Nature photography is restricted to the use of the photographic process to depict observations from all branches of natural history, except anthropoloy and archeology, in such a fashion that a well-informed person will be able to identify the subject materieal and to certify its honest presentation

The story-telling value of a photograph must be weighed more than the pictorial quality.

Human elements shall not be present, except on the rare occasion where those human elements enhance the nature story. The presence of scientific bands on wild animals is acceptable. Photographs of artificially produced hybrid plants or animals, mounted specimens, or obviously set arrangements, are ineligible, as is any form of manipulation, manual or digital, that alters the truth of the photographic statement. Makers may perform any enhancements and modifications that improve the presentation of the image that could have been done at the time the image was taken, but that do not change the truth of the original nature story. Cropping and horizontal flipping (equivalent to reversing a slide) are acceptable modifications.