The 2017 Editor’s Pick Awards represent the "best of the best" of nature photography posted on the NPN website. As with the previous 14 years of this annual recognition of nature photography excellence, the process of selecting just 30 photos out of the thousands posted every year in the NPN image critique galleries is no small task.

The 2017 Winners

Eligibility

1. The person posting the photo must be a member of the Nature Photographers Network™ in order to have their photo initially selected as a Weekly Pick
2. Their membership must be current at the time the moderators make their Editor’s Pick Award selections at the end of the year
3. NPN staff – as listed in the staff menu – are not eligible for the awards.

The Selection Process

Every week through mid-December, the NPN image critique gallery moderators select their favorite image of the week, which is then archived in the Weekly Pick Gallery. By the end of the year, 500 photos are archived - 50 from each gallery.

At year’s end (or more specifically, during the last few weeks of December), the moderators are then tasked with identifying their 5 favorite photos from the 50 they selected over the course of the year. These photos are then sent to me as the moderators’ recommendations for an Editor’s Pick Award.

The final process of selecting three photos from each gallery then falls to the NPN administration (Jim and Donna Erhardt). Here are the guidelines that are followed during this process:

1. There can be no multiple winners in any year. This means that if photos from the same photographer are selected for different galleries, we must decide which photo will be designated the winner.
2. We review all 500 weekly pick photos in the Weekly Pick gallery to see if any not on the moderator’s list stand out for consideration.
3. Out of the 30 photos that make the final cut, we designate the first, second and third place winners for each gallery. If the moderators recommend any photos for first place, their suggestion carries plenty of weight in the final decision.
4. Additional information on the Weekly Picks and yearly EPA can be found here.

Final Remarks

We wish to congratulate all members who had their photos selected as a Weekly Pick in 2017. With the level of talent posting on NPN, this is no small accomplishment!

Our sincere thanks to the NPN moderators for their tireless effort over the course of the year. Watching over their galleries, posting photos and comments, making the weekly picks and inspiring us with their own extraordinary nature photography, they are in very large part what makes NPN such a special place for all nature photographers.

Once again, our congratulations to this year’s winners and to the NPN moderators for the great job they do. Without further adieu, the 2017 NPN Editor’s Pick Awards!