500,000 Images for Nature’s Best Photography Awards

Tech company Epson announced Wednesday it is a global sponsor of the 20th anniversary Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Exhibition.

As the Printer and Paper Partner for the 5,000 square foot print exhibition, Epson’s professional printing technology allows visitors to enjoy 20 years of nature’s finest moments and celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature through the art of photography, says the company.

The exhibition will showcase the “Best of the Best” award-winning photographs from one of the world’s most prestigious outdoor photography competitions.

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Selected over the past 20 years from nearly 500,000 images submitted by photographers from around the globe, this collection brings dramatic landscapes, exciting wildlife behavior, and surprising glimpses of Earth’s soaring peaks to mysterious ocean depths.

More than 100 large-format prints along with HD videos will take you on a thrilling journey from the wild to the walls of the Smithsonian.

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“Through the Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards exhibitions we witness first-hand the important connection between people, nature, and imagery,” said awards director, Steve Freligh.

The exhibition opens on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2015 on the second floor of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and will remain on display through September 2016.

Organized and produced by Nature’s Best Photography, the images are featured as large format prints ranging in size from 2 feet to over 5 feet, along with an accompanying HD video, in one of the nation’s most visited museums, which welcomes approximately eight million visitors annually.

The picture above: “Diving at a depth of about 10 feet (3 m), I was fascinated by the slow movement of this tiny, 2.5-inch-high (7 cm) animal. Using my wide angle lens, I shot with the late afternoon sun shining through the water’s surface.” @ Domenico Roscigno / NBP Awards. Photo courtesy: Epson