BigPicture Photography Competition 2026 - logo

BigPicture Photography Competition 2026

ENTER CONTEST

BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition celebrates and illustrates the rich diversity of life on Earth and inspires action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery. Enter your finest nature, wildlife, and conservation images for a chance to win a share of $12,300 in cash prizes. Winning photographs will be featured at the California Academy of Sciences, which welcomes over one million visitors each year.

This year, our esteemed judging panel includes Georgina Goodwin, Sebastian Kennerknecht, Thomas Nicolon, Sophie Stafford, Michelle Valberg, and Anand Varma. This distinguished panel will judge all categories except the Photo Story category, which will be evaluated by Jean-Gael Collomb, CEO of Wildlife Conservation Network, together with the BigPicture team and BigPicture jury chair Suzi Eszterhas.

This year we are happy to introduce a video component to our Photo Story category! And, in the month of February, women save 30% on submission fees using the code: WILDWOMEN30

For more information, please check out our website at bigpicturecompetition.org and please reach out with any questions.

Fees:

Paid

Prizes:

Enter your finest nature, wildlife, and conservation images for a chance to win a share of $12,300 in cash prizes.

Eligibility:

Open to all Photographers Worldwide

Copyrights & Usage Rights:

Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to submitted photographs subject to the following: By entering the Competition, each Entrant grants to the Academy a non-exclusive, irrevocable license to reproduce, publish, and display submitted images directly relating to the Competition in all media throughout the world in perpetuity. This includes but is not limited to use in the context of the Academy website and social media sites, the exhibition of winning images at the Academy, and all promotional and marketing materials regarding the Competition and Exhibition. In other circumstances, commercial opportunities may exist for awarded photographers to benefit from the use of their images, such as print sales or merchandise. Where such a commercial benefit is likely to arise, permission will be sought in advance and terms and conditions will be agreed upon with the photographer.

Theme:

Environmental Abstract Documentary Landscape Macro/Micro Nature Underwater Wildlife Photojournalism