With the first edition organised in 2009, the Milvus Photocontest has become the longest running and most prestigious nature photography competition in Romania. We are often asked why we, a nature conservation association, are organising a photo contest. The answer is simple – we love nature and for us, the most beautiful photos are taken here. We are convinced that nature photography is powerful enough to bring people closer to the values of nature. We firmly believe that the purpose of nature photography is to boost interest and bring people closer to the wonders of the world around us, to nature. The first edition was organised on the initiative of István Kerekes, a former volunteer of the Milvus Group, who is still a member of the jury. Since then, the jury of nature photographers has judged thousands of images from dozens of countries.

“I have been a member of the jury since the first edition of this competition and I must admit that each time I look forward to this moment with enthusiasm and, above all, with great curiosity. I have always been surprised by the images that have been submitted and I am pleased to see that they have become increasingly original and interesting in recent years. Another positive aspect of these years is the growing number of local participants. You can learn a lot from a competition. Although the level of the competition is quite high, the most important thing for the participants is to take part, because after comparing themselves with others they understand what they need to change in order to get better results. On the other hand, we see that more and more young Romanian photographers are winning awards, which contributes to the development of local nature photography. If I wasn’t on the jury, I would definitely count myself among the participants.”, says Dan Dinu, member of the jury.