Photography Contest

The 2026 Conservationist Photo Contest is Closed — See You Next Year!

Thank you to all the talented photographers who entered this year's contest. You can view winning images in the December January issue of Conservationist Magazine.

Our 2027 contest will open in June. Please check back then for another change to be featured in New York's premier outdoor magazine.

Receive incredible images year-round of wildlife, landscapes, and all that nature has to offer by subscribing today! 

Conservationist Photo Contest Official Rules

ELIGIBILITY

• Contest is open to professional and amateur photographers.
• All photos must be taken in New York State.

CATEGORIES

• OUTDOOR RECREATION: staged or candid images of people engaged in activities outside, or just enjoying nature.
• WILDLIFE: animals, birds, and insects native to New York State.
• LANDSCAPES AND SCENERY: beauty shots of the natural world.

ENTRY PERIOD

• Submissions will be accepted through September 8, 2026; entries submitted after the deadline will not be eligible.

HOW TO ENTER

• Email image files to [email protected] with “Photo Contest” in the subject line.
• Please limit submissions to three (3) photos per category.
• Images must be submitted as digital files; no physical photos will be accepted.
• We recommend emailing the original file as an attachment. Images shared via external links will not be accepted. Digital images may be submitted as 8 bit TIFF (uncompressed), JPG, or PNG. Please do not upscale. A good guideline for resolution is 8 x 12 inches at 300 dpi (uncropped) or 2400 x 3600 pixels.
• Each entry must contain the following:
  1. Photographer name (as it should appear in print)
     Mailing address 
     Phone number
  2.  Location and/or species information for every photo
  3. Technical metadata for each image
• Photographers with winning entries will be notified in November.

PRIZES

• Winning entries will be featured in the December/January issue of Conservationist.
• Photographers with winning entries will be eligible for a $100 honorarium and a 1-year subscription to Conservationist.

CONTENT RESTRICTIONS

• Photos with pets, man-made features, captive animals, livestock, or invasive species as the main subject are not eligible.
• Do not add signatures or watermarks to photos.
• Images that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will not be accepted.
• All submissions must have been taken in New York State.

RIGHTS AND PERMISSION

• Photographers retain copyright to their submitted photographs.
• The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) can publish and use the photos with photographer credit, including on DEC’s social media platforms.

Entrants are responsible for complying with the Official Rules; not doing so may result in disqualification.

DEC reserves the right to verify the validity and originality of any entry and/or entrant (including an entrant's identity and address) and to disqualify any entrant who submits an entry that is not in accordance with the Official Rules or who tampers with the entry process.

See DEC's Terms of Use for submitted contributed content.