The Orkney Nature Festival, which runs until Sunday 17 May, has launched their Photography Competition 2026. Photographers of all ages and abilities are invited to celebrate the remarkable wildlife, landscapes, and plant life of the Orkney Islands through photography.

The competition officially opened on 11th May 2026 and will accept entries until 31st July 2026.

The competition aims to showcase the beauty, diversity, and uniqueness of Orkney’s natural environment, while encouraging both residents and visitors to engage with the islands’ extraordinary wildlife and landscapes. Organisers hope the competition will inspire people to explore Orkney responsibly and creatively, while highlighting the importance of protecting local habitats and species.

This year’s competition features six categories:

1. Natural Landscapes of Orkney,
2. Terrestrial Animals of Orkney
3. Marine Animals of Orkney
4. Plants of Orkney
5. Under 18 Natural Landscapes of Orkney
6. Under 18 Species of Orkney.

Participants may submit up to three photographs per category, with entry completely free of charge.

All photographs must be taken within the Orkney Islands and should have been captured after 31st July 2024. Images entered into species categories must feature local wildlife or plants, rather than non-native or domesticated species. Organisers are keen to encourage authentic representations of Orkney’s natural environment and ask photographers to ensure that all images are their own original work, without the use of AI.

Entries must be submitted digitally through an online submission form available via the Orkney Nature Festival website throughout the competition period, click on this link  Orkney Nature Festival Photography Competition 2026

A judging panel selected by the festival organisers will assess entries based on creativity, originality, composition, relevance to the category, and how effectively the images represent Orkney’s natural environment. 

Each category will include both a Winner and a Runner-Up. Winners will receive non-cash prizes donated by a range of local businesses, while both Winners and Runners-Up will be presented with printed certificates recognising their achievements. 

The images from both the Winner and Runner-Up from each category will feature in the 2027 Orkney Nature Festival Calendar, with proceeds from calendar sales supporting the Orkney Nature Festival charity. Photographers will retain copyright of their images, and appropriate credit will always be given when photographs are used.

Henry Memmott, the Digital Coordinator of the Orkney Nature Festival, said:

“Launching this competition has been a goal of ours for a while, and is the culmination of a lot of efforts from the committee. We hope to show the incredible sights and species of the Orkney Islands, in the compete variety of weathers, light and seasons that it is known for.

“The competition aims to get folk out to enjoy and share the natural world, whether they are a born-and-bred Orcadian, or a visitor for the week. We hope that this will showcase some of the flora and fauna of these wonderful islands.

“A massive thank you must also go to our supportive local businesses for donating prizes, and our panel of judges for agreeing to the hard task of choosing their favourites – details of both will be announced soon!”