International Awards Exhibition Printed with Epson Printers and Papers Opens at Smithsonian on Oct. 24 

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Epson today announced it is a global sponsor of the 2014 Nature’s Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards Exhibition for the third consecutive year. As the official inkjet printer and paper partner for the ongoing print exhibition, Epson’s professional printing technology allows visitors to celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature through the art of photography. On the second floor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., museum guests will see award-winning photographs displayed from one of the world’s most prestigious nature photography competitions.

“The annual Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards program began as a creative tool to celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature and encourage greater public interest in outdoor enjoyment and conservation stewardship,” says Awards Director, Steve Freligh. “The high caliber of photographic prints we are able to achieve through using Epson printers, inks and papers bring these images to life in a way that truly showcases the spectacle of nature and the creative talent delivered by photographers in the field."

The Smithsonian exhibition opens on Oct. 24, 2014, and features winners from the annual Windland Smith Rice International Awards program. Chosen from more than 20,000 entries from photographers in 50 countries, the exhibition will showcase the Grand Prize winner, the Photographer of the Year and the Youth Photographer of the Year, as well as finalists selected in 13 separate categories. The images are displayed as large format prints ranging in size from 2x3 feet to nearly 4x6 feet in the nation’s most visited museum, which welcomes more than eight million visitors annually.

“We are honored to be supporting one of the most highly-respected and visually compelling nature photography competitions in the world,” said Larry Kaufman, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “Our goal is to provide these photographers with access to the most advanced printing technology and pro-quality papers to produce true-to-life output that accurately and completely conveys the true vision and story behind their photographs.” 

The exhibition-quality prints were created with Epson’s award-winning 44-inch wide Epson Stylus^® Pro 9900. With the precision of its Epson MicroPiezo^® TFP^® printhead and the performance of Epson UltraChrome^® HDR ink, the printer delivers superb photographic prints with an extremely wide color gamut and incredible sharpness. Used with Epson Professional Papers, this advanced printing technology produces the richest blacks and smooth tonal transitions.

The exhibition will be viewed by millions of visitors at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. and is open daily, free to the public. The annual photo competition is open to the public and encourages submissions from photographers at all levels of expertise – pros, amateurs and youth. For more information, visit www.NaturesBestPhotography.com. For more information about Epson professional printers, visit proimaging.epson.com.