GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2027
GDT has not announced the 2027 competition. On 26 October 2026 its English page still read “EUROPEAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2026 is now closed for entries.”, and GDT’s news of 23 October 2026 named Imre Potyó the 2026 overall winner.
Organiser GDT – Gesellschaft für Naturfotografie e.V. (German Society for Nature Photography), Germany · The organiser’s page ↗
What the organiser says now · checked
- English competition page: “EUROPEAN WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2026 is now closed for entries.” and “The closing date for entries was 1 March 2026.”
- Rules pages: “+++++ Entries for 2026 are now closed! +++++” (German: “+++++ Die Teilnahme 2026 ist beendet! +++++”). Both link only to the 2026 rules.
- The competitions overview says “Every year, we look for the” European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, but gives no dates. No 2027 rules, dates or fee are published.
Last edition · European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026, the 26th edition
Entries opened on 15 January 2026 and closed “1 March 2026 at midnight – CET (incoming!)” (binding German text: “1. März 2026 – 24:00 Uhr – MEZ (eintreffend)!”).
Fee: “35 EUR irrespective of the number of entered photographs”, paid via PayPal; the Young Photographers category (K9) was free. Up to 40 images in total.
Original files were requested from 13 April 2026 and due on 30 April 2026 at midnight (CET). The winners were announced on 23 October 2026 at the International Nature Photography Festival in Lünen; GDT named Imre Potyó the overall winner.
What the latest rules say
From the 2026 Competition Rules, whose German text is binding. The next edition’s rules may differ.
- The English rules say: “In case of doubt, the German version will prevail and is legally binding.”
- AI: not permitted are “AI-generated photos” (German: “KI-generierte Fotos”) and “Post-processing methods, content-based fills, enhancements, etc. that add new image content to the photo through AI algorithms or manual intervention”. Also not permitted: “adding or removing objects (e.g. animals, plants, people, items of civilization and traces thereof), digital collages”.
- Original files: “The jury will request the RAW files or original JPG / DNG files as well as the high-resolution data of all photographs that have passed the first round of judging.” Images whose files are not provided by the deadline are excluded. The binding German text accepts original JPGs only in justified exceptions (“Original-JPGs sind nur in begründeten Ausnahmefällen als Originaldatei zulässig.”).
- Eligibility: “The competition is open to photographers resident in Europe as well as GDT members, who may or may not be resident in Europe.” No domestic animals, pets or cultivated forms of wild plants.
- Entry: online only, under the binding German text (“ausschließlich online auf www.gdtfoto.de”).
GDT’s 2026 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.
WinPhoto adds a full verified record when the organiser publishes the 2027 rules.
Sources
- gdtfoto.de/seiten/european-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-competition.html?lang=English English competition page: 2026 “is now closed for entries”; “The closing date for entries was 1 March 2026” Checked
- gdtfoto.de/seiten/europaeischer-naturfotograf-des-jahres-wettbewerb.html German competition page: the 2026 entry period is over. Checked
- gdtfoto.de/seiten/european-wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-competition-rules.html English rules page: “Entries for 2026 are now closed!”; links only to the 2026 rules. Checked
- gdtfoto.de/seiten/europaeischer-naturfotograf-des-jahres-teilnahmebedingungen.html German rules page: “Die Teilnahme 2026 ist beendet!” Checked
- gdtfoto.de/pdf/enj2026/02_GDT_European_Wildlife_Photographer_of_the_Year_2026_Competition_Rules.pdf 2026 Competition Rules (English): timeline, fee, eligibility, AI and original-file rules. Checked
- gdtfoto.de/pdf/enj2026/01_GDT_Europaeischer_Naturfotograf_des_Jahres_2026_TN-Bedingungen.pdf 2026 Teilnahmebedingungen (German, binding): deadlines in MEZ, online-only entry, the original-JPG exception. Checked
- gdtfoto.de/ Home page news of 23.10.2026: Imre Potyó is the 2026 overall winner; no 2027 competition notice. Checked
- gdtfoto.de/seiten/gdt-wettbewerbe.html German competitions overview: no 2027 dates. Checked
- gdtfoto.de/seiten/gdt-photo-contests.html English competitions overview: “Every year, we look for the” European Wildlife Photographer of the Year; no 2027 dates. Checked
Looking for a contest to enter now? See the photo contests open now, each checked against the organiser’s published rules, or the other next editions.
If the organiser has published something we have not added yet, send the link to hello@winphoto.io and we’ll read it.