Bird Photographer of the Year 2027, which the organiser calls BPOTY 12, closes at 23:59 GMT on Sunday 13 December 2026. Adults pay £35 for 25 entries, or £40 for 25 entries from 8 December 2026, plus VAT for UK-based entrants. The Youth Competition, for those aged 17 or under on 13 December 2026, is free for up to 10 images.
Key dates
| Stage | Date |
|---|---|
| £40 rate begins | Tuesday 8 December 2026 |
| Entries close | Sunday 13 December 2026, 23:59 GMT |
| High resolution files requested | February 2027 |
| Winners announced | September 2027 |
How to enter and what one payment buys
Entries go through contest.birdpoty.com only (rule 3.1). Under rule 3.2, Entry Credits “are charged for at a rate of £35 for 25 entries (plus VAT for UK-based entrants)”, and £40 for 25 entries from 8 December 2026, plus VAT for UK-based entrants. “1 image is equal to 1 credit”; the Portfolio and Conservation Awards “cost 6 credits to enter”. Credits unused at the closing date are not refunded. The same photograph may go into several categories.
Upload a JPEG “at a maximum of 2000px longest side, 2MB maximum file size”, without a watermark, and check it against these limits.
Categories
Rule 3.5 lists ten. Eight are main categories: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Creative Perspectives, Urban Birds and Conservation (Single Image).
Two are special awards entered as a set: the Portfolio Award, where “you can enter up to 6 images as a collection”, and the Conservation Award, for “up to 6 images as a collection that tell a conservation story”, which may include text.
Who can enter, and capture dates
Adults must be “aged 18 years or above on the 13th December 2026”; the Youth Competition is for those “aged 17 years or below” on that date. People running the competition, its sponsors and judges, and their partners and family cannot enter. Rule 2.4 excludes images that “were taken before 1st January 2021”, that required live bait or that feature domesticated animals. It also excludes images of captive or restrained animals, animal models or animals exploited for profit, unless they are for reporting on a conservation story. Tape lures and decoys are banned; other lures, such as bird seed, must be declared in the caption.
The AI rule and the raw-file request
Rule 5.7: “The use of AI-based tools, for adjustments or image generation, is strictly prohibited in the competition, with the exception of Denoise and Sharpening tools.” Composited images are not permitted, with the exception of HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking and in-camera multiple exposures; nor are sky swaps, and removal tools are allowed only for “the removal of dust spots or lens dirt”.
Shortlisted entrants must provide “raw format files (such as .NEF, .CR2 etc) or, if unavailable, original untouched JPEGs for authentication and forensic purposes” (rule 5.2), with full high resolution files, an extended caption and, if asked, frames taken before and after. DNG counts only if it is the camera’s native raw output. An entry that cannot be authenticated is disqualified.
The licence
The organiser “does not claim any rights of ownership in any of your submissions to the Competition.” Rule 8.5:
“You agree to grant Bird Photographer of the Year a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable licence, for the full period of any intellectual property rights (including all moral rights) in the Competition entry and any accompanying materials, to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, edit, alter, store, re-format and sub-licence the Competition entry and any accompanying materials for any purpose connected with the Competition”
The uses listed include the book, calendar, merchandise, exhibitions and “the promotion of any future photographic competition”. “All images will be credited to the photographer where used.” Under rule 8.6, an awarded entry’s exhibition print may be auctioned at the end of the tour, with the profits donated to the partner charity Birds on the Brink; the photographer can first buy it at the cost of printing plus shipping.
Prizes
The overall winner, chosen from the category gold awards, receives a £3,000 cash prize and the title. In each of the 8 main categories, gold wins £500 cash, silver £250 cash and bronze a £100 camera-equipment voucher. The Portfolio and Conservation Award winners receive £500 each. Each Youth age-group winner gets a £100 camera-equipment voucher, and the Young Bird Photographer of the Year another £200 voucher.
The Bird Photographer of the Year 2027 record links the rules. For the season’s other big wildlife deadline, see Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027: dates, fee and rules. Every wildlife and nature contest in our verified records is on the wildlife and nature list, by deadline.
Questions
When is the Bird Photographer of the Year 2027 deadline?
Entries must be received by 23:59 GMT on Sunday 13 December 2026.
How much does it cost to enter Bird Photographer of the Year 2027?
£35 for 25 entries, or £40 for 25 from 8 December 2026, plus VAT for UK-based entrants. Youth entry is free for up to 10 images.
Does Bird Photographer of the Year allow AI editing?
AI-based tools for adjustments or image generation are prohibited, except Denoise and Sharpening tools.
How old can my photographs be?
Images taken before 1 January 2021 cannot be entered.
Do I keep the copyright?
Yes. Entrants grant the organiser a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable licence for any purpose connected with the competition.
Sources
- Rules, checked 14 October 2026
- How to enter, checked 14 October 2026
- FAQ, checked 14 October 2026
- Categories, checked 14 October 2026
- Prizes, checked 14 October 2026
- Home page, checked 14 October 2026