The International Friends of Nature and the ICPDR have organised a photography competition focusing on the Danube and its tributaries. But the river basin is the real winner, as the competition raises awareness of the dangers this previous region faces.

The Danube and its tributaries provide habitats for a variety of fascinating and unique plants and animals – about 2000 vascular plants and more than 000 animal species. And with more than 81 million people living in the Danube basin, there is no better way to raise awareness of the dangers these previous landscapes face than to ask the world to train their eyes on the river and its tributaries.

The International Friends of Nature, together with the ICPDR, has organised a photography competition focusing on the Danube and its tributaries. The competition is open to photographers around the world and is part of the ‘Danube Delta – Landscape of the Year 2007/2009’ project.

The International Friends organisation, with more than 500,000 members worldwide, supports sustainable development in peripheral, cross border regions of Europe by selecting the Landscape of the Year. The distinction is more than an award; it is the starting point for sustainable regional development that brings together authorities, regional stakeholders and the local population.

The Danube Delta, situated at the border between Romania and Ukraine, is the largest wetland in Europe and provides habitats for over 5000 animal and plant species.

Capturing the beauty of the region. The competition is open to photographers around the world to submit photographs – in the form of black and white or monochrome, colour or polychrome and slides or digital images. Entries are invited in either the general category or addressing the theme of ‘People and their Anthropospheres (The Danube and its Tributaries)’. No entry fee is required for photographers who are members of Friends of Nature.

A jury will award points to the photographs, and photographers obtaining the highest ratings in the competition categories will each receive a medal and a certificate or award of honour. The title of honour ‘IFN Master Photographer 2008’ and the awards of honour in the general and theme categories will go to the photographer with the highest total score in any given category. The results of the contest will be published on www.nfi.at and www.naturfreunde.at as soon as the jury has reached its decision.

The exhibition of the photographs will open in Vienna in the autumn of 2008 and will remain on display in a touring exhibition along the Danube.

The deadline for entries is 15 August 2008. For more information, please visit www.nfi.at or
www.landscapeoftheyear.net/danubedelta.

Kirstie Shepherd is a freelance journalist living in Vienna and has called the Danube River Basin home since 2000.