Deadline for all entries is December 31, 2026 and winners will be announced by February 3, 2027. A panel of judges will review the entries and select the winners. The decisions of the judges are final.

Action: Images submitted in this category should showcase motion—birds or winged insects in flight, autumn leaves softly falling to the ground, trail running, splashing in mud in the Nature PlayScape, or maybe even dancing under the summer sun.

Ephemeral Beauty: Images submitted to this category represent "fleeting nature" — a plant that only blooms for a short period of time, a bird just before it takes flight, a vernal pool at the height of its season. This category is open to the photographer's interpretation.
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Small Worlds: Interpret this category how you see fit! This can be anything from close-up macro photography to teeny-tiny landscapes. Get artistic!

Your Happy Place: Interpret this category how you see fit! Images submitted in this category showcase a location, atmosphere, or moment at Cincinnati Nature Center that brings you happiness, makes your heart sing, or brings you peace.

Adults (ages 18+) may submit one original photograph per subject category. Contestants may submit up to four photographs total. Contestants cannot submit the same photograph in multiple categories.

Youth (ages 17 or under) may submit up to four original photographs to ANY category of their choosing. (E.g., the youth contestant can place all four submissions under one category, if they so choose to). These entries will be judged separately from the adult entries and awarded as a youth-specific placement.
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Youth entrants must have the permission of a parent or legal guardian to be eligible. To grant permission, the parent or guardian must complete the entry form.

Cincinnati Nature Center staff and contractual partners, and their immediate family members, are not eligible. Nature Center volunteers ARE eligible and encouraged to participate.

No. The photography contest is open to everyone—member and nonmember. However, nonmembers will be required to pay daily admission per visit. Click here to learn more about membership!

No. Submitted photographs will only be judged if they were captured at Rowe Woods or Long Branch Farm & Trails.

Yes, you may submit a photograph that was taken prior to the current contest year.

No. Submitted photographs will only be judged if they have not been submitted to previous Cincinnati Nature Center Photography Contests or Mobile Guide Contests.

Photos are allowed to be edited in an effort to modestly enhance and/or better reflect the natural beauty of the scene or subject matter.

Standard optimization techniques allowed include: cropping; sharpening your photo to make the image clearer/more in focus; editing to reflect warmer or cooler tones and correct white balance; clone stamping/spot healing a distracting object or otherwise removing it to enhance focus on the subject; modifying light levels to correct shadows or overexposed highlights; adjusting contrast and levels; and noise reduction.

2026 New Rule: Focus-stacking is allowed ONLY when used to optimize macro-photography. Focus-stacking is not allowed to create composite images.

Photographs that have been converted to black and white are not eligible – submitted photographs must be full-color. Photographs with obvious use of AI, special effects, signatures or watermarks, borders, timestamps, vignettes or feathered edges, or that have been digitally or otherwise altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified.

Photography must have been obtained ethically, with respect for the subject and/or the habitat. Subjects showcasing obvious signs of distress will be disqualified. Drone photography, utilizing flash on nocturnal wildlife, macro photography of nests or nesting birds, baiting, or use of song/call playback are not allowed.

‍Click here to learn more about ethical wildlife photography via Audubon.org.

Submitted photographs showing visitors breaking rules will not be accepted. Examples of this may be but are not limited to going off trail, handling wildlife, evidence of trespassing or destruction of property, or dogs off-leash.

Exceptions for handling wildlife include Nature Moments with ambassador animals under Cincinnati Nature Center staff or volunteer supervision or authorized pond-dipping activities in Matt's Pond.

Submitted photos must be no larger than 35 megabytes each, 300 DPI, and saved as JPEG or JPEG in RGB (no CMYK). Ideally, but not required, photos are at least 3000 pixels on the widest edge. Make sure your camera is set to take high-quality photos before you take them. Once a photo is taken with a lower setting, the quality cannot be increased later.

Photos should be named in this format: SuzieSmith_Wildlife_2026.jpg (your name, underscore, category name, underscore, contest year.)

The photographer is responsible for obtaining written permission on the Likeness Release form for any person in any submitted photo. Any children in photos must have signed parental/legal guardian consent to be featured. Photographs without signed Likeness Release forms will not be accepted.

If you need to print a Likeness Release form, please rename in the following format and submit alongside your images: SuzieSmith_SubjectName_LikenessRelease.pdf

The photographer retains the rights to their photos. By entering the photography contest, you grant Cincinnati Nature Center a non-exclusive license to your photos for uses related to the mission and promotion of Cincinnati Nature Center.

All submissions (adult and youth alike) will be judged based on the following criteria:
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1. Technical skill and execution: This showcases the photographer's technical skill, including, but not limited to, photo framing, proper exposure or use of light, image focus, color balance, and overall composition.

2. Artistic Merit: This speaks to the photographer's creativity, originality, innovation, and relevance to the category theme. A photograph of a squirrel at the bird feeder or a turtle on a log may be well-lit and tack-sharp, but is there something about this photo that tells a more complex story or invites the viewer to pay attention? Surprise us!

There will be a total of 7 winners: 1 Grand Prize winner, 1 Staff-pick winner, 4 category-specific 1st place winners, and 1 Youth winner.