With the warmer weather, we can’t help but reminisce about our time in the poles. This summer, let’s cool off with some snapshots of the polar regions, and the early career scientists behind the lens!
Do you have stunning photos that highlight your research, fieldwork, or polar adventures? Participate in the PSECCO photo contest for the summer of 2025 where we will have five categories for submission: animals, landscape, perspective, people, and black and white.
Besides eternal bragging rights, prizes will be awarded for the top photo submissions of each category, and honorable mentions will be celebrated. Submissions will be highlighted over social media and a feature in the PSECCO newsletter, and will highlight the broad skills and experiences members of the PSECCO community have all over the world.
To participate, please review the contest rules and submit your photos via this form. Anyone is welcome to enter, including individuals from all career stages. However, we especially encourage early career researchers to submit. Entrants may submit multiple photos but will need to fill out a separate form for each. If you are unable to submit a photo through this form, please contact us at psecco@colorado.edu and we will assist you.
Submissions must be in .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, or .tiff format, must be at least 2000 pixels on its longest side, and be no larger than 10 MB in file size. All photos must be original work.
By participating in the competition, you retain your rights to the photograph but agree that photos submitted can be used by the PSECCO for purposes including: use in the PSECCO website, social media accounts, reports, newsletters, presentations, and other products. Entrants also agree to have their names published in any photo competition-related communications. The photographer’s name will be credited when using the photos for PSECCO and media sharing purposes.
The photographer is responsible for the copyright and publishing rights for the photographs. Persons who appear as identifiable in the photos must confirm permission to publish the photographs through a model release. If a person under the age of 18 appears in the photo, the parent or guardian must give permission to publish the photograph. Model releases may be submitted on the photo submission form. Please follow this link to download a blank model release form. An email from the photo subject using the permission text from the model release form is also acceptable. As a way of showing respect for the people you are photographing, please obtain permission to take and publish photographs, even if people are not identifiable in them. Organizers reserve the right to reject an image if it is discriminatory, offensive, ethically questionable, or otherwise violates the competition rules.
Deadline for submission is July 31st, 2025. Please send any questions to psecco@colorado.edu.
Photo submissions will be judged based on the following criteria:
- Composition
- Originality
- Use of color
- Artistry
PSECCO team members, along with several PSECCO advisory board members, will judge the photos and select winners and honorable mentions. All decisions are final. PSECCO reserves the right to disqualify any entry that is deemed offensive, inappropriate, or in violation of stated contest rules.
Winners will be notified via email by August 30, 2025. Please ensure contact information on the submission form is correct. Contest results will be announced to the public in September 2025.
- First place for each category will receive a PSECCO-branded coffee thermos.
- Honorable mentions: Five honorable mentions will receive shout-outs and PSECCO-branded stickers!