Calling all Photographers: The Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest Categories Announced

Make sure your cameras are charged and ready to go! The Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest returns this summer. Learn about the submission categories for this year.

This year marks our eight annual Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest! This contest focuses on photos that show the massive impact that habitat gardens can have on wildlife and people. Whether that’s in a local park, community greenspace, balcony garden, or even your very own backyard, we want to see your photos!

The contest will open for 2026 submissions this August.

Yearly Changing Category Announced

While most of our photo submission categories stay the same each year, we have one very special Yearly Changing Category! Each year, our staff and judges decide on what the focus for this will be. For 2026, the yearly changing category is (drumroll, please)…

Misunderstood Species

Some wildlife species get all the love! Others, not so much. We want to see some of these misunderstood species like spiders, snakes, poison ivy, and bats through your lens! Photos can help connect people to species they might otherwise shy away from. Submit your photos of these underdog species showing their best side in this very special 2026 category!

Why Focus on Misunderstood Species This Year?

When it comes to supporting wildlife in our gardens, it’s easy to get excited about butterflies, songbirds, and bumblebees. What may be trickier is learning to value some of the animals and plants that we have been taught to be cautious around.

Many people, including wildlife-lovers, have knee-jerk reactions to animals like spiders or snakes, which can evoke fear. Even some plants can cause us to shrink away! Our fear of certain species doesn’t make them any less valuable in an ecosystem though.

Photographers have the power to change our perceptions of these plants and animals by allowing us to see them closely without any fear. These photos can even show them in a new light or put into stark relief their value to the ecosystem.

Learn About the Other Submission Categories

In addition to our yearly changing category, we also have four other photo submission categories that remain the same each year. Read up on them here:

Native Plants in the Garden

From close-up shots of plants to wide landscape images of native gardens, this category celebrates native plants in all their forms! Images in this category can feature native plants in a variety of settings and seasons. Yes, even plants with brown leaves in winter can be joyful subjects for photos! Not sure how to tell if a plant is native? Use a plant-ID app to learn more about your subject or ask a local expert!

Wildlife in the Garden

Wildlife gardens bring in all kinds of animals including insects, arthropods, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and so many more! Photos in this category might be close-ups of wildlife, action shots showing wildlife behavior, or even wide landscape photos featuring wildlife in the frame. Even your photos of fungi can fit in this category!

Funny and Candid Moments in the Garden

We’ve seen several chuckle-worthy photos over the years. Maybe it’s a funny face that an animal made when you snapped a photo, a humorous animal interaction, or a candid shot of you or someone else actively gardening! It might even be an in-progress portion of your garden that makes you chuckle.

Youth Category (Ages 13-17)

For our photographers aged 13-17, we have a special category just for you! For the second year in a row, all youth photographers will have their submission fees waived!

Check out some of our past contest submissions!

Your Photo Contest Questions Answered

Does my photo need to be taken in my own garden to count for the contest?

No, it does not! This photo contest focuses on highlighting “backyard wildlife”, but this does not mean it has to be taken in your backyard. We define “backyard wildlife” to include any animals, plants, and fungi that benefit from green spaces where people are a dominant factor. While this may include your own backyard garden, it also includes places like parks, community green spaces, roadside habitat, places of worship, workplaces, and so much more!

These wildlife gardens are incredibly important in human-dominated environments as they provide habitat that may have been destroyed when the land was developed for housing or business. Learn more about the impact of gardening for wildlife here!

Does the photo need to be taken in 2026 to qualify for the 2026 Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest?

No, you can submit photos from any year! If you’ve been taking nature photos for years, you likely already have quite a few great shots that would fit into our categories. Even so, getting your camera out this summer can be a great opportunity to capture photos that fit our submission categories, especially our yearly changing category!

Where can I learn more about the photo contest?

Learn more about the photo contest here and join our mailing list to get updated when the contest opens for submissions!

We can’t wait to see your photos!