Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) is our annual competition and exhibition highlighting the unique relationship between photography and nature.

Why enter

WPY is the world’s biggest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition.

Enter the competition for the chance to:

• be part of our mission to inspire others to care for wildlife globally

• display your image to millions in a breathtaking exhibition in London

• have your image tour at venues across the world

• receive extensive international media coverage and social media exposure

• attend our awards ceremony at our iconic building in London

• be featured in a short film

Alongside its conservation message, the competition exists to champion the work of photographers, whether it’s professional or amateur, young or old, using top-of-the-range equipment or smartphones.

Check the complete list of prizes for the WPY awards and the Young WPY awards.

Categories

WPY and Young WPY have different categories.

WPY is open to photographers aged 18 and over, while Young WPY is for photographers under 18.

Black and white photos are allowed in all categories and age brackets.

Entry fee

The entry fee for the WPY competition is £35. You can submit up to 25 photos across our 19 categories for one payment of £35. This fee is only payable through the entry portal with card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or Revolut.

There’s no fee to enter the Young WPY competition. You can submit up to 10 photos into your age bracket.

Fee exemptions

Entry to the competition is free for:

• entrants to the Young WPY competition

• entrants who are aged 18–26 years old on the competition closing date

• entrants who live in one of the following countries and can provide evidence on request:

Rules

All entries must be original images taken using photographic equipment. The examples below highlight some of the key rules, but aren’t a complete list. Read the full list of rules for the WPY competition before submitting your photos.

Some rules are different for the Young WPY competition. If you’ll be 17 years old or under on the competition closing date, read the rules for the Young WPY competition.

Judging process

We champion ethical wildlife photography, rewarding truthful representations of nature that display respect for the environment.

Remember it’s about your eye, not your gear. In recent years, several pictures taken with smartphone cameras have been awarded.

A panel of judges and a chair assess all entries. They look for originality, narrative and ethical practice.

Entries are judged anonymously. This is so that photographers of all experience levels have the same opportunity to win.

There are two rounds of judging. During the final round, we run authenticity checks to make sure the pictures follow our rules and ethics.

We strongly ask that you do not enter photographs already awarded in other international competitions. This includes winning, being a runner-up or receiving a commendation or honourable mention. Judges will favour images that haven’t been awarded before.