15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15)
BWPA Ltd. bwpawards.org ↗
Closed
15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) 2027 closed on 7 June 2026 at 23:59, London time (UTC+1). The standard entry fee was 35 GBP for up to 25 images. Strict ban on AI-generated images. The licence covers every entry; it has no end date. Checked against the organiser's rules on 17 October 2026.
Worth entering? $4.7K top prize against 35 GBP for up to 25 images. The jury read and the rights terms below are what decide it — not the prize math. Jury read ↓ · Rights & disqualifiers ↓
Entries closed on Jun 07, 2026, so we no longer read photos against it. See the contests open now →
Submit-Safe · before you pay the entry fee
Read the fine print
Read the fine print first — 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) has 10 hard disqualifiers and demanding rights terms.
What this contest takes
You keep copyright, but the licence reaches past promoting the contest: commercial use or merchandise and sub-licensing or passing it to others. Read the licence clause before entering.
- Copyright stays with the entrant: "The Competition does not claim any rights of ownership in any of your submissions to the Competition." Rule 8.4: the Competition may make any entry available "on its website and any other media, whether now known or invented in the future, in connection with any publicity and/or judging of the Competition". Rule 8.5: "You agree to grant the Competition 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, including (but not limited to), promoting the Competition within printed and online media, the inclusion within printed and digital versions of the Competition book, the inclusion within printed and digital versions of the Competition calendar and other merchandise, display at exhibitions, use in press, promotional and marketing materials, social media networks and for the promotion of any future photographic competition in both print and online media. All images will be credited to the photographer where used." Rules 9.4 and 9.5: third-party users "will be required to adhere to the same license granted to the Competition", but the Competition "does not accept liability for the misuse of images and/or the failure of any third party to comply with the sub-license granted pursuant to condition 8.5"; such instances "are to be settled between the Entrant and the third party without the inclusion of the Competition in the matter". Rule 8.6: an awarded exhibition print may be sold by online auction at the end of the tour, with no proceeds to the photographer (profits to charity), unless the entrant buys the print at printing plus shipping cost. Rule 7.1: winners' and Highly Commended entrants' names, likeness and entries may be used to publicise the Competition without compensation. Rule 2.3: by entering you also agree "not to do or say anything that damages, or may damage, the reputation of the British Wildlife Photography Awards or the Competition Sponsors".
- Duration: "for the full period of any intellectual property rights (including all moral rights)", irrevocable, sub-licensable
- You keep your copyright
- Credited when used
What disqualifies you
AI-generated or AI-rendered content is disqualified — and RAW files can be demanded to prove it.
- Age minimum Adult competition: 18 or over on 7 June 2026. Youth competition: 17 or under on 7 June 2026 (free, up to 10 images); youth-eligible photographers may not enter the adult categories. “The Adult Competition is open to individuals that are aged 18 years or above on the 7th June 2026.”
- Professional status Amateur and professional photographers of any nationality may enter, except people involved in organising or running the competition, including its sponsors and judges, and their partners and family members. “Individuals (and their partners and family members) involved in the organisation or running of the Competition, including any Competition Sponsors or Judges (as defined below), are not permitted to enter the Competition.”
- Capture date Images taken before 1 January 2019 are not eligible. “Images are not permitted to be entered into the Competition that: [...] were taken before 1st January 2019.”
- Animals and field conduct Open to amateur and professional photographers of any nationality, but every image must be taken in the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands; British Overseas Territories are not eligible. Subjects can be native or migrant wild species, or non-indigenous species that live permanently in the UK. “The Competition is open to individuals from any country, but only images taken in Britain or the British Isles are accepted.”
- Animals and field conduct No images that needed live bait, that show domesticated animals, or that show captive or restrained animals, animal models or animals exploited for profit unless reporting on a conservation story. Semi-wild deer parks such as Richmond Park and Bushy Park are allowed (FAQ). “Images are not permitted to be entered into the Competition that: have required the use of live bait; feature domesticated animals; feature captive or restrained animals, animal models, and/or any animal being exploited for profit unless for the purposes of reporting on a conservation story”
- Animals and field conduct Code of ethics (rule 4): do not injure, distress or damage an animal; do not intentionally disturb or spook one, including with a drone; no tape lures or decoys; live baiting is prohibited and any other lure (such as bird seed) must be declared in the caption. Working closely at the nest site of a bird or bat is discouraged and, like work with protected species, needs the permissions detailed in the caption. Entries must not deceive the viewer and captions must be accurate. “Entrants must not: injure, distress, or damage an animal for the purposes of photography; and/or intentionally disturb or spook an animal, including by using a drone and/or other aircraft; and/or use tape lures or decoys to attract or elicit a behaviour from an animal.”
- AI rule AI image generation is banned, including extending backgrounds or removing elements with content-generation tools; any other AI tool may not break another rule (Denoise and Sharpening are allowed). No composites except HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking and in-camera multiple exposures; no sky swaps, and no cloning or spot removal beyond dust spots and lens dirt (minor backscatter cleaning allowed underwater). Shortlisted entrants must supply RAW files (such as .NEF or .CR2; DNG only if it is the camera's native raw output) or, if unavailable, original untouched JPEGs, plus full high-resolution files and an extended caption by the given deadline, and, if asked, frames taken before and after. An entry that cannot be authenticated is disqualified. “The use of AI-based tools for image generation is strictly prohibited in the competition. For example, extending the background of an image using content generation tools or removing elements within an image are not permitted.”
- Copyright ownership Entrant must be the sole copyright owner of every submission, which must be their original work. “You must be the sole owner of the copyright of all submissions to the Competition.”
- Prior publication Images published in the media or already awarded in other competitions may be entered; an image already awarded in BWPA may not (FAQ). “You can also submit images that have already won an award in another competition (but not in BWPA).”
Closed
35 GBP for up to 25 images
Upload spec:
Files: JPGMax 2000px long edgeUnder 2 MBNo watermarks
Categories
Animal Behaviour
Single
Any aspect of wildlife behaviour or an action — unusual, interesting, amusing or remarkable behaviour, or something familiar in a new light.
Animal Portraits
Single
An image that captures the character or spirit of the subject in an imaginative way, giving a sense of the animal's personality. All species considered.
Botanical Britain
Single
Botanical subjects photographed in Britain — trees, plants, flowers, fungi and algae — close-up, macro or as part of a wider scene.
Black & White
Single
Any images of British wildlife and landscapes, including animals, plant life, underwater creatures and landscape subjects; judged on creativity and innovation in the use of the medium.
British Seasons
Portfolio · up to 4 photos (min 4)
A portfolio of four images of British wildlife, either one per season (spring, summer, autumn, winter) or four from a single season, working together as a set.
Coast & Marine
Single
Includes the coast of the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, the Isles of Scilly and the hundreds of other islands around our shores bounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the English Channel and the North Sea; areas in the territory of Ireland are not included.
Habitat
Single
An imaginative and original image that powerfully portrays the importance of the environment and ecosystems that sustain wildlife, including relationships between animals and plants.
Hidden Britain
Single
Life on a small scale — tiny creatures and the hidden details of nature that often escape notice.
Urban Wildlife
Single
An original image of wild animals or plants within an urban environment — towns, cities, parks, gardens and backyards.
Wild Woods
Single
The beauty, importance or splendour of British woods; photographs must clearly be taken of or within woodland.
Documentary Series
Series · up to 6 photos
A sequence of up to six images on any British wildlife, habitat or landscape conservation issue, judged on innovation in story-telling.
Video Award
Single
Video entries of no more than 3 minutes, containing only footage the entrant owns the sole copyright to; all audio must be appropriately licensed.
Young BWPA — 11 and under
Single
Youth competition, free to enter, up to 10 images per young photographer. One of the three youth category winners is named Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
- Aged 11 and under
Young BWPA — 12-14 years
Single
Youth competition, free to enter, up to 10 images per young photographer. One of the three youth category winners is named Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
- Aged 12 to 14
Young BWPA — 15-17 years
Single
Youth competition, free to enter, up to 10 images per young photographer. One of the three youth category winners is named Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
- Aged 15 to 17
F Format requirements 1 spec
bwpa_entry
- File types: jpg
- Max long edge: 2000px
- Max size: 2.0 MB
- No watermarks
E Eligibility 9 rules
-
Adult competition: 18 or over on 7 June 2026. Youth competition: 17 or under on 7 June 2026 (free, up to 10 images); youth-eligible photographers may not enter the adult categories.
hard
“The Adult Competition is open to individuals that are aged 18 years or above on the 7th June 2026.”
-
Amateur and professional photographers of any nationality may enter, except people involved in organising or running the competition, including its sponsors and judges, and their partners and family members.
hard
“Individuals (and their partners and family members) involved in the organisation or running of the Competition, including any Competition Sponsors or Judges (as defined below), are not permitted to enter the Competition.”
-
Images taken before 1 January 2019 are not eligible.
hard
“Images are not permitted to be entered into the Competition that: [...] were taken before 1st January 2019.”
-
Open to amateur and professional photographers of any nationality, but every image must be taken in the UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland), the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands; British Overseas Territories are not eligible. Subjects can be native or migrant wild species, or non-indigenous species that live permanently in the UK.
hard
“The Competition is open to individuals from any country, but only images taken in Britain or the British Isles are accepted.”
-
No images that needed live bait, that show domesticated animals, or that show captive or restrained animals, animal models or animals exploited for profit unless reporting on a conservation story. Semi-wild deer parks such as Richmond Park and Bushy Park are allowed (FAQ).
hard
“Images are not permitted to be entered into the Competition that: have required the use of live bait; feature domesticated animals; feature captive or restrained animals, animal models, and/or any animal being exploited for profit unless for the purposes of reporting on a conservation story”
-
Code of ethics (rule 4): do not injure, distress or damage an animal; do not intentionally disturb or spook one, including with a drone; no tape lures or decoys; live baiting is prohibited and any other lure (such as bird seed) must be declared in the caption. Working closely at the nest site of a bird or bat is discouraged and, like work with protected species, needs the permissions detailed in the caption. Entries must not deceive the viewer and captions must be accurate.
hard
“Entrants must not: injure, distress, or damage an animal for the purposes of photography; and/or intentionally disturb or spook an animal, including by using a drone and/or other aircraft; and/or use tape lures or decoys to attract or elicit a behaviour from an animal.”
-
AI image generation is banned, including extending backgrounds or removing elements with content-generation tools; any other AI tool may not break another rule (Denoise and Sharpening are allowed). No composites except HDR, stitched panoramas, focus stacking and in-camera multiple exposures; no sky swaps, and no cloning or spot removal beyond dust spots and lens dirt (minor backscatter cleaning allowed underwater). Shortlisted entrants must supply RAW files (such as .NEF or .CR2; DNG only if it is the camera's native raw output) or, if unavailable, original untouched JPEGs, plus full high-resolution files and an extended caption by the given deadline, and, if asked, frames taken before and after. An entry that cannot be authenticated is disqualified.
hard
“The use of AI-based tools for image generation is strictly prohibited in the competition. For example, extending the background of an image using content generation tools or removing elements within an image are not permitted.”
-
Entrant must be the sole copyright owner of every submission, which must be their original work.
hard
“You must be the sole owner of the copyright of all submissions to the Competition.”
-
Images published in the media or already awarded in other competitions may be entered; an image already awarded in BWPA may not (FAQ).
hard
“You can also submit images that have already won an award in another competition (but not in BWPA).”
15th British Wildlife Photography Awards’s rules let the organiser ask for your RAW or original files. Compare your RAW with the photo you plan to enter, free and in your browser.
Jury context
Judges appointed by BWPA; the judges page names the panel for the 15th Awards as Ellie Rothnie, David Chapman, Lara Jackson, Neil McIntyre, Gina Goodman, Danny Green and BWPA director Will Nicholls. Judging is "strictly anonymous" in three rounds: a first pass for rule compliance and ethics, a shortlist for which raw files, high-resolution files and an extended caption are requested, then each judge's favourites in each category are scored. Judges sometimes move images to a category they fit better, and an image entered in several categories cannot be awarded in more than one (FAQ). The Overall Winner is chosen from the category winners as the single image "judged to be the most striking and memorable of all the entries".
Priorities: rule and ethics compliance authenticity striking and memorable originality imagination creativity and innovation
Tone: striking memorable original imaginative storytelling
Avoid: live bait domesticated animals captive animals tape lures or decoys drone disturbance deceiving the viewer composites sky replacement clone removal ai generation
Past winners — text notes
The 2026 winners page (read 17 October 2026) names A Toad Swims Across Its Woodland Pond by Paul Hobson as Overall Winner (also the Black & White winner), with category winners including Nemesis by Mark Parker (Animal Behaviour), Standing Tall by Alastair Marsh (Animal Portraits), Dipper Dream by Marc Humphrey (Habitat), Woodlands Throughout the Year by Christopher Harrison (British Seasons) and The Badger Cull by Ian Wood (Documentary Series). Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Feathery Pillow by Ben Lucas.
These are text-only curatorial observations, never images of past winners.
Prizes
Total prize fund of almost £10,000. Overall Winner (British Wildlife Photographer of the Year): £3,500 cash (incl. category prize). Adult category winners: £500 cash each. Young Overall Winner: £250 voucher (incl. category prize). Young category winners: £100 voucher each. Winning images are published in the competition's Collection book and tour the UK in the BWPA exhibition (BWPA 15 tour venues listed from 27 March 2027).
Exhibition Publication
R Rights & licensing what you grant the organizer
- What you grant
- Copyright stays with the entrant: "The Competition does not claim any rights of ownership in any of your submissions to the Competition." Rule 8.4: the Competition may make any entry available "on its website and any other media, whether now known or invented in the future, in connection with any publicity and/or judging of the Competition". Rule 8.5: "You agree to grant the Competition 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, including (but not limited to), promoting the Competition within printed and online media, the inclusion within printed and digital versions of the Competition book, the inclusion within printed and digital versions of the Competition calendar and other merchandise, display at exhibitions, use in press, promotional and marketing materials, social media networks and for the promotion of any future photographic competition in both print and online media. All images will be credited to the photographer where used." Rules 9.4 and 9.5: third-party users "will be required to adhere to the same license granted to the Competition", but the Competition "does not accept liability for the misuse of images and/or the failure of any third party to comply with the sub-license granted pursuant to condition 8.5"; such instances "are to be settled between the Entrant and the third party without the inclusion of the Competition in the matter". Rule 8.6: an awarded exhibition print may be sold by online auction at the end of the tour, with no proceeds to the photographer (profits to charity), unless the entrant buys the print at printing plus shipping cost. Rule 7.1: winners' and Highly Commended entrants' names, likeness and entries may be used to publicise the Competition without compensation. Rule 2.3: by entering you also agree "not to do or say anything that damages, or may damage, the reputation of the British Wildlife Photography Awards or the Competition Sponsors".
- Duration
- "for the full period of any intellectual property rights (including all moral rights)", irrevocable, sub-licensable
- Exclusivity
- none
- Attribution
- Required
- Copyright retained by photographer
- Yes
More wildlife and nature contests
- The Nature Photography Contest 2026 closes 15 Nov 2026 · 10 EUR per image
- Scottish Nature Photography Awards 2026 closes 30 Nov 2026 · 6 GBP for up to 2 images, then 1 GBP per extra image
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027 closes 3 Dec 2026 · 35 GBP for up to 25 images
- Ocean Art Underwater Photo Competition 2026 closes 6 Dec 2026 · 10 USD per image
- Bird Photographer of the Year 2027 (BPOTY 12) closes 13 Dec 2026 · 35 GBP for up to 25 images
- Underwater Photographer of the Year 2027 closes 4 Jan 2027 · 20 GBP for up to 3 images
All wildlife and nature photo contests, with AI rules and licence grades
Before you enter — quick answers
- Is 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) free to enter?
- 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) is not free: 35 GBP for up to 25 images. Check the organizer's page for the full fee rules and any waivers.
- Are AI-generated images allowed in 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15)?
- No. 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) has a strict ban on AI-generated images.
- When is the 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) deadline?
- 15th British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA 15) closed on 7 June 2026 at 23:59, London time (UTC+1). Entries are no longer accepted.