The Competition  “Fotografare il Parco” (“Photographing the Park”) first took place in 2005, following an idea of Stelvio National Park and of the Italian branch of Swarovski Optik, the world leader of optical instruments.
In the first competition, twenty-one photographers participated with seventy-nine photos taken in the Park.
During the following years, the initiative continued to expand and by 2010 the other two historical national parks in the mountains of Italy, Gran Paradiso National Park and the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise had also joined.  One year later, Vanoise National Park in the French Alps followed. In 2024, the Associazione Forte di Bard (AO) also joins the organisers.
Today, hundreds of photographers, both professionals and amateurs, from Italy and France but also from the other Alpine countries, take part in the Competition.
Nowadays, “Fotografare il Parco” is a highly-valued competition for naturalistic photos from protected mountain areas, where internationally-known parks collaborate, giving their visitors an interesting opportunity to show their passion for naturalistic photography and exciting photo shows.