**Entries have closed. Thanks to all who submitted photos. Winners will be announced in the May 2025 issue of Wilderness, published April 13.**
The search is on for the best outdoor photographers in the country. Perhaps you have already taken a winning image? If not, fear not: you have until February 28, 2025 to take it.
The three categories
Darran Mountains bivvy. Photographer: Jonathan Coppi
1. Huts and camping
Celebrate the uniqueness of New Zealand hut life and locations, or share the perfect camping scene. As with the Out There category, people will make the image complete.
Above: Jonathan Coppi’s image of a bivvy camp in the Darran Mountains won the Huts and Camping category and the overall 2024 Outdoor Photographer of the Year title.
Climbing out of the tussock basin above Nardoo Hut. Photographer: Sam Harrison
2. Out there
For the wilderness photos that make you go ‘wow’. Whether taken from a mountaintop or deep in the bush, it should be a view to savour, a dramatic scene. The best photos will feature people in the landscape: trampers, climbers, kayakers, bikers – anyone enjoying New Zealand’s wilderness.
Above: Sam Harrison’s photo of trampers near Nardoo Hut won the Out There category in 2024.
Riroriro grey warbler Photographer: Eleanor Morgan
3. Wildlife
Whether it’s birds, insects, plants, trees or a lone deer or chamois captured in the mountains, send us your best shots of Aotearoa’s flora and fauna.
Above: Eleanor Morgan won the Wildlife category in 2024 with this shot of a grey warbler.
Competition tips
Follow these tips to give yourself the best shot at winning.
Multiple images may be submitted, but you should only include one image per email entry.
Don’t send dozens of variations of the same shot – choose your favourite.
The best photos tell a story. Human or animal elements can bring scale, personality, colour and excitement to an image.
Dare to be different. Every year we get dozens of images of kea, the Kepler Track, Mueller Hut and Aoraki Mt Cook.
Find unique places and subjects, or frame classic vistas in new ways.
We use (and pay for) dozens of entries to illustrate stories and covers in future issues of the magazine. This means the best photos reflect the content of the magazine and should be taken in the great outdoors – not your garden. (House cats and lupins are out; huts, trampers, rock wrens and mountains are in.)
The prizes
Overall winner
The person crowned the Wilderness Outdoor Photographer of the Year receives a Lumix DC-G97M camera valued at $1599. The G97 is an ideal adventurer’s camera; it’s built-in dual image stabilisation system removes the need for a tripod. It’s fully weather sealed and can handle the elements. It comes with a 12–60mm lens suitable for landscapes and close-ups.
Runner-up
The runner-up will receive a Lumix DC-G100Dk valued at $1349. The G100D is proof that mighty things can come in small packages. It has interchangeable lenses, a micro 4/3 20MP sensor and a collapsing 12–32mm lens that retracts when not needed and extends when in operation.
Third prize
The third place-getter will receive a Lumix DC-TZ99 valued at $849. The TZ99 is Panasonic’s latest travel zoom camera. It has a 30x LEICA DC zoom lens, high-res touch LCD screen and USB-C charging.
In the body of the email, include the category, your name, address and, crucially, a caption that describes the photo (what are we looking at) and includes the location.
Photo Competition Terms and Conditions
Images should be submitted by email to photocomp@lifestylepublishing.co.nz with the subject line of the category you are entering. E.g.: Out there, Huts and camping, Wildlife.
You can submit as many entries as you like, but each entry must be in a separate email.
To ensure your photos reach us, please ensure each image is no larger than 20MB.
The closing date is February 28, 2025.
The competition is open to residents of New Zealand, excluding employees of Lifestyle Publishing and their families, agents or anyone professionally connected with the competition.
Any one person may enter as many photos as they like. Late, illegible, incomplete, or corrupt entries will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt. Entries must not be sent through agencies or third parties.
All images submitted must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have been published elsewhere or have won a prize in any other photographic competition. It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that any images they submit have been taken with the permission of the subject and do not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws.
Entrants must warrant that the photograph they are submitting is their own work and that they own the copyright for it.
No parties will be responsible in any way for the publication of an entry that is subsequently found to be in breach of copyright. Any such entry will be immediately disqualified.
All entries must be received by the advertised closing time and date.
Copyright of all images submitted for this competition remains with the respective entrants.
Winning and shortlisted images may be used by Wilderness magazine, the wildernessmag.co.nz website and the Wilderness social media channels free of charge for publicity purposes in connection with the Wilderness Outdoor Photograph and Wilderness Outdoor Photographer of the Year competition for a duration of no more than five years and will be credited if used.
Wilderness magazine and wildernessmag.co.nz reserve the right to retain entries on file for possible future use. Any photos used for Wilderness’s editorial or other promotional uses will be paid at our normal reproduction rate.
All prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives. In the event that a prize should become unavailable, the parties involved reserve the right to substitute a prize of their choosing. Winners will be notified within 21 days of the closing date.
The Judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
By entering this competition, you agree to accept and be bound by these terms and conditions.
Each issue of Wilderness celebrates Aotearoa’s great outdoors — written and photographed with care, not algorithms. This Christmas, subscribe or gift a subscription and help keep our wild stories alive. It’s the perfect way to connect with friends and whānau who love the outdoors as much as you do.
