13 Best Wildlife Photography Competitions To Try in 2024

It does not matter whether you are an amateur or professional wildlife photographer. You must participate in good wildlife photography competitions happening around you. It will help you to understand where you stand when it comes to wildlife photography.

You will also come to know about the latest trends in winning images through these winning entries. It does not matter whether you win or lose the competition. It will definitely help you capture better wildlife images. I will share the best wildlife photography competitions in which you can participate in 2024.

 📖  READ MORE 👉🏼 : Tips To Increase Chances Of Winning Photography Competitions

List of 14 Best Wildlife Photography Competitions

1. Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of The Year

It is one of the most prestigious awards in the wildlife categories. All the renowned wildlife photographers around the world will be participating in this competition with their best wildlife images.

You can also submit your best wildlife shots to this competition. It is held since 1965. You can check the previous winning entries in their website to see some stunning wildlife clicks.

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/

2. Sony World Photography Awards

There is the “Wildlife & Nature” category in the Sony World Photography Awards. This is one segment that is worth trying. They have been conducting this competition since 2012.

https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards

3. Bird Photographer of The Year

This photography competition is exclusively for bird images. They have also got a separate award category for students based on age. One person will receive the bird photographer of the year award.

They also have awards in other categories like Bird portrait, Bird behavior, bird detail, black and white birds, birds in flight, birds in their environment, etc. These multiple categories make it possible to increase your chances of getting an award.

https://www.birdpoty.com/

4. Sanctuary Nature Foundation Photography Awards

This competition was earlier known as the Sanctuary Asia Photography Awards. It is another good wildlife competition to participate.

Here, the photographs are judged more on the conservation photography point of view. You can check the previous year’s winning images to get a better idea.

Images that are photographed from the Asian continent are only allowed in this competition.

https://sanctuarynaturefoundation.org/award

5. Windland Smith Rice Nature Photography Awards

They have multiple categories in the awards section. It includes Wildlife, Birds, Conservation Story, African Wildlife, Youth Photographer, etc.

It is another good wildlife photo competition to give a try.

https://www.naturesbestphotography.org/index.php

6. Siena International Photo Awards

The “Animals in The Environment” category in the Siena International photo awards is worth submitting your wonderful wildlife images.

https://sipacontest.com/

7. National Geographic Photo Contest

If you are into wildlife photography, then you must participate in the National Geographic Photo Contest. So, don’t miss it. They have the “Nature” category where you can submit your wildlife pictures.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/contests/

8. 35 Awards

35 Awards comes with lots of awards in different photography genres. There are multiple categories in the wildlife and birds section also. They accept wildlife images captured from different parts of the world.

http://35awards.com/

9. British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA)

BWPA is another prestigious award for wildlife photographers. They have multiple categories like Animal Portraits, Animal Behavior, Urban Wildlife, Black and White, etc. You can submit images in all these categories.

Photographers from all over the world are allowed to participate in this contest. But, the photo must be taken from the United Kingdom, Northern Island, Channel Island, or The Isle of Man.

https://www.bwpawards.org/

10. Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

If you have funny images from the wild, you can participate in the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards contest. They too have multiple categories like Land, Air, Underwater, Junior etc.

https://www.comedywildlifephoto.com/

11. National Wildlife Photo Contest

It is an age-old wildlife photography contest. This competition is organized by National Wildlife Federation Magazine.  They have been doing it for the past 5 decades. They have multiple sections like Mammals, Birds, Baby Animals, etc.

https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/Photo-Contest

12. Nature Photographer Of The Year

Both professional and amateur wildlife photographers can enter this wildlife photo contest. There are categories for both young and old photographers. Have a look at the previous winning entries, which will give you a better idea about the quality of the images.

https://naturephotographeroftheyear.com/enter-contest/

13. BigPicture Competition

The BigPicture competition is open to wildlife, nature, and conservation photographers. This contest is open to all nationals. They charge an entry fee for the image submission.

You can check their website link given below to know more about the photo competition.

https://www.bigpicturecompetition.org/

14. GDT Wildlife Photography Awards

There is a popular German website, GDT who runs two photography contests, Nature photographer of the Year and GDT European Nature Photographer of the Year awards. Both these wildlife photo contests has got multiple subsections where you can submit your entries.

The GDT European Nature Photographer of the Year award focuses on European wildlife. If you have good wildlife images of European wildlife, give it a try. The other ward accept wildlife images from all over the world.

https://www.gdtfoto.de/seiten/gdt-wettbewerbe.html

Conclusion

Now you know the major wildlife photography competitions around you. Try participating in these prestigious wildlife photography awards. It will definitely help to boost your skills and viewpoint.

Before submitting the images to any competition, you must ensure that the pictures follow to the rules and regulations of the contest. Always upload images to the contest in the recommended photo size and image resolution. Otherwise, your photo will get disqualified.