Organizer Information
The Nature Photography Contest is an international, sustainability-minded online photography competition committed to celebrating the raw wonders of our planet while driving tangible ecological conservation. More than a typical creative platform, the organization bridges the gap between digital artistic expression and environmental restoration. By structuring its operations around a core partnership with onetreeplanted.org, the contest transforms every single entry into direct reforestation actions, aiming to plant an entire forest funded dynamically by its global creative community.
Title & Description
The Nature Photography Contest 2026: Call for Entries
The Nature Photography Contest has officially opened its 2026 international call, inviting professional and amateur photographers from all over the world to share their unique visions of the natural world. The competition acts as a global megaphone to raise public awareness about the vital urgency of environmental preservation. Spanning ten diverse categories, the contest seeks imagery that holds attention through composition, intention, and technical intelligence. Beyond competing for significant cash prizes, international prestige, and physical trophies, every single participating photographer directly triggers environmental action, as a tree is planted for each entrant in a global region chosen by the top winner.
Categories
The competition welcomes diverse lens techniques across 10 exciting, dedicated categories:
- Natural Landscapes: Pure landscape photography capturing scenes from majestic mountains to tranquil, hidden wonders.
- Wildlife: Fauna photography documenting the beauty, instinct, and diversity of animals in their natural habitats.
- Macrophotography: Fine, close-up study photography highlighting the micro-detailed elements of nature.
- Underwater: Marine photography celebrating the fragility and hidden depths of oceanic environments.
- Birds: Winged creature photography capturing the flight, grace, and environmental relationships of birds.
- Plant Life: Botanical photography showcasing the varied forms, shapes, and colors of global flora.
- Night World: Astrophotography and nocturnal media tracking the Milky Way, northern lights, and moonlight.
- Environmental Impact: Critical documentary photography illustrating the negative human footprints left on our ecosystems.
- Sharing the Planet: Positive documentary photography focusing on harmonious cohabitation, animal rescues, and indigenous balance with nature.
- Funny Nature: Comical, casual, or unexpected wildlife moments capturing the humorous side of our planet.
Eligibility
- Demographics: Open globally to all professional and amateur photographers of any nationality or geographic background.
- Age Requirement: Entrants must be at least 18 years old at the time of entry.
- Exclusions: Direct employees of The Nature Photography Contest, their associated companies, and employees of active prize-sponsoring corporate entities are legally barred from entering.
Program Benefits & Awards
The organization distributes a total cash pool of €2,000 alongside specialized global publicity:
- Photography of the Year (Grand Prize): Awarded to the absolute best singular image across all categories, receiving a €1,000 cash prize, a personalized digital certificate, and direct placement in the permanent Winners Gallery backed by international press distribution.
- Category Winners: The top photograph in each of the 10 sections receives a €100 cash prize and a personal validation certificate.
- Nature Photographer of the Year: Awarded to the overall top-performing individual photographer who achieves the highest combined score across their entries. This elite award includes a physical custom trophy, a master validation certificate, and the exclusive right to choose the global country where the collective forest of donated trees will be planted.
- Honorable Mentions: 10 highly commended slots will be designated and publicized within each of the ten categories.
Application Fee
- Per-Image Cost: €10 per photograph.
- Volume Limits: There is no maximum limit to the number of images an artist can submit across categories.
- Payment Formats: Registration fees are processed in Euros (€) via major Credit Card channels or PayPal upon completion of the digital upload.
- Ecological Reinvestment: A direct portion of every single entry fee is immediately donated to onetreeplanted.org, guaranteeing one tree is physically planted per participating user.
How to Apply
Photographers can continuously register, upload files, and process entry payments directly through the official competition sub-portal. Artists can seamlessly add more photos to their active profile throughout the open application phase.
- Application Link: The Nature Photography Contest Submission Portal
Key Dates
- Contest Open Date: May 15, 2026
- Submission Deadline: November 15, 2026 (Note: The administration reserves the right to slightly extend this window if registration phase quotas have not been covered).
- Jury Adjudication Phase: March 2027
- Official Public Winners Announcement: March 2027
Location
This competition functions as a fully digital initiative. Registration, anonymous judging blocks, and the final commemorative showcases are held entirely Online.
Additional Details
Photographers permanently retain 100% of the copyrights to their submitted images; sponsors do not acquire any commercial usage rights. Category winners grant the contest organizer an unlimited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce and display their winning photographs on official websites, social media profile streams, and printed/digital press releases for the exclusive purpose of promoting the contest and biodiversity exhibitions. The contest grants a non-exclusive, perpetual license to its partner entity, 3lens, to display the winning imagery strictly for non-commercial biodiversity events, and any economic exploitation or reselling of the works is legally prohibited. The panel of judges features three internationally acclaimed nature and conservation professionals: Luke Stackpoole, Cynthia Bandurek, and Mario Cea.