Global Wildlife Fair International Photo Awards 2025

Theme: Wild Mammals

Images possess a unique power to captivate, inspire, and inform. As vivid representations of the natural world, they have the potential to transform perspectives, fostering greater eco-consciousness and empathy for the countless beings with whom we share this planet.

The Global Wildlife Fair invites photographers from across the globe to embark on a journey into the world of mammals through six compelling categories. This year’s theme aims to encourage a deeper exploration of mammalian behavior, offering insights into their challenges and the delicate balance of coexistence with humans.

This competition is more than an opportunity to showcase photographic talent; it is a platform to spark meaningful thought, dialogue, and action for the preservation of wildlife and the promotion of sustainability. Together, through the lens, we can contribute to a shared vision of conservation and inspire lasting change.

Categories

Faces of the Wild

  • Capture stunning portraits of mammals in the wild, emphasizing their unique features. Create and share fine pieces of art showcasing characters that reveal the essence of mammals in all their glory.

Wild Instincts 

  • Shine a light on the fascinating behaviors of mammals, showcasing their interactions within species and with others. From tender moments to intense struggles for survival, highlight the complex relationships— be it of codependence or of competition—that shape life in the wild. 

Habitats and Reborn Lands

  • Explore the dynamic relationship between mammals and their habitats. Submitted photographs can illustrate thriving ecosystems, as well as areas where habitats have been rewilded through successful conservation efforts, offering hope for the future of endangered species.

Climate Impact

  • As global temperatures rise and climates shift, many mammals are adapting to survive amidst the changes. Through compelling imagery, show how climate change is altering the lives of mammalian species, from changing migration patterns to the destruction of critical habitats, and raise awareness about the urgent need for climate mitigation. 

Threats, Challenges, and Conservation

  • In a world marked by industrialization, habitat destruction, and human-wildlife conflict, mammals face multiple threats to their survival. Use your lens to capture the challenges they endure, while also highlighting the ongoing conservation efforts and initiatives that are working to mitigate these issues. 

Creatures of the Night

  • Many mammals are elusive and hidden from the human eye, often living nocturnal lives away from daylight and human interaction. Submit creative and captivating night time photography. Step into their world and reveal how these mammals adapt to life in the shadows, and how they are essential for the ecosystem.

The entry fee for the competition is $30 or INR 2500 which is fixed for all. This fee allows you to submit three individual photographs to the competition.

 

Awards

Category - Winner. $300 per category and a certificate.

Category - Runner Up. $150 per category and a certificate.

Category - Appreciation Award. $100 per category and a certificate.

(Total 18 awards)

Winning images will be exhibited at GWF.

 

Register Now

 

Benefits for Participants

A Booklet of all entries - it will be available to buy at a discounted rate (or a coffee table book)

Image selected for exhibition.

Webinar access

Tickets to the fair

Certificates to all participants.

Invite to Networking Dinner (for winners)

Timeline

1st February to 15th September 2025.

Winners will be informed in the 1st week of October and the awards will be sent in the 4th week of October 2025.

Guidelines, Terms & Conditions and Charges
  • The competition is open to anyone between the ages of 25 to 60 years old.
  • The entry fee for the competition is $30 or INR 2500 which is fixed for all. This fee allows you to submit three individual photographs to the competition. 
  • The payment of the entry fee lets you submit three photographs, however, you may also submit just one photograph (please note that there shall be no change in the entry fee).
  • Each participant can submit only one photograph for one category. Submission of multiple photographs to one category is not allowed. The payment of the entry fee once lets you submit one photograph each to three separate categories. If you wish to submit a photograph to each of the six categories, you shall need to pay the entry fee twice.
  • The entry fee once paid shall not be refunded.
  • Global Wildlife Fair as the organiser holds the right to:
    1. Amend the rules without prior notice.
    2. Change the prizes for the winning entries.
    3. Decide whether the awards ceremony will be an in-person event or carried out online.
    4. Disqualify any entry on the basis of breach of rules or unethical practice.
  • Photographs which do not adhere to the theme shall be disqualified.
  • Camera trap images and drone images are not allowed.
  • The organiser is not responsible for legal formalities/permits required for the use of certain gear or the access of certain locations in taking photographs for the purpose of the competition. 
  • You are requested to provide a title to your photograph(s) as well as a caption narrating the story behind the shot (maximum 200 words). Kindly mention complete information regarding where the photograph was clicked. All captions should be true and accurate. Photographs without these details shall not be accepted.
  • Images will only be accepted through our official portal. Images submitted through other modes will not be considered.
  • Images that have won any national or international award between July 2024 to October 2025 may be submitted however other new and fresh entries shall be preferred.
  • Photographs older than 10 years (clicked before January 2015) shall not be accepted. 
  • You should be the owner of the submitted photograph. Plagiarised work shall be disqualified.
  • The copyright of the image shall remain with you for all uses and purposes. However, by submitting your photo/s to our contest, you give GWF permission to use your images for purposes of promoting current or future photo contests on our website, social media platforms, displays at the fair, and electronic email with proper credit.
  • The competition is open to all except employees of Global Wildlife Fair, Asian Adventures, Wildlife Trust of India, Asian Ecotourism Network and other partners/sponsors. Any persons involved in the judging process can not enter the competition.
  • info@globalwildlifefair.com is the official email for all queries and concerns regarding the competition. Emails regarding submission issues before Sep 15, 2025, shall only be entertained. Kindly do not send your entries via email; they shall only be accepted through the website portal. 
  • Kindly provide the correct personal details while uploading your entries as the details you provide shall be used for further communications. 
  • All communications will be sent via info@globalwildlifefair.com. The participants are requested to add this email to their contacts to avoid missing important communications regarding the competition.
  • The decision of the Jury shall be final and binding.
Technical specifications
  • You are requested not to add your name anywhere on the photograph or in the caption to ensure a fair judging process.
  • The jury might request you to submit the RAW file during the judging period. You are required to provide the same within 5 days of the request. If in case a RAW file is not available, kindly submit the original JPEG file. The inability to submit the original RAW or JPEG file will result in disqualification of your entry.
  • Minimal cropping and post-processing are permissible. Minimum cleaning work like removal of sensor dust or scratches, removal of chromatic aberration, lens distortion, and vignetting are allowed. Stitching or stacking of images for the sake of panoramas, focus stacking, exposure bracketing, and lengthening exposure is allowed however should be mentioned during the submission of the photograph. 
  • Noticeable alterations and manipulations to the photograph are not allowed. AI-generated content including generative fill; removal of dirt/pollutants from the background/foreground; removal of animals, people, plants or parts of the same: all qualify as alterations or manipulations which are not allowed.
  • Only digital photographs can be submitted. Other art forms, scans, or prints shall not be accepted.  
  • The image should not have a border, watermark, tex,t or any other signature/identifiable mark on it.
  • Accepted file format: JPEGs
  • Recommended image resolution is 72 dpi, however, higher resolutions are also accepted if the image size can be maintained.
  • Size: 5 mb or less. Files must be at least 1920 pixels on the longer side.
  • Aspect Ratios: 4:3 or 3:2
Ethical Criteria
  • The subjects in the photograph should be wild and free. Images of captive and restrained animals shall be disqualified unless such a photograph is required in accordance with the theme to convey a message, in which case, it should be explicitly mentioned by the participant in the caption.
  • Unethically obtained photographs, photographs of taxidermied animals, photographs of pets, photographs showing trading of animals/animal parts, photographs showing violation of animal or human rights and photographs obtained after voluntarily disturbing wildlife and vegetation will be disqualified, and the photographer will be barred from all future competitions.
  • Images captured through live baiting animals shall be disqualified. If certain food or scent is involved in the process, the same should be mentioned in the caption. The jury shall prefer images which do not involve any such methods.
  • The photographs should not deceive or misinterpret the reality of a place or species. If the jury is unable to authenticate a photograph they hold the right to disqualify it.
  • Participants are advised to familiarize themselves with the laws and cultural or religious beliefs regarding certain species and habitats before submitting photographs, to ensure they do not infringe upon them.

 

AWARDS JURY 2025

Marc Guyt
Marc Guyt | AGAMI

Marc is a birder and bird photographer with a keen interest in photographing seabirds and seeing the more skulking birds of this planet. Founder and director of AGAMI Photo Agency, a Dutch-based stock agency specializing in birds and nature images.

Rafael Armada
Rafael Armada

Rafael Armada is a professional wildlife photographer and guide from Spain, with over three decades of experience in bird photography. A two-time gold winner in the Bird Photographer of the Year contest and author of the book ‘Portfolio 1: Photographs and Stories of Extraordinary Birds’ by Lynx Nature Books, Rafael has traveled globally in search of the world's most extraordinary birds, and in this occasion, he invites us to travel with him to this fantastic place.