ORGANIZATION
The contest is organized by the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation of the IUCN.

PARTICIPANTS
All the photographers, amateurs and professionals, from all the Mediterranean countries can participate in this contest.

WORKS
The contest theme will be "Mediterranean Biodiversity". The photographs may represent problems, solutions, local community involvement, government initiatives and personal perspectives.

Photographs must be accompanied by a text: a short story, literary quote, or a detailed description provided in relation to:

• Climate change and ecosystems: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of this century. It affects people, animals, plants and natural environments all across the planet. But there are natural measures to mitigate their effects and get adapted to it.
  
  
• The clean energy and development: The increase of the population, the economic development and the changing consumption patterns are indicative of the energy and materials demand will continue to grow in the future. We must choose the cleanest
  
  
• Nature provides employment and livelihoods: Improving the quality of life and poverty reduction are only possible if we respect nature. Most of the resources that nature offers us, like fish, medicinal plants or wood, are being overexploited by human activity, affecting species and people.
  
  
• The economy: Businesses also affect biodiversity and cannot work without it. Billions of people working in the private sector and business are one of the main engines of social and economic development. Some businessmen are beginning to recognize the value of biodiversity, the need to protect and invest in it.
  
  
• Tourism and Nature: The 30% of tourist arrivals in a worldwide level belongs to the Mediterranean, which counts about 45,000 km of coastlines. However, the appeal of this hot spot for biodiversity is threatened by the impact of human activities in the region. The development of a responsible tourism which values natural resources is essential to maintaining cultural wealth.

ASSESSMENT’S CRITERIAS
It will assess the expressive value of the image and the story behind the image, its informative nature on the five areas within the main framework for biodiversity and the spontaneous nature and immediacy. It enables photo retouching to improve the picture, but not the composition of images aiming to produce a situation which does not exist. The photographs may not have been awarded in other competitions. The number of works to be submitted by the author shall not exceed five, one for each subject area.

PRESENTATION
The photographs will be taken in digital format. The photographs may be made in black and white or color, with a minimum size of 300 dpi. Each entry must include the title of the photograph, the place was made, the date and a paragraph not exceeding 300 words about the image, according to established subject areas. IUCN's official languages are Spanish, English and French. The photographs taken in digital format must be sent to the email uicnmed@iucn.org.

REGISTRATION
Taking part in this competition implies acceptance of these rules and permission to exhibit the works that the jury considers appropriate.

JURY
Jury will be composed by a graphic artist, a member of the communications department of the IUCN Global, experts from the Mediterranean and the principal(s) sponsor(s). The decision will be final, it will be issued in October 2010 and it will be released to the winner and announced to the media.

AWARDS

• 1º Prize:A Camera; Participation in the Mediterranean Forum on Biodiversity; Photographic Exhibition; IUCN public appearance.
  
  
• 2º Prize: A Photographic Course; Photographic Exhibition in the Mediterranean Forum on Biodiversity, IUCN public appearance.
  
  
• 3º Prize: Photographic Exhibition in the Mediterranean Forum on Biodiversity, IUCN public appearance. None of the participants may receive more than one prize.

EXHIBITION
With photo finalists and with those which will be chosen by the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, IUCN will prepare an exhibition at the Mediterranean Forum on Biodiversity, coinciding with the 10th Anniversary of the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation in late 2010.

LEGAL NOTICE
Works presented, as well as their publication and reproduction rights, will remain under the property of the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation IUCN, which will always be the authorship of the photographs.