The Western Division American Fisheries Society (WDAFS) and the Colorado/Wyoming Chapter of AFS invite you to submit aquatic-themed films and photographs to be showcased as part of the WDAFS 2025 Aquatic Film and Photography Festival. This film and photography festival will occur during the WDAFS Meeting in Westminster, Colorado during May 11-15, 2025.
Film submission forms are due March 1, 2025 to secure a tentative spot in the festival. Final film and photography submissions are needed by April 1, 2025*. The submission links are below.
*Film and photography submissions may be used in promotion of the conference (e.g., publication and film festival trailer).
Film submissions must:
- Focus on aquatic themes (freshwater, estuarine, and marine) that advance our understanding, appreciation, and management of aquatic ecosystems. This could include films that showcase beauty, science, restoration, and/or management. Films that address the meeting theme of “Building Resilience: Investments in Fish Passage, Habitat Restoration, and Hatchery Modernization” are especially desirable.
- Be less than 30 minutes in length. Preference will be given to shorter films (ideally 10 minutes or less) to allow for more films to be included in the festival.
- Be downloadable to conference organizers online or via vimeo.com.
- Participants are limited to three film submissions but priority will be given to films that provide an opportunity for more individuals to present their work.
Deadlines and Submission Links:
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- Films:
- The completed submission form is due on March 1, 2025 (link is here). As long as organizers can access (e.g., stream) the films online to facilitate the jury selection process, videos do not need to be uploaded to Vimeo and be available for download until April 1.
- Final cut film submissions with downloadable web links are due no later than April 1, 2025.
- Films:
- Photography
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- Final submissions are due no later than April 1, 2025. Submit your photographs here.
If you have any questions please contact Amber Steed at [email protected].
Jury-selected best films will be showcased at the WDAFS 2025 Aquatic Film and Photography Festival during the conference. Jury- and audience-selected best films will be recognized after completion of the conference.
Uploading your film to Vimeo – If your film is selected, you will be asked to upload your film to vimeo.com so that it can be accessed and downloaded by the festival organizers prior to the event. If you don’t already have a Vimeo account, begin by signing up (it’s free!). Using this platform’s uploading service, upload your finished film and share the link in your submission form (above). The link should look something like this: www.vimeo.com/82813271.
Here are some important steps to follow for uploading your film:
- You must change the privacy settings so that we are able to download your submission.
- To do this, scroll below your downloaded video and description and click the “Settings” button. Select the “Privacy” tab and scroll to where it says “What Can People Do With This Video” and select “Download The Video.”
- By following these steps, Vimeo will compress your video and allow us to easily watch and download your film for the festival.
- We will contact you once your film has been downloaded so you may adjust your privacy settings or delete it from Vimeo as you prefer.
- Please send an email to Amber Steed at [email protected] with your Vimeo link details.
Photo submission guidelines:
Photographers may submit up to five high-resolution photographs with aquatic themes through April 1, 2025. Please complete one form per photograph. Aquatic themes can include riverscapes, oceans, estuaries, underwater biota and scenes, fish activities, science activities, management activities, etc. Photographs will be judged considering the following elements: theme, focus, lighting, subject, composition, impact and creativity. Submit your photographs here.
Photographs will be viewable by WDAFS meeting attendees in a slide show as part of the film festival, with select photographs shown opportunistically throughout the meeting. Winning photographs will receive awards and be recognized during the conference. In addition, top photos will be printed on wrapped canvas, displayed during the film festival, and offered in the silent auction to raise funds for WDAFS and local chapter programs. Photos will not be individually posted on the meeting website or available for download or use beyond the meeting.
Filenames of the photographs should include the last name of the photographer and a short title of the image (e.g., Lastname_PhotoTitle). Files should be .jpg format.
If you have any questions about photo submissions, please contact Amber Steed [email protected].
