About the competition

The photo contest of the Russian Geographical Society was first held in 2015. It immediately set out to become the largest Russian wildlife photography contest. In the first year, 25 thousand participants sent about 200 thousand pictures. And in eight years, the number of photos sent has increased to 622 thousand.

Any person can become a participant of the competition, regardless of place of residence, citizenship and age.

The only condition is that the photographs must be taken in Russia.

Sergei Garmash

Theater and film actor, director, member of the Jury of "The Most Beautiful Country"

When you look at the wings of a butterfly or the shell of a sea urchin, you want to believe that this fantastic symmetry was created not by evolution, but by some higher power. But when you observe this harmony in action – a round dance of deer or whales – you want to believe in this higher power even more. There were works at the competition that could hardly be called photography. They are more like painting.

Marco Urso

Italian wildlife photographer, a member of the Jury of "The Most Beautiful Country"

I envy the contest participants. Russian nature has given them an incredible variety of stories and subjects. One special skill is to convey emotions and culture pattern through the photographs. If the author succeeds, then his work goes beyond the boundaries of everyday life and turns into art.

How to participate in the competition

1. Register on the website photo.rgo.ru or enter your personal account under an existing login.
2. Go through SMS authorization process.
3. Upload photos to the site. No more than 25 works.
4. In your personal account, keep track of how the experts evaluated your works, whether they pass to the semifinals and finals.
5. It should be pointed out that everyone, regardless of age and place of residence, can participate in the competition. The only condition is that all photographs must be taken in Russia.

How we evaluate works

• At the first stage, the photographs are evaluated by the members of the Expert Commission – these are 14 professional, reputable photographers and photo editors.

Alexander Tyagny-Ryadno

Photographer, honorary member of the Union of Photographers of Russia, member of the Union of Journalists of Russia and the International Association of Art of UNESCO. More than 60 solo exhibitions around the world.

Sergei Semenov

CEO and chief photographer of the world-famous project AirPano. Photojournalist of the National Photo Archive “GeoFoto”, member of the Union of Wildlife Photographers, member of the Union of Photographers of Russia. Winner and laureate of Russian and international photo contests.

Dmitry Pitenin

Landscape and art photographer, co-founder and head of Nature Photo Team, curator and organizer of exhibitions. Member of the Creative Union Of Artists Of Russia, the Union Of Photographers Of Russia, the Union Of Wildlife Photographers, the Russian Geographical Society. Finalist of all-Russian and international competitions.

• Each work is evaluated by at least three experts on a 5-point scale.
• Works with an average score of 4+ go to the semifinals.
• 10 finalists in each category are selected from among the semifinalists at the in-person meeting of the Expert Commission.
• The experts do not know the authors of the works. This ensures an impartial assessment.

This is what the in-person meeting of the Expert Commission of the competition looks like.

Follow the progress of the competition
in your personal account

• You will receive an electronic participant certificate , as soon as the first uploaded photo passes pre-moderation for compliance with the terms of the competition.
• You will receive a notification and an electronic certificate of a semi-finalist , if the experts rate your work 4+
• You will receive an electronic certificate of the finalist, as soon as the Expert Commission decides on the 10 best (in their opinion) photos in each category.

Why do we have such an unusual Jury?

Sergei Shoigu

President of the Russian Geographical Society

Among the landscapes and climate zones of Russia, everyone can find those places that are close to their heart. For example, I especially like the wild, untrodden corners of Siberia, where, alone with the pristine nature, you experience a sense of freedom and harmony, where there is no fuss and you can breathe deeply.

Sergei Gorshkov

Photographer of the Year according to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award – 2020.

Russia is a huge and beautiful country. Our strength lies in traveling around Russia, filming and showing the diversity of its nature and architecture, cultural peculiarities of the life of different peoples. No one, but we ourselves, can show the beauty of our country.

Photo album "The Most Beautiful Country"

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How to participate in the contest?
   You need to register on the website of the photo contest and upload photos to the user's personal account.
2. Where are my uploaded photos displayed?
   In the user's personal account.
3. How many photos can I submit to the contest?
   Each participant has the right to submit no more than 25 photos to the Photo Contest. There are no restrictions on the number of photos uploaded in one category. Thus, if desired, you can upload all 25 photos in one category or split them between several.
4. When will the finalists of the contest be known?
   After the submissions are closed and the works have been selected by the Expert Commission.
5. When will the works of the participants of the photo contest appear in the "gallery" section?
   After the final selection of works by the Expert Commission is completed.
6. How can I find out if my works have been accepted for the competition?
   If the works are displayed in your personal account, then they have been successfully uploaded to the site. The works that comply with the rules of the Photo Contest and correspond to the subject of the categories will take part in the selection. Photos of pets (dogs, cats, etc.) are not accepted for the competition.