslandschaft, Kuldiga, Nin), fotolia.com (andreiuc88, Jens Ottoson). Graphic design: Hilde Matouschek | offi cina.

With friendly support from:

In cooperation with: Supported by:

VÖAV-Patronage: FIAP-Patronage: IIWF-Patronage: 25/2014 2014/103 2014/25

Naturefriends International is the international umbrella organisation of the Naturefriends movement boasting over 500,000 members in 45 member organisations throughout the world. Founded in Vienna in 1895, it aids the cause of sustainable de-velopment. As a member of the Green10 it forms part of the ten largest European environmental organisations. Naturefriends organise leisure time activities for members, run a network of over 1,000 Naturefriends houses and launch international campaigns featuring environmental issues.

For further information please access: www.nf-int.org/photochampionship2014

The Landscape of the Year is a regional development initiative of Naturefriends in Germany, France and Switzerland, together with Naturefriends International. It is placed under the patronage of the Upper Rhine Conference.

Further information: www.landscapeoftheyear.net/upperrhine