The annual Editor’s Pick Awards celebrates excellence in nature photography by recognizing the best of the extraordinary images posted in NPN's image critique galleries. Every week, the NPN moderators pick one member image from each of the following image critique galleries:

• Avian
• Earth, Sea & Sky
• Environmental Photojournalism
• Fauna
• Flora
• Macro/Close-up
• Man & Nature
• Photo Art
• Weekly Challenge

Photos are selected using 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 pick images are then archived in the Weekly Picks Gallery for permanent display on the NPN web site. Photos in the Weekly Picks gallery are eligible for the yearly Editor's Pick Awards.

Previous Editor's Pick Awards winners;

• 2008
• 2007
• 2006
• 2005
• 2004
• 2003
• 2002

In late December, the NPN staff will select three images from each of the eight image critique categories in the Weekly Picks Gallery. Category winners will be awarded one each of the following prizes -

First Place Winner -

• Lifetime Nature Photographers Network™ membership
• Editor's Pick Awards 2009 Certificate
• Special edition Editor’s Pick Award 2009 NPN Field Cap

1^st Honorable Mention -

• 3-year extention of their Nature Photographers Network™ membership ($129.00)
• Editor's Pick Awards 2009 Certificate
• Special edition Editor’s Pick Award 2009 NPN Field Cap

2^nd Honorable Mention -

• 1-year extention of their Nature Photographers Network™ membership ($49.00)
• Editor's Pick Awards 2009 Certificate
• Special edition Editor’s Pick Award 2009 NPN Field Cap

Winners will be announced in the January 2010 issue of Nature Photographers Online Magazine.

RULES

1. All weekly picks and annual EPA winners must be current Nature Photographers Network™ members.
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 the weekly picks.
3. All winning images to be selected from the Weekly Picks Gallery by the NPN staff.
4. NPN staff (as listed on the NPN staff masthead on the Front Page), 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 9 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 picks or the yearly Editor's Pick Awards, please contact us editor@naturephotographers.net.