Waldegrave is once again running our annual Wildlife Photography Competition, following its success in subsequent years.
Open to students from every year group, this competition aims to inspire students to explore the natural world around them, develop new creative skills, and celebrate the beauty of local wildlife through the lens of a camera. The standard of entries was very high last year and we hope to see pupils from every year getting snappy!
To take part all you need to do is:
- using a camera or mobile phone take a picture of the wildlife around you – sorry pets do not count no matter how cute they are!
- submit your entry by Friday 6 November (the first Friday back after half-term)
Entries must be sent to: wildlifephotographer@waldegravesch.org
Remember when approaching animals that they are wild and their behaviour can be unpredictable. To avoid disturbing or even harming the wildlife you are photographing, never try to touch or get too close to any wild animal – be it a large deer in Bushy Park, a fox in the street or a toad in your back garden. The Sussex Wildlife Trust has advice on good practice in wildlife photography and says “There is one hard and fast rule, whose spirit must be observed at all times. The welfare of the subject is more important than the photograph.”
Selected images will be used in our annual wildlife calendar and the photographers taken to see the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition.
Last year the judging panel selected 20 photographs to be included in the Waldegrave Wildlife Calendar 2026. The winners were treated to a special trip in the Spring Term to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at the Natural History Museum. This world-renowned exhibition showcases some of the most exceptional wildlife photography from across the world, offering students the chance to see work from both amateur and professional photographers, hopefully inspiring them to take their photography further.
Explore the gallery below of some of the student entries from last year or take a look at the 2025 Wildlife Photographer of the Year entries for further inspiration.
