The 2024 Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest is nearly here!
The Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest celebrates the power of photography to communicate the importance of supporting wildlife where people live, play, learn, work, and worship.
Be part of our visual community that recognizes the impact of gardening for wildlife. We are rewarding the photographs that best illustrate the faces of Garden for Wildlife® through striking color images showing the impact of habitat gardens on wildlife and people – in urban, suburban and rural settings on land, in the air, and in the water. Every person who enters not only honors their own work, but also helps support the conservation mission of the National Wildlife Federation, which is dedicated to saving wildlife species and their habitats.
CREDIT: SOO BAUS
We are excited to announce the following five categories for entry in our 2024 contest:
- People in the Wildlife Garden
- Certified Wildlife Habitat Landscapes
- Wildlife Observations Where People Live, Work, Play, Learn and Worship
- Close-up Native Plants and their Wildlife Visitors
- Young Habitat Photographers: For photographers age 13-17
Photo Contest Prizes
Grand Prize (One Winner): $1,000 cash prize
Runner-Up (One Winner): $500 cash prize
Category Winners (5 total): Each will receive a gift card to Wild Birds Unlimited ($100 value)
Runner-Up Category Winners (5 total): Each will receive a Bluebird House ($89.99 value)
Honorable Mentions: National Wildlife Federation Calendar Magnet
Interested in being alerted when the contest opens for submissions? Join or email newsletter to receive updates on the contest and a monthly educational newsletter straight to your inbox!
Contest opens on September 3rd, 2024 and closes at 11:59pm EST on October 16, 2024.
Garden Photography Tips
- Natural light is best! Try taking photos during “golden hour” as the sun rises and sets to get naturally diffused light. Cloudy days can also be a good choice for this soft lighting.
- Know your subject! Are you unsure if a plant or animal is native? Use a nature-ID app to help you get to know the subject of your photo.
- Remember that nature is everywhere! You don’t have to have the rarest animal or plant in your photo to make it an excellent image. Wildlife can be found even in the tiniest cracks in the sidewalk if you have a keen eye.
- It’s not all about the gear. Great photos can be taken with any camera, including the one right on your phone!
- Have patience and take lots of photos. Not every photo you take will turn out, so be patient and get lots of photos before you select the ones you want to submit.
Want more? Check out 10 tips to improve your wildlife photography.
Look Back at the 2022 Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest Winners!
CREDIT: KEVIN SHI
