In The Field Photography Contest 2025
Ends on
Waiting For The Storm To Pass, Ligia Selagea, winner Real Life Diorama, 2024.
Join the Field family in an exclusive photography contest for members this summer!
Contestants can make multiple submissions. Please attach one photo per submission.
Rules, Terms & Conditions
No purchase or fee is required to enter; no purchase will enhance your chances of winning; chance of winning depends on how well your entry meets the judging criteria and number of entries received.
By submitting images for consideration in the In The Field Photography Contest, you agree to the following Contest Rules, Terms, and Conditions (“Contest Rules”):
Sponsor
The In The Field Photography Contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored and administered by the Field Museum of Natural History (the “Museum”), an Illinois not-for-profit corporation, located at 1400 S. DuSable Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605.
Submission Categories
Adult first place, second place, and honorable mention winners and Under 18 (aged 5 to 17) first place, second place, and honorable mention winners will be selected in each of the following categories:
1. Urban Wildlife
- There’s wildlife everywhere you look! Discover and document the cooperation or lack thereof of nature in human-made environments.
2. Real-life Diorama
- Get outside and connect with nature through a camera lens. Take inspiration from the Field’s renowned taxidermy dioramas, and see if you can spot live animals and plants in their natural habitat. This category can also contain landscapes.
3. Museum Moments
- There’s so much to do and see at the Field Museum. Snap a photo of what inspires you about our collections, learning opportunities, and our historic lake-shore building. Portraits and candids of members and member families are encouraged with proper releases.
Eligibility
The Contest is open to United States residents who are Members of the Field Museum and members of their household; children between the ages of five and eighteen may participate with the permission of a parent/guardian. Contest is not open to Field Museum staff and volunteers, the members of their household or immediate family members (i.e., children/step-children, spouses and domestic partners, parents, and siblings). Any potential winner may be required to provide proof of eligibility. No purchase or entry fee is required and no purchase will enhance your chance of winning.
Timing
The Contest entry period begins at 8am Central Time on Monday, April 7, 2025 and ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on Monday, August 4, 2025 (“Entry Period”). Entries submitted before or after the Entry Period will not be eligible. Submittable, the submission platform used for this Contest, is the official time-keeping device.
Entries
To be eligible for the Contest, each entry must follow these submission guidelines:
- Images must fit one of the categories listed above.
- All images must be submitted digitally with a submission form including the photographer's information; permission from a parent/guardian required for entrants under age 18.
- Caption information must be provided with each photo. Captions should include the title of the work, the location the photo was taken, and a description of the subject.
- All images must be at least 300dpi at 8”X10” dimensions or at least 2,000 pixels wide.
- All images must be in .jpg/.jpeg, or .tif formats.
- All submitted image files MUST be named as follows: PhotographerLastName_Category
- Contestants submitting to the Under 18 Categories should label their files: PhotographerLastName_Category_U18
- Contestants can submit at least one photo to every category, but no more than 3 photos per category per submitter. Each photograph may only be submitted in one category.
- To be eligible for any category, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant since January 1, 2022. This date applies to all images in a composite.
- All contestants must be a current member of the Field Museum or part of a current Member’s household.
- Children who wish to participate in the Under 18 categories must be at least 5 years of age or older. These categories are for K-12 students.
Full Rules and Ethics are here: Member Photo Contest 2025 Rules