Weather Band Photo Contest

The submission deadline for the 2024 AMS Weather Band Annual Photo Contest was 30 August, 2024 at 5:00 PM Eastern. See the Rules and Prizes below for more details.

2023 Winners

Grand Prize: "Night Lights" by Elan Azriel

Second Place: “Rays Over The River" by John Merriam

Third Place: "King Tide" by Kristy Sharkey

Member's Choice: "Walsh Mothership" by Michael Seger

Rules and Prizes

Subject and Theme of Photos

Photos of weather, water, and climate from the subtle to the extreme; think clouds, waves, storms, and other atmospheric, oceanic, or hydrologic conditions.

Prizes

1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $300
3rd Place: $200
Members choice: $500

The winners will have the chance to participate in a webinar with other winners, sharing their weather photography tales, tips, and tactics.

The runners-up of the contest are invited to write an article about the story behind their submitted photograph, which will be featured on our website. These articles will provide readers with an inside look at the background and inspiration behind each picture, including the location, conditions, and subject chosen.

Photo Requirements

Digital photography only; no prints will be accepted.
Watermarked photographs will not be accepted.
Minimum 2000 pixels wide at 300 dpi.
All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization may not be entered.
Digital images should be in JPG format, and may not exceed the size limit of 5 MB.
Photographs with text added may not be entered.
AMS reserves the right to color correct and/or crop photo entries if necessary.

Contest Guidelines

By submitting photos to the American Meteorological Society (AMS) Weather Band photo contest, participants agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless AMS, its respective subsidiaries, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents, and representatives, from any and all third party liability for any injuries, losses, claims, actions, demands, or damages of any kind arising from or in connection with the photo contest (collectively, “Losses”), including without limitation any third party claim for copyright infringement or a violation of an individual’s right to privacy and/or publicity right. The photo contest is void where prohibited by law.
Photos are being accepted starting Monday, 10 June, and must be received by Friday, 30 August 2024, at 5:00pm ET to be eligible for the contest.
Winners will be announced in Fall 2024 and contacted via email.
Four winning photos will be chosen: one first place, one second place, and one third place photo selected by the judges, and one “Member’s choice” photo selected by active members of the AMS Weather Band.
Prizes include 1st place: $500, 2nd place: $300, 3rd place: $200, Members choice: $500 and complimentary Weather Band membership to all winners. All prizes are in U.S. Dollars. Only one prize per entrant.
The contest is open to the public, employees of AMS, and AMS members and volunteers. Amateur or professional photographers are welcome.
Entrants must be 13 years old or older.
A maximum of one (1) photo can be submitted per person. Each photo submitted must be under 5 MB.
Although you retain the copyrights of photos submitted to AMS, you are assigning AMS the nonexclusive right to publish or use them, including modification, in current and subsequent print or digital formats for any purpose without compensation, notification, or permission. Attribution will be given whenever possible. You represent that you own all copyrights to your submitted materials.
A judging committee chosen by AMS will select the winning photos. Entries will be judged based on appeal, content, and photographic skill. Results are final.