Nature India Photo Contest 2017 now open!

Three seasons. Three immersive themes. Hundreds of breathtaking pictures from across the world. That sums up our annual photo contest — that delightful burst of frenzied creative activity at the fag end of the calendar ¹, ²³.

We are super excited to be back with the Nature India Photo Contest 2017. You can now submit your entries to win exciting prizes and be featured on Nature India‘s blog Indigenus.

Top entries from Nature India Photo Contest 2016

Top entries from Nature India Photo Contest 2016

The theme for this year’s contest is “Grand Challenges”.

Dan Ferber, Executive Editor, Grand Challenges for Springer Nature, introduces this year’s theme:

Droughts. Typhoons. Rising seas. Refugees. In this big, crowded world of ours, the challenges we face can sometimes seem daunting. Indeed, we must address the complex global problems we face—the world’s grand challenges—to ensure humanity a healthy and sustainable future. But first we must see them clearly. That’s where photography comes in.

We must see the vast sweep of the flooded landscape in the aftermath of the typhoon, as well as the man carrying his belongings on his back through the waist-deep floodwaters. We must see the woman walking two kilometres to obtain drinking water for her family, as well as the young child, wan with fever from a treatable disease like pneumonia or diarrhoea.

But we must also see images of ingenuity and resilience: a scientist testing an improved form of wastewater treatment, a green skyscraper that not only cools the air, but grows food as well, a nurse vaccinating rural children.

Addressing the world’s grand challenges will require scientists—and all of us—to reach beyond our comfort zone, collaborate across disciplines and across sectors, focus on solutions. It’s a big, crowded world, but ultimately it’s a small one, and we’re all in it together.”

The theme for our inaugural photo competition in 2014 was “Science & technology in India”. In 2015, it was “Patterns” and last year, we made it simple with “Nature”. We received some breathtaking entries from across the world all three years. You might want to take a look at the winning entries of the Nature India Photo Contest 20142015 and 2016 for some inspiration or the entries that made it to the top to get an idea of what we look for while selecting winners.

As for the prizes — three lucky winners chosen by our editorial and design team will be featured on Nature India. The winning entries stand a chance of being on the cover of one of our forthcoming print publications. The winner and two runners-up will receive a copy of the Nature India Special Annual Volume 2016 and a bag of goodies (which includes Collector’s first issues of Nature, November 1869 and Scientific American, August 1845; and some other keepsakes) from the Nature Research Group.

The contest is open to everyone – any nationality, any occupation. The only keyword for the subject of the picture is: ‘Grand Challenges’. You could use whatever camera you wish to – even your cell phone – as long as the photograph you send us high quality, unedited, original, in digital format and of printable quality. Just make sure you are not violating any copyrights. Also, no obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or other inappropriate content please (refer to the contest terms and conditions below).

Photographs will be judged for novelty, creativity, quality and printability.

Please send your entries in jpeg format to npgindia@nature.com with your name and contact details. Please mention “Nature India Photo Contest 2017” in the subject line of your email. The photograph must be accompanied by a brief caption (please see the photo captions here for reference) explaining the subject of the picture along with the date, time and place it was taken.

We will accept a maximum of two entries per person. The last date for submissions is midnight of December 10, 2017 GMT. On social media, please use the hashtag #NatureIndphoto to talk about the contest or to check out our latest updates.

So let the creative juices flow. Get, set, click, send!

 

[TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Please read these terms and conditions carefully. By entering into this Nature India Annual photo contest (“Promotion”), you agree that you have read these terms and that you agree to them. Failure to comply with these terms and conditions may result in your disqualification from the Promotion.

1. This Promotion is run by Nature Research, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited a company registered in England with registered number 00785998 and registered office at The Campus, 4 Crinan Street, London N1 9XW (“Promoter”).

2. To enter this Promotion you must be: (a) resident in a country where it is lawful for you to enter; and (b) aged 18 years old or over (or the applicable age of majority in your country if higher) at the time of entry. This Promotion is void in Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria and where prohibited or restricted by law.

3. This Promotion is not open to directors or employees (or members of their immediate families) of Promoter or any subsidiary of Promoter. Promoter reserves the right to verify the eligibility of entrants.

4. The Promotion is open for entries between 00:00 on 14/11/2017 and 00:00 on 10/12/2017 GMT.

5. No purchase is necessary to enter this prize Promotion and will not increase your chances of winning.

6. You can enter this Promotion by emailing npgindia@nature.com

7. Only two entries per eligible person. More than two entries will be deemed to be invalid and may lead to disqualification.

8. Promoter accepts no responsibility for any entries that are incomplete, illegible, corrupted or fail to reach Promoter by the closing date for any reason. Proof of posting or sending is not proof of receipt. Entries via agents or third parties are invalid. No other form of entry is permitted. Please keep a copy of your entry as we will be unable to return entries or provide copies.

9. The prize for the Promotion consists of the following: A copy of the Nature India Special Annual Volume 2016 and a bag of goodies (which includes Collector’s first issues of Nature, November 1869 and Scientific American, August 1845; and some other keepsakes) from the Nature Research Group.

10. The prizes shall be awarded as follows: The prize will be decided in the week following the close of the Promotion. The winners will be notified via email. Winners will be selected by a four person panel of Nature staff, at least one of which will be independent from the Promotion, based on photographic merit, creativity, photo quality, and impact. Full names of the judging panel will be available on request. Any decision will be final and binding and no further communication will be entered into in relation to it.

11. Ownership of entries: for consideration into this Promotion, you must sign a license to publish form granting the intellectual property rights to Nature Research for your image. This may be used in promotional or marketing material in print and online. You confirm that your entry is your own original work, is not defamatory and does not infringe any laws, including privacy laws, whether of the UK or elsewhere, or any rights of any third party, that no other person was involved in the creation of your entry, that you have the right to give Promoter and its respective licensees permission to use it for the purposes specified herein, that you have the consent of anyone who is identifiable in your contribution or the consent of their parent, guardian or carer if they are under 18 (or the applicable age of majority), it is lawful for you to enter and that you agree not to transfer files which contain viruses or any other harmful programs.

12. The winner(s) of the Promotion shall be notified by email no more than two weeks after the Promotion closes.

13. The winner(s) will be required to confirm acceptance of the prize within ten working days and may be required to complete and return an eligibility form stating their age and residency details, among other details. Promoter will endeavour to ensure that winner(s) receive their prizes within 30 days of the date they confirm acceptance of the prize. If a winner does not accept the prize within ten days of being notified, they will forfeit their prize and Promoter reserves the right to choose another winner(s). Promoter’s decision is final and Promoter reserves the right not to correspond on any matter.

14. The name, region of residence and likeness of the winners may be used by Promoter for reasonable post-event publicity in any form including on Promoter’s website and social media pages at no cost.

15. You can find out who has won a prize by sending an e-mail to npgindia@nature.com or checking the Nature India blog website Indigenus (https://blogs.nature.com/indigenus).

16. Promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend these Terms and Conditions or change the Prize (to one of equal or greater value) as required by the circumstances. No cash equivalent to the Prize is available.

17. All personal data submitted by entrants is subject to and will be treated in a manner consistent with Promoter’s Privacy Policy accessible at https://www.nature.com/info/privacy.html. By participating in this Promotion, entrants hereby agree that Promoter may collect and use their personal information and acknowledge that they have read and accepted the Promoter Privacy Policy.

18. Promoter may at its sole discretion disqualify any entrant found to be tampering or interfering with the entry process or operation of the website, or to be acting in any manner deemed to be disruptive of or prejudicial to the operation or administration of the Promotion.

19. Other than for death or personal injury arising from negligence of the Promoter, so far as is permitted by law, the Promoter hereby excludes all liability for any loss, damage, cost and expense, whether direct or indirect, howsoever caused in connection with the Promotion or any aspect of the Prize. All activities are undertaken at the entrants own risk. Your legal rights as a consumer are not affected.]

NI Photo Contest 2016: Finalist #1

The New Year is around the corner, and so it’s that time of the year when we roll out the finalists of the Nature India photo contest!

The third edition of our photo contest has, as usual, received a fantastic response — hundreds of entries from around the world. The theme for this year’s contest was simply ‘Nature’. But like always, we were looking for some inherent connect of the entries with science — the more the science element in the photos, the merrier!

The quality and novelty of some of the entries this year has been beyond our expectation — some of the pictures are actually pieces of art. We have had a mix of amateur and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists, mobile cameras and high-end DSLRs — all vying to spot and capture science in Nature.

Tough job, as usual, for the Nature India editorial and design team in selecting just three winners. The winners stand a chance of seeing their entries grace the cover page of one of our forthcoming print publications. The winner and two runners-up will receive a copy of the latest Nature India Special Annual Volume and an enviable bag of goodies from Springer Nature.

As a run up to the final announcement, we will be rolling out the top 10 finalists of the photo competition (in no particular order of merit) over the next few days on the Indigenus blog as well as our social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook). The final results will be announced in late December 2016.

So brace up as we announce the Nature India photo contest 2016 finalist number one:

Ravi Hegde, Bengaluru, India

Photo Caption: ‘Bubbling moments’

Bubbling moments

{credit}Ravi Hegde{/credit}

Ravi, who works in the Department of Psychopharmacology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India, describes his photo thus:

Ravi Hegde

Ravi Hegde

“This is one of the most memorable photographs I shot in my life. I was fortunate to capture this exciting moment while an incredible Sand Bubbler was actively engaged in feeding and making tiny sand balls. I lied down for an hour, wetting all my clothes in seawater to capture this very rare moment. The Sand Bubbler tosses the sand bubble in a fraction of a second. Bubblers sieve the micro-nutrients grains of sand and feed on them, and then repack unwanted particles in the form of tiny balls, generally 2-3mm in diameter. During low tides, the intense feeding activity of these creatures makes for beautiful intricate patterns of sand balls on the seashore.”

This photograph was taken at the Dhareshwara seashore, near Honavar, Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India in May, 2013.

Congratulations Ravi for making it to the top 10!

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by the engagement and reception he/she receives here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So watch out for our other finalists and feel free to promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.

Nature India Photo Contest 2016 is now open!

After two immensely successful seasons, the Nature India Photo Contest is back with its 2016 edition. 

The theme for this year’s contest is simply “Nature” — but, as always, we will be looking for some inherent connect of your photo with science — the more the science element in your photo, the merrier!

NI Photo Contest collage

The theme for our inaugural photo competition in 2014 was “Science & technology in India”. Last year, it was “Patterns”, and both years we saw some breathtaking entries from across the world. You might want to take a look at the winning entries of the Nature India Photo Contest 2014 and 2015 for some inspiration or the entries that made it to the top to get an idea of what we look for while selecting winners.

As for the prizes — three lucky winners chosen by our editorial and design team will be featured on Nature India. The winning entries stand a chance of being on the cover of one of our forthcoming print publications. The winner and two runners-up will receive a copy of the Nature India Special Annual Volume 2016 and a bag of goodies (which includes Collector’s first issues of Nature, November 1869 and Scientific American, August 1845; and some other keepsakes) from the Nature Research Group.

The contest is open to everyone – any nationality, any age, any profession. The only keyword for the subject of the picture is: ‘Nature’ — from the tiniest to the biggest, the quirkiest to the simplest and from the disturbing to the placid. You could use whatever camera you wish to – even your cell phone – as long as the photograph you send us high quality, unedited, original, in digital format and of printable quality. Just make sure you are not violating any copyrights. Also, no obscene, provocative, defamatory, sexually explicit, or other inappropriate content please.

Photographs will be judged for novelty, creativity, quality and printability.

Please send your entries in jpeg format to npgindia@nature.com  with your name and contact details. Please mention “Nature India Photo Contest 2016” in the subject line of your email. The photograph must be accompanied by a brief caption (please see the photo captions here for reference) explaining the subject of the picture along with the date, time and place it was taken . We will accept a maximum of two entries per person. The last date for submissions is November 25, 2016. If you are on social media, please use the hashtag #NatureIndphoto to talk about thecontest or to check out our latest updates.

So, get, set, click and send!

Announcing winners of NI Photo Contest 2015

After a fortnight of unprecedented activity on the Indigenus blog and our social media channels (Facebook and Twitter ), as well as endless rounds of discussion by the Nature India editorial and design teams, we are happy to announce the winners of our second photo contest.

The photographs have been judged for their novelty, creativity, quality and printability. They were also rated in part by the engagement each received from the online science-loving community.

And the winner of the Nature India photo contest is:

Kumar M P from Bengaluru, India with his remarkably minute composition ‘Life wrapped in legs’ aptly representing ‘patterns’, the theme of this year’s contest. 

The first runner-up is:

Kanika Bansal from New York, USA with her picture ‘Half filled with light’ that brings out an overwhelming melangé of patterns in a simple optical phenomenon.

The second runner-up is:

Hemant Dhamne from Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India for the brilliant narrative of ‘Pollution vs. population’ that he wove into an early morning shot using a silhouette of birds.

Congratulations to all the winners! These images stand the chance of gracing the cover of one of Nature India‘s forthcoming publications. All winners will receive a copy of the Nature India Special Annual Volume 2014 and a bag of goodies from the Nature Publishing Group.

Some other finalists — Shiva Shankar Talloju (special mention for the truly competitive online support he receieved), Ravi HegdeSubrata BalSubas Chandra Bishwal and Shraddha Nayak offered tough competition to the winners with equally brilliant stories and stunning visuals (click on their names to see their images and the stories behind them). We thank them for participating and congratulate them on the fight they put up. There will be more photo contests soon and we hope to see their beautiful images again — perhaps on top next time!

Nature India’s first photo contest was conceived in 2014. The overwhelming response that captured the resurgence of science in the world’s largest democracy with the theme ‘Science & Technology in India’ was enough for us to make the contest an annual affair.

With 50 entries in 2014, the photo contest grew massively in size this year with several hundred entries pouring in from all corners of the world. The quality, quantity and novelty of these entries has been overwhelming. We were equally impressed with the way both amateur and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists captured the theme ‘patterns’ with a variety of instruments — from cellphone cameras to high end DSLRs.

We will be back next year with another theme and hopefully equally stunning images. Till then, enjoy these winning images and the stories behind them!

Winner: Kumar M P. Picture caption: Life wrapped in legs.

Kumar MP

Kumar MP

“As I spent my childhood in the Western Ghats of India, crawling creatures piqued my interest. I spent time playing with them and would be amused to see them coil as if holding their body with their legs to protect themselves. This picture showing the intricate pattern on a crawly’s body was taken at the Indian Institute of Science campus in Bengaluru, India.”

Kumar M P, Project Student, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

Runner-up #1: Kanika Bansal. Photo caption: Half filled with light.

Kanika Bansal

Kanika Bansal

“2015 is the International Year of Light, designated by the United Nations to learn and appreciate optical phenomena. In this top shot of a glass of water, the structure of the glass container produces an interesting pattern when light is partly reflected and scattered by the walls and the liquid inside. Slight asymmetry in the picture reverses the effect of depth, giving the illusion of an elevated object”. 

— Kanika Bansal, New York City, New York, USA

Runner-up #2: Hemant Dhamne. Photo caption: Pollution vs. population

Hemant Dhamne

“These are cormorants perched on treetops that I captured against the morning smog. The picture shows how pollution from big cities is affecting us and our wildlife. I was fortunate to get this silhouette of so many birds forming a beautiful light and shade pattern.”

— Hemant Dhamne, Post Doc, Cancer Genomics Lab, Tata Memorial Centre-ACTREC, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra India.

NI Photo Contest 2015: Finalist #15

And here’s announcing the final finalist — finalist number 15 — in the Nature India Photo Contest 2015:

Suvasini Ramaswamy, San Diego, California, USA

Photo caption: ‘Natural abstraction’

15-for-blog

{credit}Suvasini Ramaswamy{/credit}

Suvasini Ramaswamy

Suvasini Ramaswamy

Suvasini shot this picture at the Yellowstone National Park in the northwest region of the United States. She says: “Our mind sometimes seeks patterns in abstraction. This is an image of the world-renowned Grand Prismatic at the Yellowstone National Park where thermophilic bacteria lend brilliant colour to the steaming blue waters from the hot springs.”

Congratulations Suvasini on capturing the lovely abstract patterns and getting into the top 15 of the Nature India Photo Contest 2015!

We are done rolling out our final 15 for this year’s contest.

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winners will be primarily based on the novelty, creativity, quality and printability of the entries. Our design and editorial teams will also give some weight to the engagement and reception these entries receive here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So here’s packing up the contest for this year — stay tuned for the announcement of winners in the last week of November. The winner and two runners-up will receive a copy of the just released Nature India Special Annual Volume and a bag of goodies from the Nature Publishing Group.

Till then feel free to promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.

NI Photo Contest 2015: Finalist #14

We wish all our readers a Happy Diwali as we announce the finalist number 14 in the Nature India Photo Contest 2015: 

Gauravi Deshpande, Dresden, Germany

Photo caption: ‘Window to the soul’

{credit}Gauravi Deshpande{/credit}

Gauravi Deshpande

Gauravi Deshpande

Gauravi took this picture of the zebrafish eye under a microscope at the Max Planck Institute of Cell biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.

Here’s her description of the picture: “Eyes are the window to the soul, as some say so aptly. They are also the window to knowledge. The picture here depicts the amazing pattern formed due to different cells in the eye that help us visualize.” 

Congratulations on getting into our longlist of 15 Gauravi!

In it’s second edition this year, the photo contest has received an overwhelming response — hundreds of entries from around the world. Conceived with the idea of appreciating the art in all things science, the theme for 2015 was ‘Patterns’ — geometric, natural, abstract, under the microscope, in/on the human body or in space.

As a run up to the final announcement, we will be rolling out the top 15 finalists of the photo competition (in no particular order of merit) over the next few days on the Indigenus blog as well as our social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook). The final results will be announced in November 2015.

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by the engagement and reception he/she receives here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So watch out for our other finalists and feel free to promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.

NI Photo Contest 2015: Finalist #13

As we enter the Diwali festivities, here’s announcing finalist number 13 in the Nature India Photo Contest 2015:

Shraddha Nayak, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

Photo caption: ‘Illuminating molecular cages within us’

{credit}Shraddha Nayak{/credit}

Shraddha Nayak

Shraddha Nayak

Shraddha shot this picture of her own oil painting on a Nikon D7000. The painting and eventually the photograph is an artiste’s impression of clathrin vesicles, which help in transport of cargo such as proteins between organelles inside our body.

She describes this picture thus: “I am very intrigued by the microscopic beauty within us.  This painting was inspired by electron microscopic images of clathrin vesicles. It illuminates the intricate triskelion structure of each clathrin subunit that congregate together to make an ordered cage-like vesicle. These pleasantly patterned vesicles frequently pinch off from the cell/plasma membrane to import substances into a cell.”

Congratulations Shraddha for choosing this unique theme and entering the top 15 of the Nature India Photo Contest 2015!

The theme this year was conceived with the idea of appreciating the art in all things science — geometric, natural, abstract, under the microscope, in/on the human body or in space.

Both amateurs and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists have sent in entries shot on mobile cameras, point and shoot cameras to high-end DSLRs. Choosing the final three from across countries, landscapes, demographics and cultures will be a tough job for the Nature India design and editorial team.

As a run up to the final announcement of three winners, we are rolling out the top 15 finalists (in no particular order of merit) this fortnight on the Indigenus blog as well as our social media platforms (Twitter andFacebook). The final results will be announced within November 2015.

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by the engagement and reception he/she receives here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So watch out for the rest of the finalists. Promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.

NI Photo Contest 2015: Finalist #12

Here’s announcing our finalist number 12 in the Nature India Photo Contest 2015:

Divyarajsinh V Jhala, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Photo caption: ‘Wishing lantern light trails’

{credit}Divyarajsinh V Jhala {/credit}

Divyarajsinh V Jhala

Divyarajsinh V Jhala

 

Divyarajsinh shot this picture showing light trails of wishing lanterns from the terrace of his home in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

The kite flying festival or Makarsankranti is Ahmedabad’s most famous festival and in the last 2-3 years people have started launching small hot air balloons, also called ‘Wishing Lanterns’ in the evening,” Divyaraj says. “A huge number of balloons go up and make for a beautiful sight in the evening. I used the bulb mode in my Nikon DSLR for about 4 minutes to get these ‘trails’ of balloons. For me, the beauty of the photo is in its abstract pattern.

Congratulations Divyaraj for the lovely trails and for getting into top 15 of the Nature India Photo Contest!

In it’s second edition this year, the photo contest has received an overwhelming response — hundreds of entries from around the world. Conceived with the idea of appreciating the art in all things science, the theme for 2015 was ‘Patterns’ — geometric, natural, abstract, under the microscope, in/on the human body or in space.

As a run up to the final announcement, we will be rolling out the top 15 finalists of the photo competition (in no particular order of merit) over the next few days on the Indigenus blog as well as our social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook). The final results will be announced in November 2015.

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by the engagement and reception he/she receives here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So watch out for our other finalists and feel free to promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.

NI Photo Contest 2015: Finalist #11

Here’s rolling out the finalist number 11 in the Nature India Photo Contest 2015:

Subas Chandra Bishwal, New Delhi, India

Photo Caption: ‘Nature’s own patterns’

{credit}Subas Chandra Bishwal{/credit}

Subas Chandra Bishwal

Subas Chandra Bishwal

Subas describes his picture with multiple patterns thus: “Natural and sexual selection are responsible for evolution of different patterns in living things. These patterns in different body parts of  living organisms serve several purposes like camouflage, sexual selection, mimicry and different kinds of signaling.”

Congratulations Subas for making it to top 15!

The Nature India photo contest is in it’s second year. It has received an overwhelming response with hundreds of entries from around the world. Conceived with the idea of appreciating the art in all things science, the theme for 2015 was ‘Patterns’ — geometric, natural, abstract, under the microscope, in/on the human body or in space.

The quality and novelty of some of the entries this year has been exceptional. Amateur and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists, mobile cameras to high-end DSLRs — everything seems to have come together in looking for patterns across landscapes, demographics and cultures.

The Nature India editorial and design team is sure having a tough time selecting just three winners, who stand a chance of seeing their entries grace the cover page of one of our forthcoming print publications. The winner and two runners-up will receive a copy of the just released Nature India Special Annual Volume and a bag of goodies from the Nature Publishing Group.

As a run up to the final announcement, we will be rolling out the top 15 finalists of the photo competition (in no particular order of merit) over the next few days on the Indigenus blog as well as our social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook). The final results will be announced in November 2015.

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by the engagement and reception he/she receives here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So watch out for our other finalists and feel free to promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.

NI Photo Contest 2015: Finalist #10

As we enter the last phase of selections for this year, here’s the finalist number 10 in the Nature India Photo Contest 2015:

Shiva Shankar Talloju, Hyderabad, India

Photo caption: ‘Eyes waiting to see’

10-for-blog

{credit}Shiva Shankar Talloju{/credit}

Shiva Shankar Thalloju

Shiva Shankar Talloju

Shiva Shankar took this photo from under a glass table at the Artificial Eye Clinic in L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, India. The photo shows human cornea, donated by families after a loved one has died, stored in a red liquid (the McCarey Kaufman medium) . 

Shiva Shankar says: “The donor cornea is sutured onto the blind patient by an eye surgeon who has expertise in performing cornea transplantations. The matrix of bottled human corneas seen here is the ‘product’ of an eye bank where the team of technicians and managers work together 24×7.”

Congratulations Shiva Shankar for spotting this unusual pattern and getting into the top 15!

In its second year, the Nature India Photo Contest received hundreds of entries from around the world. The theme for 2015 was ‘Patterns’, conceived with the idea of appreciating the art in all things science — geometric, natural, abstract, under the microscope, in/on the human body or in space.

The entries have been from amateur and professional photographers, scientists and non-scientists and shot on a variety of equipment, from mobile cameras to high-end DSLRs. All these elements have made the photo contest a great experience in looking at patterns across landscapes, demographics and cultures.

The Nature India editorial and design team has a tough job at hand — of choosing just three winners, whose entries will grace the cover page of one of our forthcoming print publications. The winner and two runners-up will receive a copy of the just released Nature India Special Annual Volume and a bag of goodies from the Nature Publishing Group.

As a run up to the final announcement, we are now rolling out the top 15 finalists (in no particular order of merit) this fortnight on the Indigenus blog as well as our social media platforms (Twitter and Facebook). The final results will be announced in November 2015.

Nature India’s final decision to chose the winner will be partly influenced by the engagement and reception he/she receives here at the Indigenus blog, on Twitter and on Facebook. To give all finalists a fair chance, we will take into consideration the social media engagement of each picture only during the first seven days of its announcement.

So watch out for our other finalists and feel free to promote, share and like your favourite entries with the hashtag #NatureIndphoto.