Nature Next Door: Photography Competition

This competition is open to students enrolled in a New Zealand school at the time of submission. Families of Auckland War Memorial Museum (AWMM) employees, volunteers, or sponsors are not eligible to enter. 

Only photos that the entrant has ownership over may be entered into this competition i.e. the photo has been taken by the entrant. If the entrant does not have ownership over the photo, then AWMM excludes all liability for any claim of breach of copyright in photos submitted in this competition. AWMM reserves the right to request proof of ownership.

Use the form on the Nature Next Door Photography Competition web page. All details required on the form must be provided i.e. name, contact details etc. All photos submitted must be taken in Aotearoa New Zealand. Failure to supply the necessary personal information at the time of submission may result in the entry being invalid. 

Photos can be submitted from Saturday 27 June to Sunday 26 July (the “Photo Submission Period”). Only photos received during the Photo Submission Period will be accepted. 

To be eligible for submission: 
- All photos must reflect the theme of “Nature Next Door” and must have been taken in Aotearoa New Zealand. Only photos that reflect the theme will be considered. All photos must be appropriate for all audiences.  
- Only digital photographs will be accepted and must be in TIFF/JPEG/PNG format.  
- The photo(s) must meet reasonable standards of decency.  
- The description od the photo must be detailed and appropriate for all audiences.  
- Photos must not contain watermarks or photography credits.  
- Photographers may make reasonable use of post-production using editing software such as Lightroom/Photoshop. This is allowed. Images found to be AI generated will be disqualified.  
- Photos submitted must have a minimum resolution of 1MB, and a maximum resolution of 10MB.  
- Once submitted, an entry cannot be changed or edited.  
 
 

Entry into the competition is limited to a maximum of two images per person. If more than two are submitted, the first two images will be judged, and the remaining will not be considered. 

The judging period runs from Monday 27 July to Sunday 9 August 2026. The winners will be advised before the result is made public. 

There are three entry categories and three separate prize categories that reflect this:  

• Scouts (Students in Year 0 – 6) = GoPro Insta360 X4, AWMM Mini-Membership + 3 Friends and Family, a free education session for their class from the AWMM’s Education Team. Valued at $840. 

• Explorers (Students in Year 7-10) = GoPro Insta360 X4, AWMM Mini-Membership + 3 Friends and Family, a free education session for their class from the AWMM’s Education Team. Valued at $840. 

• Trailblazers (Students in Year 11-13) = Panasonic Lumix G100D, AWMM Annual Membership + 3 Friends and Family. Valued at $1134. 

Prizes are not transferable or exchangeable and cannot be redeemed for cash. The judge(s) decision is final and binding in all manners, and no correspondence will be entered into. AWMM cannot be held responsible for the winner being unable to redeem the Prize. All entries are eligible to win the prize. 

The winners will be chosen by AWMM Employees.  

By submitting a photo for entry, the entrant hereby agrees to participate in any publicity related to the Competition. The Winner in the Competition agrees that their identity may be disclosed in winner announcements and promotional material. The Winner also agrees to have his/her competition photograph used for publicity purposes without any additional payment being made. The winners will be notified on Wednesday 12 August 2026. using the contact details provided. If after three days the winner cannot be contacted, that winner will forfeit the prize with no right of compensation and AWMM may select an alternate winner in its sole discretion.

AWMM does not own the rights to any photographs submitted into the competition. Entrants retain all rights to their images, however, by submitting a photo, the entrant agrees to allow AWMM permission to use the winning image(s) for the following purposes at no cost to: 

• Marketing future photography competitions held by AWMM. Publish their photo in printed collateral, online, in-store and across other marketing media relating. For these purposes, the photo may be copied, modified and adapted to fit the required format. 

Subject to any applicable law which cannot be excluded, AWMM and their employees are not responsible for any loss or damage whatsoever that is suffered (including but not limited to indirect or consequential loss) or for personal injury suffered or sustained during the course of accepting or using the prize.