Frequently Asked Questions
This page gives a range of information you should find useful if you are thinking of entering.
For more information see also our pages on:
What is the closing date?
Midnight Saturday 12th May 2012 for all entries.
When will I know if I have been successful?
The judging process will begin soon after the closing date. If you have not heard from us by 20 July 2012 you have not been short-listed this time.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to anyone except those directly involved in the organisation and judging. Amateur and professional photographers of any nationality are eligible.
What images are eligible?
Entries must have been taken in the United Kingdom. Images can be of native or migrant wild species, or non-indigenous species that reside permanently in the UK. Subjects photographed in a studio setting or a captive environment are eligible provided this information is supplied when submitting images.
What age do I need to be to enter the Young People’s Award?
Those under 19 years old on the closing date are eligible to enter the Young People's Award.
Can young photographers enter the adult competition?
No. If you're eligible for the Young People's Awards, you are not eligible for the adult categories.
Does it matter when a photograph was taken?
We do not impose a time limit. Images taken at any time are eligible.How many images can I enter?
See the competition fees page.
Can I enter the same photograph in more than one category?
No. Images can be entered into one category only.Will you move images placed into incorrect categories?
No, it is up to you to enter them into the right category. But registered competitors will get a chance to review their uploaded images before they finally enter them. If you change your mind about a category before you submit your entry you can delete the image and reupload it in the new category. Once the entry is submitted the category cannot be changed.
Can I enter an image that’s been entered into another competition?
Yes you can, so long as it did not win a prize and that competition is over. Specifically, a picture that has already won a prize (winner, runner-up, or commended) in a major competition - which we define as one receiving more than 500 images and includes previous BWPA competitions - cannot be entered in BWPA. Images that have been entered into a major competition where the results are still pending are not eligible for entry.
How do I submit my images?
The easiest way to submit still images is to use the online uploading system on our website. For video entries, please pay online and then submit your video on CD by post. You may also submit your images by post - we do accept prints.
How do I pay?
To pay for your entry online you need to buy credits from our website. Credits can then be used to upload images to different categories. Online entries are paid for via PayPal. You don’t need to have a PayPal account, but you do need a credit card. If you wish to enter by post then postal entries must be sent with a cheque. Please make cheques payable to 'British Wildlife Photography Awards'. Cheques can only be accepted in sterling from UK banks and entries will be accepted on clearance of the cheque.
Can I get my images back after the competition?
We can return prints if requested and if you send us a stamped, self-addressed envelope of appropriate size and value.
Why do you charge a fee to enter?
The cost of running a competition is high. There are staff fees associated with organising and running the competition, the prizes, the cost of designing, maintaining and managing the website, and the cost of putting on a series of nationwide exhibitions, including mounting and framing images. The competition fees help to cover these costs.
What images do you not accept?
Double exposures, photographs which consist of more than one image in any way and images that have been manipulated outside of the rules.
Can I enter an image that has been published in a magazine or other media?
Yes. However, the judging criteria include originality and a widely published image may have a reduced chance of winning on these grounds.
What forms of digital processing are acceptable?
Digital adjustments including minor cleaning work, levels, curves, colour, saturation and contrast work may be undertaken. You can use the sharpening tool, but be wary of over-sharpening. Cropping is allowed, but please bear in mind that cropping reduces the file size and therefore high levels of cropping could result in the deterioration of image quality. This kind of work is comparable to what would be deemed as acceptable darkroom processing techniques. The aim is to achieve a true representation of a natural form, behaviour or phenomenon. Images where the physical characteristics of the scene at the time of taking have been altered are not eligible. We also accept high resolution scans of slides (transparencies) or negatives.
Can birds and insects be included in the ‘animal’ categories?
Yes, of course. In our definition of 'animal' we mean the word in its zoological sense, so pretty much anything that isn't a plant would be eligible, including fish, insects, marine invertebrates, birds, even microscopic animals if you like.
Are black and white images eligible?
Yes, we will accept black and white images.
Do I need to obtain model release forms if my pictures include people?
Yes. If your image includes a recognisable person then you will need to supply a model release form if your picture is shortlisted. We will ask for this if we need it. You do NOT need to submit a form when uploading your entry for the first stage of judging, unless we ask you for it.
Can photographers of any nationality enter?
Yes, although it is the British Wildlife Photography Awards any nationality of photographer is welcome to enter. Please note the eligibility criteria for your photographs though. All images must have been taken in the United Kingdom.
How can I change my password?
You can get a new password sent to you by clicking the 'Forgotton password' link when you log on. You cannot change your password to a password of your choice, but you can select a new one like this as often as you like.
How can my child enter the competition?
Anyone aged 18 or under can enter the Young Photographer category and gets one free credit, which allows up to four images to be submitted at no charge. You can make an account for your child and enter on their behalf, just make sure you select 'youth' and not 'adult'; and use an email address that has not already been registered. The free credit should be given automatically, if not, let us know.
The competition can also be entered by post, so even if you have no computer at all you can enter. But it's usually easier to register an account for your child using an adult's email address.
Why can’t I enter the Young People’s Awards?
If you cannot upload images to the Young Photographer category it might be because you registered as an adult. Adults are not eligible for this category so can't upload to it.
The easiest solution is to make a new account with the correct classification. Or if you get in touch with us we can change your account to the correct class.
My pictures don’t look right once they’ve been uploaded. Is this a problem?
The judges see higher resolution versions of your images just as you have sent them.
You may also occasionally notice the title of your images showing as 'Undefined' on the lightbox preview page. This is nothing to worry about - so long as the correct title is shown in the submitted entries the judges will see the full title.
Can I enter my children’s photographs on my own account?
You should register them separately as each youth account only gets one free credit. But note that you can only use an email address for one account, because our system uses email addresses as a unique identifier for both accounts and images. So for security and consistency we'd prefer not to have more than one entrant with the same email address.
We suggest you might want to open a free online email account for other photographers in your family who want to enter. Services such as Gmail or Hotmail would be suitable. If you prefer not to let children have their own account, which might be sensible for younger photographers, you can operate the account for them, all we need is an email address that is unique.
Another good solution offered by Gmail is described here whereby you can add extra words to your basic address to identify different users (or for other purposes). Our system is designed to treat these as separate addresses, so you can make a new account for each photographer but they would all end up in the same Gmail account.