About the Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest
This contest celebrates the power of photography to communicate the importance of supporting wildlife where people live. Whether that is in a local park, community greenspace, balcony garden, or even your very own backyard, we want to see your photos!
When you take part in the photo contest, you become part of our visual community that recognizes the impact of gardening for wildlife. 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.
The 2024 Winners have been announced!
CREDIT: RADIM SCHREIBER
Look Ahead to the 2025 Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest
Contest opens at 12pm EST on
August 4th, 2025.
Contest closes at 11:59pm EST on
September 19th, 2025.
CREDIT: SOO BAUS
Photo Contest Prizes
Grand Prize
(One Winner)
$1,000 cash prize
Runner-Up
(One Winner)
$500 cash prize
Additional prizes for category winners and runners-up will be announced soon.
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.
Discover Past Winners
CREDIT: KEVIN SHI
