Competition overview

All photographs must be of natural fauna, flora or natural land/sky formations and must have been taken in the ANZANG bioregion.

ANZANG bioregion means Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the New Guinea region. The region of New Guinea is limited to the west by the Wallace Line (the bio-geographical line extending between Bali and Lombok northward through the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi). To the east the New Guinea region includes the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagos and islands of the South West Pacific, with its eastern boundary formed by the International Date Line. Note that for the purposes of this competition, our definition of the Wallace Line does not include Huxley’s modification, and therefore the islands of the Philippines are not included in our definition of the ANZANG bioregion. Antarctica includes the Sub-Antarctic Islands, which for the purposes of this competition are those south of the Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front.

Entries in all sections are invited from photographers who use either digital or film cameras. Judges will consider the photographic technique plus the aesthetic, artistic and unique quality of all images when making their selections.

Black and white and monochrome images (including infrared) may only be entered in the Monochrome or Junior categories.

There are ten categories in the Competition. Up to four images may be entered in each category.

The categories are:

• Animals in Nature – the subject(s) must be photographed in a natural environment. This can be a portrait or behaviour shot. The animal(s) depicted may be either native or feral but must be depicted in nature with minimal evidence of human activity. Captive species are not allowed.

• Aerial – a photograph taken from an elevated position (i.e. from a fixed vantage point or from an aircraft) or captured with a drone. The subject matter can include natural landscapes or seascapes, weather, or native or feral animals. Evidence of humans can be present however it must not be the focus of the photograph.

• Macro – intended to examine small elements of nature up close, with the subject to be presented larger than life size. Subject matter includes fauna, flora or natural formation. Note: this category does not include photographs taken through a microscope.

• Landscape – a landscape or seascape that shows a natural environment. Evidence of humans can be present however it must not be the focus of the photograph.

• Threatened Species – the flora or fauna depicted in Threatened Species must be listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List: http://www.iucnredlist.org/.

• Monochrome – this category includes all monochrome photography including black and white, sepia-toned and infrared photographs. The subject(s) of the photograph must qualify for any of the other categories in the competition.

• Our Impact – the image must depict human impact on nature, either positive or negative. The nature photographed may be terrestrial, aquatic, or atmospheric. The animal(s) depicted may be native or feral but must be shown in a setting that indicates the presence of human activity. Captive species are allowed, provided their captivity is declared at the time of entry. Domestic animals are not allowed. The choice of subjects may align with the other categories or extend beyond these to subjects relating to environmental projects, scientific exploration, pollution, climate change etc.

• Astrophotography – the subject of the photograph must be the night sky. This can include astronomical objects, celestial events and areas of the night sky including time lapse images. Landscape or other forms can be included provided the subject of the image is largely celestial. Note: this category does not include images taken through telescopes.

• Portfolio – the entrant must submit a contact sheet showing a group of six images with a shared theme that would otherwise relate to the other categories. The theme is the photographer’s choice and must be articulated in the entry notes. Themes may include (but are not limited to) environmental messaging, biological grouping, style of photography, photojournalism or simply shared aesthetic.

  
  An entry of a group of six images in the Portfolio category will be charged as a single entry in the competition.
  A photographer may choose to enter an image as part of a Portfolio and as an individual submission in a different category.

• Junior – the entrant must be under 18 years of age at the date of close of entries. Entries must fit the criteria of any of the other categories. Photographers under 18 years are only eligible to enter the Junior category and are not eligible for the Overall Prize.

Up to four images may be entered in each of the sections, or four groups of images in the Portfolio category. The judges will choose a winner and runner-up for each category. Entries not placed but of a particularly high standard will shortlisted and join the prizewinning images in the subsequent exhibitions and catalogue.

Competition prizes

Prize winners will be announced by the South Australian Museum on Thursday 28 August 2025.

• Overall winner wins A$10,000 cash

Other prizes:

• each of the open category winners receives A$1,500 and the runner-up of each category receives A$500;

• there is a A$1,500 prize for the best portfolio submitted

• the Junior category winner receives A$500 and the runner up receives A$250; and

• the People’s Choice winner receives A$500. (People’s Choice is voted by visitors to the exhibition at the South Australian Museum, announcement date 24 October 2025).

Cost of entry

For the 2025 Competition, the cost of entry remains A$38.00 (includes GST) for the first image and A$22.00 (includes GST) for each subsequent image, or for Junior Photography, A$10.00 (includes GST) for the first image and A$5.00 (includes GST) for each subsequent image.

Online entry:

Entries can only be submitted online via the entry portal at www.naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au, which is available only during the competition period.

2025 Judges

Competition rules

1.  The organiser of the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Competition (Competition) is the South Australian Museum (Organiser). Australian Geographic (AG) is the Competition’s major sponsor.

2.  Information on how to enter as published on the Competition website (www.naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au/) forms part of these rules. Entry into the Competition is deemed acceptance of these rules.

3.  Entry into the Competition is open to all persons except staff and immediate families of: the Organiser; AG; Sponsors and people involved in the administration of the Competition.

For Entries in the Junior section, the Entrant must be under 18 years of age as at the close of Entries for the Competition; Entrant must declare on the Competition’s online entry form that they have their parent’s or guardian’s consent to enter the Competition. For clarity, all Entries into the Junior Photography section must also comply with the criteria applicable to one of the other Competition sections.

4.  All photographs must be taken in the ANZANG bioregion. For the purposes of these rules, the “ANZANG bioregion” means Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica (including the sub-Antarctic islands) and the New Guinea region. The region of New Guinea is limited to the west by the Wallace Line (the bio-geographical line extending between Bali and Lombok northward through the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi). To the east the New Guinea region includes the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagos and islands of the South West Pacific, with its eastern boundary formed by the International Date Line. Note that for the purposes of this competition, our definition of the Wallace Line does not include Huxley’s modification, and therefore the islands of the Philippines are not included in our definition of the ANZANG bioregion. Antarctica includes the Sub-Antarctic Islands, which for the purposes of this competition are those south of the Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front.

Submission of entries

5.  Persons (Entrants) may only enter photographs in the Competition (Entries) between 11 November 2024 and 5:00pm (ACDT) on Thursday 6 February 2025 (Competition Period).

6.  An Entrant may submit up to 4 Entries in each of the Competition’s sections. The same or substantially similar Entries should not be entered in more than 1 section of the Competition however a photographer may choose to enter an image as part of a Portfolio and as an individual submission.

If judges and/or Organisers determine an image has been entered in the incorrect category they reserve the right to place it in the appropriate category.

7.  The Competition’s sections are:

• Animals in Nature

• Aerial

• Macro

• Landscape

• Threatened Species

• Monochrome

• Our Impact

• Astrophotography

• Portfolio

• Junior

8.  To enter, entrants must:

 a) upload each Entry via the Competition’s online entry form at www.naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au/;

 b) complete the Competition’s online entry form in English, including the following information:

• the Entrant’s name and contact details (including full mailing address, email address, country and telephone number);

• a brief title for the Entry;

• a brief statement regarding when and where the Entry was taken (including, if the Entry was taken in a captive situation or in conditions that are unnatural, a statement to that effect and any details specific to the criteria of the relevant Competition section); and

• the specifications of camera, lens, film (if applicable), ISO, f-stop and shutter speed for the Entry. (Note: for Portfolio entries only the details for one photograph need to be provided at the initial stage)

 c) submit the entry fee which is calculated as follows:

• for all Entries, excluding Entries for the Junior Photography section:

(1) $38.00 (including GST) for the 1st Entry; and

(2) $22.00 (including GST) for each additional Entry submitted at the same time; and

• for Entries in the Junior Photography section:

(1) $10.00 (including GST) for the 1st Entry; and

(2) $5.00 (including GST) for each additional Entry submitted at the same time.

9. All Entries must be colour photographs except Entries in the Monochrome, Portfolio or Junior Photography sections.

10. All Entries uploaded should be formatted to JPG file format, in sRGB colour mode, size no more than 1MB. Entrants are advised to ensure their image has sufficient pixels to present well to the judges. No concession by the judges will be made for poor quality files. A guideline is minimum 1200 pixels on the shortest edge.

IMPORTANT: Entrants who are selected for the shortlist must be able to provide their finished file at 3500 pixels on the longest side without interpolation. Files not meeting this size will be removed from the shortlist.

11. All Entries are deemed to be received at the time of receipt by the Organiser and not at the time of transmission by the Entrant. The Organiser accepts no responsibility for late, lost or misdirected Entries, or Entries not received by the Organiser for any reason whatsoever.

Criteria for entries

12. All Entries must have been taken within the 7 years prior to the end of the Competition Period i.e. on or after 6 February 2018

13. Entrants are permitted to use more than one exposure per image, provided the resulting photograph maintains the integrity of the original subject. Focus stacking, multiple exposures and stitched panoramas taken with the camera in exactly the same location at exactly the same time are permitted (ie the tripod has not moved, camera angle has not changed). Note that all original frames must be provided to the Organiser for the authenticity check should your entry be shortlisted (see Rule 22).

The removal, alteration, addition or relocation of elements within the image is not allowed. This includes but is not limited to animals, plants, people or distractions. Compositing of different scenes is not allowed. Blur or glow effects are not permitted. Perspective/focal length blending is not permitted. Warping, stretching or other image manipulations are not permitted.

The intention is to present the image as it was photographed in nature.

14. In all sections of the Competition, Entries taken with film cameras or digital cameras may be digitally adjusted.

Acceptable adjustments are moderate changes to levels, curves, colour, saturation, contrast, shadow and highlights. Dodging and burning is acceptable. Sharpening, noise reduction, lens perspective correction, luminosity masking techniques and minor cleaning are acceptable.

Cropping of any degree is allowed, provided the resulting image can be supplied to the minimum acceptable size for use in the exhibition (3500 pixels on the longest edge without interpolation).

15. For the Threatened Species section, the Entry must be currently listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List: http://www.iucnredlist.org/.

16. The Entrant must declare if an Entry has been taken with the Entry’s subject in captivity or in conditions that are unnatural. If an Entry’s subject is an animal that has been photographed in captivity, it must be an animal, either native or feral, that can be found in the wild in the ANZANG Bioregion. Pet or farm animals are not classified as natural for the purposes of the Competition and must not be represented in an Entry (with the exception of the Our Impact section). The Organiser may disqualify any Entry if the Organiser suspects that the Entrant has engaged in any unethical practice in connection with the Entry.

17. Plants that are represented in an Entry may be native or introduced, but must be found in the wild in the ANZANG Bioregion.

18. All Entries must be taken in a safe and lawful location. Neither the Organiser nor AG will be held responsible for an Entrant taking a photograph in circumstances that pose a risk of personal injury or legal implications.

Entrants must consider the welfare of subject(s) when photographing. This includes but is not limited to physical impacts, mental impacts and potential behavioural impacts.

Habitat disturbance should always be kept to a minimum when in natural surroundings: When photographing in a natural setting, the Entrant must ensure that they eliminate or minimise any impact that their presence has on the subject and its surrounding environment. The term environment as used here does not just apply to biological subjects; entrants are also expected to minimise the impact to vegetation, geological and/or aquatic landscapes, as well as natural features. Any existing conservation requirements must be obeyed, and local laws upheld.

For the purposes of this competition live baiting is not permitted and use of other means of animal attraction is discouraged. Judges may not select images if they suspect its involvement. Photographers should declare the use of any attractant used for judges to consider.

The judges may not select images if they suspect that the Entrant has engaged in any unethical practice in connection with the Entry.

All Entries must comply with the rules and regulations regarding drone use in the relevant jurisdiction. Please find more information on the relevant government website if you are unsure.

Judging of entries and award of prizes

19. Each valid Entry received will be submitted for judging. Entries will be judged by a panel of judges appointed by the Organiser.

20. Entrants will be advised via email by late March 2025 if they have been shortlisted in the Competition. Prize winners will be announced on Thursday 28 August 2025. A listing of winners and selection of competition images will be published in the Sept-Oct 2025 edition of Australian Geographic and across the social media platforms of the Organiser and Australian Geographic.

21. If an Entry is shortlisted by the judging panel, the Entrant must, within 2 weeks from receiving notification of such shortlisting, provide to the Organiser:

a) the selected image(s) as a TIFF file at 300dpi in RGB colour space with working space embedded or tagged (ideally AdobeRGB 1998), at least 3500 pixels on the longest side without interpolation.

Any shortlisted Entry that is not received in such format or to the specified dimensions within the 2-week period, will be withdrawn from the shortlist; and

b) the original unedited digital camera file or scan of film negative it comes from. This can be a raw file or jpeg straight from the camera.

22. On receipt of the files referred to in Rule 21, the Organiser will review the images to confirm eligibility for the Competition. The Organiser reserves the right to verify the authenticity of Entries and compliance with the Competition rules and any additional requirements published on the Competition website. The Entrant must respond to any request for further information within 1 week. If the Entrant fails to provide evidence or the Organiser determines, in its sole discretion, that there is insufficient evidence to confirm that the Entry complies with the Competition rules and any additional requirements published on the Competition website (www.naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au/), then the Entry will be removed from the Competition and no further correspondence will be entered into.

23. If a section receives no Entries attaining the judges’ standard no prize will be awarded.

24. All prizes must be taken as offered. Any non-monetary prize, or any unused portion of a non-monetary prize, is not transferable, exchangeable and cannot be redeemed as cash. Each prize is valued in Australian dollars. The Organiser and AG accept no responsibility for any variation in the value of any non-monetary prize or any ancillary costs incurred by the prize winner in claiming a prize.

25. Prize winners are advised that tax implications may arise from their prize winnings and they should seek independent financial advice prior to acceptance of their prize.

26. All non-monetary elements of prizes are subject to availability with no cash alternative and such elements are non-transferable and non-refundable. Prize winner(s) cannot change, vary, substitute or extend any element of a prize (in whole or in part).

27.  If a prize winner is unable to claim any non-monetary prize during any applicable time period, that person forfeits that prize with no compensation or further liability of the Organiser.

28. If a prize or a portion of a prize is unavailable, for whatever reason, the Organiser may substitute the prize for a prize of equal or greater value.

Use of entries

29. Any winning or shortlisted Entry may be used by the Organiser or AG (and any person authorised to do so by either of them) solely for the purpose of marketing and promoting the Competition and the Exhibition or future Competitions and Exhibitions, including for the purpose of:

a) judging the Competition;

b) displaying the Entries on the website and social media of the Competition Organiser, AG and partners;

c) displaying the Entries at the Exhibitions;

d) displaying the Entries in a book, diary, calendar or magazine or similar published work (whether print or digital);

e) publishing the Entries on posters, banners or similar to promote the Competition or the Exhibitions;

f) publishing the Entries on postcards, bookmarks or similar to promote the Competition or Exhibitions;

g) cropping and re-sizing the Entries as necessary to fit pre-defined formats to promote the Competition and Exhibitions;

h) sub-licensing the Entries to Sponsors and the media for reproduction in connection with the Competition and the Exhibitions; and

i) including the Entries within any materials promoting the Competition or the Exhibitions.

30. Each Entrant grants the Organiser and AG a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence in each Entry throughout the world in all media for the uses described in Rule 29) for 5 years following the date of announcement of the winners on 28 August 2025.

In addition, the Entrant grants the Organiser and AG a non-exclusive, irrevocable licence to include the Entries in any compilation publication published or exhibition produced to celebrate any anniversary of the Competition, without further remuneration or reference to the participant. Creative control over the use of the Entry in any feature, including features produced for the purposes set out above, will remain with the Organiser or AG at all times.

31. Each Entrant must insert copyright information in the meta data but not watermark Entries. The Organiser will watermark the photographer’s name on any images supplied for digital promotion of the Exhibition and Competition. Neither the Organiser nor AG can assume any responsibility and are not liable for the misuse of Entries.

If the Organiser or AG or one of their Partners wishes to make any use of an Entry that is not permitted under Rule 29, the Entrant will be contacted to negotiate any such usage independently of the Competition.

All Entries and, if called for, other materials are sent at the Entrant’s own risk, although reasonable care will be taken by the Organiser. The Entrant releases the Organiser and AG from liability for any damage to, or loss of, submitted material.

32. Each Entrant warrants to the Organiser and AG that each Entry is an original artistic work of the Entrant which does not infringe the rights, including copyright and privacy rights, of any third party. Each Entrant agrees to indemnify the Organiser and AG against all costs or loss suffered as a result of any claim by a third party arising from a breach of the warranty set out in this rule.

33. Each shortlisted Entrant agrees to be interviewed, photographed and/or filmed at any time by the Organiser or AG or their agents. There is no obligation upon the Organiser or AG to use such images or footage but, if the Organiser or AG elects to do so, the winner consents to the Organiser using their name, likeness, image and/or voice in any media for the purpose of promoting the Competition (including any outcome), the Organiser or AG, for an unlimited period of time without remuneration.

34. By entering the Competition the Entrant acknowledges and agrees that the Competition and any subsequent use of their Entry in accordance with these rules does not create a relationship between the winner and the Organiser or AG of employer and employee, principle and agent, partnership or joint venture.

General terms

35. The Organiser reserves the right to verify the validity of Entries at any time and reserves the right to disqualify any Entrant who tampers with the entry process (including but not limited to tampering by way of the utilisation of techniques designed to avoid the payment of entry costs) or who submits an Entry that is not in accordance with these rules. Failure by the Organiser to enforce any of its rights at any stage does not constitute a waiver of those rights.

36. The Organiser’s decision on all matters relating to the Competition will be final and no correspondence regarding judging or organisation of the Competition will be entered into.

37. Where the Organiser disqualifies any Entry, the Organiser has no obligation to notify the Entrant of such disqualification or to provide any justification for or enter into any correspondence relating to such disqualification.

38. The Organiser reserves the right to ask a prize winner to provide proof of identity and proof of residency at the nominated prize delivery address. Identification considered suitable for verification is at the discretion of the Organiser.

39. If, for any reason, the Competition is not capable of running as planned for reasons beyond the control of the Organiser, the Organiser may take any action available, including cancelling, terminating, modifying or suspending the Competition.

40. The Organiser, AG and companies associated with the Competition will not be liable for any loss (including indirect or consequential loss), damage or personal injury which is suffered or sustained (including where caused by any person’s negligence) relating to the Competition or the awarding or taking of any prize, except for any liability which cannot be excluded by law.

41. While the Organiser will make reasonable efforts to contact each Entrant whose Entry is shortlisted and each winning Entrant, no responsibility will be taken where notification is not received by such Entrant.

42. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions limits, excludes or modifies or purports to limit, exclude or modify the statutory consumer guarantees as provided under the Competition and Consumer Act, as well as any other implied warranties under the ASIC Act or similar consumer protection laws in the States and Territories of Australia (Non-Excludable Guarantees). Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Organiser (including its respective officers, employees and agents) excludes all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of the promotion.

43. Except for any liability that cannot by law be excluded, including the Non-Excludable Guarantees, the Organiser and AG (including its respective officers, employees and agents) are not responsible for and exclude all liability (including negligence), for any personal injury; or any loss or damage (including loss of opportunity); whether direct, indirect, special or consequential, arising in any way out of: (a) any technical difficulties or equipment malfunction (whether or not under the Organiser or AG’s control); (b) any theft, unauthorised access or third party interference; (c) any entry or prize claim that is late, lost, altered, damaged or misdirected (whether or not after their receipt by the Organiser) due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Organiser or AG; (d) any variation in prize value to that stated in these rules or in the Competition information on the Competition website; (e) any tax liability incurred by a winner or entrant; or (f) use of the prize.

44. If this Competition is interfered with in any way or is not capable of being conducted as reasonably anticipated due to any reason beyond the reasonable control of the Organiser, the Organiser reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to the fullest extent permitted by law: (a) to disqualify any Entrant; or (b) subject to any written directions from a regulatory authority, to modify, suspend, terminate or cancel the Competition, as appropriate.

45. The Organiser collects personal information in order to conduct the promotion and may, for this purpose, disclose such information to third parties (including AG), including but not limited to agents, contractors, service providers, prize suppliers and, as required, to Australian regulatory authorities. Entry is conditional on providing this information. The Organiser and AG may, for an indefinite period, unless otherwise advised, use the information for promotional, marketing, publicity, research and profiling purposes, including sending electronic messages or telephoning the entrant. Entrants should direct any request to opt out, access, update or correct information to the Organiser.

46. The collection, use and disclosure of personal information provided in connection with this Competition is governed by the Privacy Notice.

47. By entering this Competition, the entrant consents to receipt of any email regarding the Competition, and other emails which inform the entrant of the Organiser’s other publications, products, services and events and to promote third party goods and services it may be interested in.

FAQs

Below is a compilation of the most frequently asked questions concerning the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition.

General:

When do entries open?

The 2025 competition opens on 11 November 2024.

When do entries close?

Entries can be submitted until 5:00 p.m. Thursday 6 February 2025 Australian Central Daylight Time. We strongly advise that entries are not left until the last minute, as if you have any problems with submitting we may not be able to provide as much assistance as we could for earlier submissions.

How do I sign up to the mailing list?

You can request to be signed up to the NPOTY mailing list by emailing NPOTY@samuseum.sa.gov.au

Once signed up, you can unsubscribe from the mailing list at any time.

Eligibility of participants:

Who can enter the NPOTY Competition?

All photographers are encouraged to enter, however staff and immediate families of: the South Australian Museum; Australian Geographic; and people involved in the administration of the Nature Photographer of the Year competition are not eligible to enter.

Is the prize open to photographers who reside outside of Australia?

Yes.

Are there any age restrictions?

No, however entrants who are under the age of 18 at the date of close of entries are only eligible to enter the Junior category and are not eligible for the Overall Prize.

Eligibility of Photography:

Are there any restrictions on subject matter?

Yes. All photographs must be of natural flora, fauna, natural land formations or celestial objects and must have been taken in the ANZANG bioregion.

Photographs taken outside the ANZANG bioregion are not eligible. Photographs whose subject is not natural (for example vehicles, built environments etc.) are only eligible in the Our Impact category.

How is the ANZANG bioregion defined?

ANZANG bioregion means Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the New Guinea region. The region of New Guinea is limited to the west by the Wallace Line (the bio-geographical line extending between Bali and Lombok northward through the Makassar Strait between Borneo and Sulawesi). To the east the New Guinea region includes the Bismarck and Solomon Archipelagos and islands of the South West Pacific, with its eastern boundary formed by the International Date Line. Note that for the purposes of this competition, our definition of the Wallace Line does not include Huxley’s modification, and therefore the islands of the Philippines are not included in our definition of the ANZANG bioregion. Antarctica includes the Sub-Antarctic Islands, which for the purposes of this competition are those south of the Antarctic Convergence or Antarctic Polar Front.

Are pets, farm animals, and commercially cultivated plants suitable subject matter if they are not native to the ANZANG bioregion but have been photographed within the ANZANG bioregion?

No. Pet or farm animals and commercially cultivated plants are not classified as natural for the purposes of the Competition and must not be represented in any entry. Plants that are represented in an Entry may be native or introduced, but must be found in the wild in the ANZANG Bioregion.

As for animals that are represented in the ANZANG bioregion as both commercial and feral populations, it would depend on whether or not the particular animal was from a feral or domestic population, and we would expect the photographer to be honest about the origin if they are aware of it. For example, we do accept European honeybees as subject matter on the basis that they are an introduced feral species. However, if an image contained an artificial hive or colony like those that are used in commercial or residential hives, then this would not be acceptable. Entrants should be aware that judges will closely scrutinise images that contain feral animals, and entries that are believed to contain species from domestic populations will be removed from the competition.

Are there restrictions on the kind of cameras used?

Entries in all sections are invited from photographers who use either digital or film cameras. The type of camera is only restricted by the file size it can produce – entrants must be able to provide an image at 3500 pixels on the longest edge if they are selected for exhibition.

What are the sections?

There are ten sections of the prize:

1. Animals in Nature.

2. Aerial.

3. Macro.

4. Landscape.

5. Threatened Species.

6. Monochrome.

7. Our impact.

8. Astrophotography.

9. Junior.

10. Portfolio.

Please see the competition overview for detailed information on the criteria of each section.

What restrictions exist on the digital enhancement and modifications of photographic images?

• All Entries must be colour photographs in all sections except Entries in the Monochrome, Portfolio or Junior Photography sections.

• In all sections of the competition, entries taken with film cameras or digital cameras may be digitally adjusted.
  Acceptable adjustments are moderate changes to levels, curves, colour, saturation, contrast, shadow and highlights. Dodging and burning is acceptable. Sharpening, noise reduction, lens perspective correction, luminosity masking techniques and minor cleaning are acceptable.

• Entrants are permitted to use more than one exposure per image, provided the resulting photograph maintains the integrity of the original subject. Focus stacking, multiple exposures and stitched panoramas, taken in exactly the same location at the same time are permitted. Note that all original frames must be provided to the Organiser for the authenticity check should your entry be shortlisted.

• Cropping of any degree is allowed, provided the resulting image can be supplied to the appropriate size for use in the exhibition (minimum 3500 pixels on the longest edge).

• The integrity of the original subject must be maintained. The removal, alteration or relocation of elements within the image is not allowed. This includes but is not limited to animals, plants, people, distractions or blemishes.

• Compositing of different scenes is not allowed. Blur or glow effects are not permitted. Perspective/focal length blending is not permitted. Warping, stretching or other image manipulations are not permitted.

Submission of photographs:

Can I enter into more than one category?

Yes.

How many images/works can I submit?

Each entrant may submit up to 4 entries in each of the competition’s sections.

Can I submit photography on behalf of somebody else?

No. Entries must be submitted under the name of the photographer who took the photo.

How do I submit my entries?

Entry is by online application only. The online entry system can be found at:

http://naturephotographeroftheyear.com.au/

Follow the prompts from here to set up an account and submit files.

How do I submit entries into the portfolio prize?

To make an entry into the Portfolio Prize, the entrant must submit a contact sheet showing a group of six images with a shared theme that would otherwise relate to the other categories. The theme is the photographer’s choice and must be articulated in the entry notes. Themes may include (but are not limited to) environmental messaging, biological grouping, style of photography, photojournalism or simply shared aesthetic.

A photographer may choose to enter an image as part of a Portfolio and as an individual submission in a different category.

A photographer may make up to four entries into the Portfolio prize.

How do I populate the portfolio prize submission data if camera specifications and dates differ amongst the 6 photographs?

If the details and/or dates differ amongst the photographs compiled into a portfolio (as will frequently be the case) please just write ‘various’ for the camera specifications. For the date, please use the date of the earliest photograph in the portfolio.

What formats are acceptable for the digital image of submissions?

Entries must be formatted to JPEG file format, in RGB colour mode, size no more than 1MB. The shortest dimension should be a minimum of 1200 pixels (i.e. at least 1200 pixels wide for portrait orientation, or 1200 pixels high for landscape orientation). Some minor variance in size may be considered acceptable at the judges’ discretion.

If I don’t own a computer and/or do not have internet access, how can I submit my entry?

A device with a working internet connection is required for the online submission process. If you do not have an appropriate device and/or internet access at home, access to public computers with internet access can be found in Public Libraries and Community Centres. Smartphones and tablets can also be used to submit entries, and enlisting the help of friends or family with any of these devices is also an option.

Checklist for online entry:

Before you submit an image of your work to the online entry system, please check that the files conform to the following criteria:

• File size: File size must not exceed 1MB.

• Image size: Entrants are advised to ensure their image has sufficient pixels to present well to the judges. No concession by the judges will be made for poor quality files. A guideline is minimum 1200 pixels on the shortest edge.

• File format: Files must be uploaded as a JPG. Please also ensure that the image file has been saved with the extension .jpg or .jpeg present.

• Colour scheme: RGB

IMPORTANT: Entrants who are selected for the shortlist must be able to provide their finished file at 3500 pixels on the longest side, without interpolation. Files not meeting this size will be removed from the shortlist.

How are payments made during submission?

Transactions are conducted via PayPal and require the details of either your bank account, debit card, or credit card. The South Australian Museum cannot accept cheques, direct money transfers, or cash.

How will I know if my entries have been received?

The online entry system will notify you by email once your entries have been received. A receipt will also be sent to your email address from PayPal.

What will I see on my bank statement once I have paid the registration fee?

The transaction for Nature Photographer of the Year entries will appear on your statement as:

PAYPAL *SOUTHAUSTRA 4029357733

Common problems with online entries:

• File size too large: File size must not exceed 1MB.

• Image resolution too low: The suggested dimension of all submitted images is a minimum of 1200 pixels.

• Incorrect file format: Files must be uploaded as a JPEG, with a .jpg or .jpeg file extension. If the file extension if absent from the file, this may cause the file to be corrupted, even though it may appear to have uploaded correctly.

• Incorrect colour model: All submissions must be in RGB colour format. Other formats will not upload correctly.

• Incompatible filename: using irregular text in an images’ filename (such punctuation or asci symbols) can sometimes cause the file to upload incorrectly. Keep your filenames short and simple, and restricted to regular text (letters and, if necessary, numbers). Your file will be renamed by the system so it is not necessary to include your name or the image title.

What happens if my submission is corrupted or unreadable?

If your submission is corrupted or unreadable by us, we will endeavour to contact you in order to arrange for the image to be re-sent.

Steps to try if you are having trouble submitting:

First off it might be worth trying different web browsers to access the webpage. Deleting your browsing history for a given web browser might also help as your browser may have cached an older version of the webpage.

If this doesn’t work, then you might need to try a different computer. Note that the website will save the progress of your submission, provided you log off correctly, so if you have uploaded your images already then your completed submissions will be saved and it won’t matter if you use a different computer to complete your submission.

Issues when adding an image caption:

The brief caption accompanying each entry needs to be no larger than 300 characters in size, and must consist of regular text (i.e. letters, numbers and punctuation, but not symbols).

If, when trying to submit a caption/description for your entry, you receive the message "The brief caption must be a string or array type with a maximum length of '300'" this warning has nothing to do with the image file. The most likely cause is the presence of incompatible symbols in the caption. This can often be the result of cutting and pasting the caption from a word processing program. Typing the caption directly into the space provided, rather than using cut/paste, is one way to try and resolve this error message.

Further assistance:

If you continue to experience problems during the submission of your entries, then please contact us at the following email address:

NPOTY@samuseum.sa.gov.au

We will endeavour to respond to your email as soon as possible. However please note that in the days leading up to the end-date of the competition, the increased amount of internet traffic and submissions may mean that both the speed of our submission system and our ability to respond to technical issues will be reduced. We recommend initiating submission of entries early in the competition so that if you do come across any technical problems, our staff will have plenty of time to help you with any problems you might experience.

People’s Choice Prize

Visitors to the exhibition at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide can vote for their favourite photo and be in with a chance to win a lucky draw prize.

The People's Choice winning photographer will receive $500.

Voting will commence when the exhibition opens and ends at 3.00pm on Friday 17 October 2025. The People’s Choice winner will be announced on 24 October 2025. The voter prize winner will be notified by email on 24 October 2025.