April 2026dates
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Deadlines, tracked
Every contest's key dates, refreshed each year. Sync any deadline to Google Calendar or download an ICS file so you never miss a window.
naturephotocontests.info
The home base for nature & wildlife contest photographers.
Track deadlines, look up submission requirements, and study what's winning — all in one place instead of scattered across the web.
- 33
- Contests tracked
- 97
- Contest seasons
- 7,056
- Winning images
- 3,176
- Photographers
Everything you need, nothing you don't
For photographers who want their work seen — and want to know what it takes to win.
Image limit25
File specsJPEG / sRGB
Max dimension6000 px
Entry fee$25
Categories12
Rules at a glance
Fees, categories, image limits, and file specs for each contest — gathered and kept current so you're not digging through rule PDFs.
Gold
Bird Photographer of the Year · 2025
First Place
National Wildlife Photo Contest · 2025
Runner-Up
Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year · 2025
Winner galleries
Every winning image from every tracked contest, properly credited. Filter by year, category, region, photographer, or placement.
Public leaderboard
Who's winning across nature photography contests?
Ranked across 33 contests and 97 seasons, scored by placement and estimated contest size — with the full methodology in plain view.
Explore the leaderboard →#NamePhotographerScore
112,840
Redacted photographer 1
Gold 2Top 100 4
210,520
Redacted photographer 2
Winner 1Finalist 6
39,740
Redacted photographer 3
Runner-up 2HC 5
48,910
Redacted photographer 4
Category 3Top 250 7
Schematic preview — the live table includes filters, galleries, and methodology notes.
From the blog
Learn what wins
June 4, 2026
What Could We Learn From Every Contest Entry, Not Just the Winners?
We have galleries full of winners and no record of everything else. That gap is the most interesting problem in contest photography, and it's the one I'm building a new feature — ImageIQ — to close.
May 22, 2026
Why Great Images Don't Always Win: The Psychology Behind Nature Photography Contest Results
After years of entering and studying major nature photography contests, I've come to understand that judging is deeply human — and human evaluation follows patterns more complicated than we like to admit.
Why this exists
Built by a photographer, for the contest maze.
naturephotocontests.info is built and maintained by Steffen Foerster, wildlife photographer and educator, out of a data-driven desire to understand the contest photography landscape: who's winning and what's working across competitions and years, in one place instead of piecing it together from scattered websites and disappearing galleries. It started as a personal tool and grew into something worth sharing.
Free to use. No credit card required.
Get started →