Waterlife photography competition

Our annual members’ Waterlife photography competition is now open!

It’s time to go through your archives and send in your best wetland wildlife photos from 2024. Or plan a visit this autumn to your nearest WWT centre – there’s still plenty of time to take the winning photos for a chance to win fantastic binoculars.

If you’re looking for some top tips to sharpen your skills, check out our Wildlife Photography page. See what you can observe and capture magical wildlife moments others may miss. For extra inspiration, see last year’s winners here.

We can’t wait to see your entries!

The details

• Images must have been taken at a WWT centre between 1 January and 31 December 2024.
• A shortlist of winning and commended shots will be published in the spring/summer 2025 issue of Waterlife and on our website at wwt.org.uk/waterlifephoto
• The winner of the adult category will be awarded a pair of Viking Osprey 8x42 binoculars, courtesy of VIKING OPTICAL.
• The winner of the youth category (under 16) will receive a fantastic pair of MY Junior 7x28 Swarovski Optik binoculars.

How to enter

• Please submit your entry via email to wwtphotocomp@wwt.org.uk with ‘Waterlife photography competition 2024’ in the subject line and whether your entry is for the adult or youth category. Only entries submitted via this email address will be deemed valid. Entries received via other means cannot be accepted.
• Entries close at midnight on 31 December 2024.
• You can submit up to three high-resolution photo entries via email. The maximum total file size is 20MB.
• Please submit your entry as a JPG file.
• Each entry must be submitted under an individual’s name and should be accompanied by details of where and when the photograph was taken. Please share as much detail as you would like about the circumstances of the image.
• Please include your membership card number details to enter.

Who can enter?

• You must be a member of WWT to enter the competition.
• The competition is open to all amateur and professional photographers. Amateur and professional entries will not be judged separately.
• Entrants under the age of 12 years need to have parent or guardian consent to enter.

Terms and conditions

Our ethics: How to get that winning shot without harming wildlife

We’ve put together the following rules to ensure the photographs you take have the interests of our amazing water life at heart.

• All animals in the environment you are in should be behaving normally, as if you aren’t there. If they’re not, give them space. At no time should you be doing anything to distress or potentially injure an animal, or affect its wider habitat in any way. This very much includes aerial work; animal welfare must be paramount.
• Your images must report on the natural world in a way that is both creative and honest and ethical:
  • entries must not deceive the viewer or attempt to disguise and/or misrepresent the reality of nature;
  • caption information supplied must be complete, true and accurate; and
  • images must not portray, restrained, or manipulated animals, animal models, taxidermy animals, and/or any other animal being exploited for profit.
• You are responsible for ensuring full compliance with any applicable national or international legislation (including in relation to drones) and for securing any relevant permits (which, in the case of human portraits, will include the subject’s permission) and which must be made available to us if we request it.
• Live baiting is not permitted, neither is any means of baiting that may put an animal in danger or adversely affect its behaviour, either directly or through irresponsible habituation. Any other means of attraction, including bird seed or scent, must be declared in the caption.

Full terms and conditions

What you need to know if you enter a photograph:

1) Any image you submit to the Competition must either be:

• (i) your original work; or
• (ii) submitted by you on behalf of the photographer, in which case you must inform us of the name of the photographer, and on request by us must provide written confirmation from the photographer that you are entitled to act on their behalf and that they fully accept and are bound by these Terms and Conditions themselves.

2) You must either be the sole owner of the copyright in the entry(s) submitted or have secured the written permission of the copyright owner or any joint owners of copyright to submit the entry(s) into the Competition. A copy of any such written permission must be supplied to us on confirmation to you that your image has been shortlisted for an Award.

3) Ownership of the copyright in any entry submitted to the Competition will remain with the copyright owner(s).

4) In consideration for the chance to win an Award for an image you submit to the Competition, you hereby grant to WWT the right to reproduce, publicise and exhibit that image/s in any medium (including, but not limited to, physical copies, electronic copies and on social media) for a period limited to no more than one year to enable it to be judged for an Award by the Jury or a public vote.

5) By entering you confirm that your image(s) do not:

• infringe the copyright or any other personal or property rights of any person; or
• knowingly breach any laws or regulations; or
• entitle anyone to claim any payment from us;
• and anyone appearing in the image has given you their consent, enabling you to let us use the image.

6) We agree that we will only use the image as agreed in 5) above, and that we will compensate you for all and any costs, claims, expenses and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and any sums paid on the advice of Counsel) resulting from any breach by us of this Agreement.

7) WWT will hold your entry and your personal data provided within it for the sole purpose of providing a record of your consent to WWT using your images with the exception of clause 8) below. The data will be kept securely in accordance with the requirements under data protection legislation, including but not limited to the General Data Protection Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the Data Protection Act 2018. The data will not be made available to any third party without your consent.

8) WWT may contact you using the personal data provided to invite you to be interviewed for Waterlife magazine and associated WWT media. You are under no obligation to agree to any request made and WWT is under no obligation to contact you for this reason.

9) The term "any medium" when used in clause 4) shall include but not be limited to any print, book, magazine, WWT’s stakeholders’ communication, digital media, applications or social media channels.