Photo contest: Celebrating how forests contribute to food security and nutrition
Forests and trees help to feed the world – they are rich sources of foods such as nuts, fruits, seeds, roots, tubers, leaves, mushrooms, honey, game meat and insects, providing millions of people around the world with essential nutrients, especially micronutrients. Not only do forests supply the essential nutrients to many people’s dietary intake, they also contribute directly to sustainable agricultural production by helping maintain soil fertility, protecting water catchments, providing homes to pollinators and regulating rainfall.
To celebrate the International Day of Forests on 21 March and the invaluable connection between forests and foods, we’re asking you to submit photos that highlight how forests contribute to food security and nutrition.
Whether it’s a wild food dish, a market stall displaying foods from the forest, wild food harvesting in the forests, a buzzing pollinator, or a tree that bears the fruits and nuts that nourish us - send us a picture and tell us why you’ve chosen that image.
The five winning images - announced on March 21 – will be shared across FAO’s social media channels and will go on display as part of a photography exhibition at FAO HQ in Rome.
We will also send the winners a collection of FAO merchandise including an FAO water bottle, backpack and keep cup!
- Participants should be 18 years old or above.
- Each participant can submit up to five photographs by filling in and submitting the online submission form. Each photo should be submitted separately by filling in the form.
- Submissions will be accepted only in English, French, and Spanish.
- Participants must own the copyright and must have taken the photographs themselves. The photos must have been taken after 1 January 2021.
- Each submitted photograph must have a title and a short description/caption explaining what the photo represents and where/when the photo was taken.
- Participants are invited to post their photos on social media accounts, using the hashtag/s: #ForestDay and tagging @FAO.
- Photographs must be submitted in .jpeg format. Images should be of high quality (e.g. 300 dpi and 5000 pixels and a file size that does not exceed 2 MB). Both colour and/or black and white images will be accepted.
- The material must not violate or infringe third party's rights including but not limited to trademark, privacy, publicity or other intellectual property rights, or that constitutes copyright infringement.
- The submission must not contain dates, texts, brand names, logos or trademarks.
- FAO respects photographers’ rights and does not claim copyright over images submitted to this contest. The author retains full copyright for each entry. Whenever the image is published by FAO, the author will be credited.
- By participating in the contest, the contestant grants FAO permission to use the image in FAO material and on FAO digital channels for non-commercial purposes. FAO does NOT own the copyright and authors are free to use the image for other purposes at their choosing.
- The top five photos will be posted by FAO corporate social media accounts. Any questions regarding the photo contest should be submitted to [email protected].
Can I submit more than one photo?
Yes, each participant can submit up to 5 entries. Each photo should be submitted separately by filling in the online submission form.
Can I e-mail my submissions directly to FAO?
No, please use the online submission form. If you are having problems submitting your photo, you can contact us at [email protected].
I already used my photo to enter a different contest but it didn’t win a prize, can I send it to this contest?
Yes, as long as it has not won any prizes, it is eligible.
I understand that previously published works will not be accepted, but what about pictures that have appeared on the web?
You can submit works that have previously been uploaded to personal albums online or that have been posted to your personal website for non-commercial purposes.
When and how will winners be notified?
Winners will be notified by email after 20 March 2025. The winners will be announced on this website and through FAO and other social media channels.
Is there an entry fee?
No, entering the contest is free of charge.
GENERAL RULES
- FAO employees and their immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, siblings and their respective
spouses, regardless of where they live) or persons living in the same households of such employees, whether or not related, are not eligible to enter the contests. - FAO will determine eligibility at its sole discretion.
- Partners or relations of partner staff of the institutions involved in the launch of contests, and relations of the
judging committee are not eligible to compete. - FAO reserves the right to disqualify submissions which are not consistent with the Organization’s values and
guiding principles. - FAO also reserves the right to verify the eligibility of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant’s identity and
address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with the Contest Rules,
including these Rules, Copyright and Privacy, or who tampers with the entry process. - FAO will not pay any fees, nor pay any costs relating to, participation in any contest or for the use of any
submissions in relation to the contest. - No logos, URLs, telephone numbers, or calls that solicit directly for monetary donations should be included in any
material. - FAO will not be responsible, and cannot be held liable, for incomplete, lost, late, misdirected or illegible entries or
for failure to receive entries due to transmission failures or technical failures of any kind, including, without
limitation, malfunctioning of any network, hardware or software, whether originating with sender or for any
human error, lost/delayed data transmission, or any other error or malfunction. - By submitting entries to the contest, entrants agree that personal data, especially name and address, may be
processed, shared, and otherwise used for the purposes and within the context of the contest, FAO institutional
activities, and any other purposes outlined in these Rules. The data may also be used by FAO in order to verify the
entrant's identity, postal address and telephone number or to otherwise verify the entrant's eligibility to participate
in the contest. - Nothing in these General Rules or in any rules for the contests, nor any acts performed or statements made in
relation to the contests, shall be deemed a waiver, express or implied, of any of the privileges and immunities of
FAO.
COPYRIGHT AND PRIVACY
- Entrants must own the copyright of the material they submit to the contest.
- If the material contain images of a person or persons, entrants must have obtained the permission of those persons for submission of their material to the contest as well as the use of the material by FAO for the purposes described in these General Rules.
- The entrant declares that, to the best of his/her knowledge, no third party can claim any rights on the material
submitted. The entrant also confirms that each person depicted in the material has granted permission to be
portrayed as shown. - FAO will not seek additional approvals in connection with the use of the material and it will not be responsible for
any claim or complaint alleging violation of the rights of third parties. - Copyright of the material remains with the entrants. By entering the contest, entrants grant an irrevocable,
perpetual, worldwide exclusive license to FAO, for non-commercial purposes, to reproduce, distribute, display and
create derivative works of the entries (along with a name credit) in connection with the contest and the promotion
of FAO’s work, in, amongst others:
- FAO corporate website: www.fao.org;
- corporate videos or digital recordings to illustrate the work of the Organization;
- printed FAO publications, brochures or posters.
- Social media channels, including promotion of the contest itself;
- any other media used by FAO to communicate.
- All five winners will receive a collection of FAO merchandise including an FAO water bottle, backpack and keep cup.
- Winners will be notified by email after 20 March 2025. The winners will be announced on this website and through FAO and other social media channels.
- In the event that any of the selected winner(s) of any prize (that is/are eligible in accordance with these Contest rules and/or the General Rules, Copyright and Privacy) cannot be traced, or refuses the prize, the prize will be forfeited and it will be in the sole discretion of FAO to choose whether to award the prize to another eligible entry.
- When winning photos are published, only the first and family name will be published. No other personal information about the contestants will be published or shared.