The Natural History Museum in London runs Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, the free under 18 side of its annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. Photographers aged 17 and under can enter up to 10 photos of wild animals, plants, fungi, landscapes or human and nature interactions, taken on any camera including a smartphone. Winning images are shown in the museum's London exhibition, which then tours venues around the world.

What you get:

• Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year Grand Title: £2,000 on top of the category prize, a trophy, a personalised certificate and a feature article in the museum's Wild World magazine
• Category winners: £500, a personalised certificate, a trip to London for the awards ceremony and publication in the WPY Portfolio book
• Runners up: £150, a personalised certificate, publication in the Portfolio book and an invitation to the awards ceremony
• Highly commended: a personalised certificate, publication in the Portfolio book and an invitation to the awards ceremony
• Awarded images shown in the exhibition at the Natural History Museum and on its international tour, with media and social media coverage

What you'll do:

• Submit up to 10 photos, free, through the competition's online entry portal
• Your entries go automatically into your age bracket: 10 years and under, 11 to 14 years, or 15 to 17 years
• Write an honest caption for each photo (up to 2,500 characters) covering what is happening, where and when it was taken
• If shortlisted, supply the original RAW or untouched files so the museum can check the image is authentic

Key dates:

• Competition opened 19 October 2026, 10:30 GMT
• Entries close Thursday 3 December 2026, 11:30 GMT
• First round results 22 January 2027
• Final decision 12 March 2027

More information:

• Full Young WPY rules: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year/competition/young-wpy-rules.html
• Categories and age brackets: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year/competition/categories.html
• Prizes: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year/competition/awards-and-prizes.html
• How to prepare and submit your files: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year/competition/prepare-to-enter.html

• Aged 17 or under on Thursday 3 December 2026; anyone 18 or over enters the adult competition instead
• Open worldwide; no nationality or residence restriction is stated
• Free to enter; up to 10 photos in your own age bracket
• A parent or guardian authorising the entry is bound by the rules on the young person's behalf
• Photos must be taken after October 2021 and show non-captive wild animals, plants, fungi, landscapes or habitats
• No farm animals, pets, cultivated plants, baiting or luring, or AI generated or AI altered images
• JPEG at 1920 pixels on the longest side, no borders, watermarks or signatures, and no name in the caption or file data
• Not open to young people with a family member involved in organising or judging, or employed by the museum or its trading company