The annual Editor’s Pick Awards celebrates excellence in nature photography by recognizing the best of the extraordinary images posted in NPN's Reader's Forum. Every week, the NPN moderators pick one member image from each of the seven image critique galleries plus the Weekly Challenge gallery based on the following criteria -

• Technical execution
• Aesthetic quality (composition, use of light, visual impact, etc.)
• Originality
• Compliance to gallery guidelines or weekly challenge theme.

The weekly Moderator's Pick images are then transferred to the Moderators' Picks Gallery for permanent display on the NPN web site. Photos in the Moderators' Picks gallery are eligible for the yearly Editor's Pick Awards.

Previous Editor's Pick Awards winners;

• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003
• 2002

In late December, the NPN staff will select three images from each of the eight Moderator’s Picks Gallery categories. Category winners will be awarded one each of the following prizes -

First Place Winner -

• Lifetime Nature Photographers Network™ membership
• Editor's Pick Awards 2008 Certificate
• Special edition Editor’s Pick Award 2008 NPN Field Cap

1^st Honorable Mention -

• 3-year extention of their Nature Photographers Network™ membership ($129.00)
• Editor's Pick Awards 2008 Certificate
• Special edition Editor’s Pick Award 2008 NPN Field Cap

2^nd Honorable Mention -

• 1-year extention of their Nature Photographers Network™ membership ($49.00)
• Editor's Pick Awards 2008 Certificate
• Special edition Editor’s Pick Award 2008 NPN Field Cap

Winners will be announced in the January 2009 issue of Nature Photographers Online Magazine.

RULES

1. All weekly Moderators' Picks and annual EPA winners must be a current Nature Photographers Network™ member.
2. All images must be initially posted in one of the seven NPN image critique galleries or Weekly Challenge gallery in order to be considered for a weekly Moderators' Pick.
3. All winning images to be selected from the Moderators' Picks Gallery by the NPN staff.
4. NPN staff, program sponsors and their family members are ineligible.
5. No multiple winners - a different photographer will be selected for each of the 3 places in each of the 8 categories.
6. Winners grant the right to Nature Photographers Online Magazine to use image (with accompanying photo credit) for promotional purposes.
7. All rights remain entirely with the photographer.

If you have any questions regarding the weekly Moderators' Picks or the yearly Editor's Pick Awards, please contact us editor@naturephotographers.net.