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Now in its eighth year, BigPicture encourages photographers from around the world to contribute their work to this competition that will both celebrate and illustrate the rich diversity of life on Earth and inspire action to protect and conserve it through the power of imagery. Enter your nature, wildlife and conservation images for a chance to win a share of $12,000 in cash prizes and be exhibited at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco.

BigPicture is chaired by award-winning conservation photographer Suzi Eszterhas. The competition will be judged by a renowned panel of international nature and conservation photographers and photo editors.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000 and the First Place winners of the seven official categories and Photo Story category will each receive $1,000 in cash and also have their winning images featured in the annual exhibit.

Since launching in 2014, BigPicture has established a fast-growing reputation within the photography community, receiving a four-star rating from The Photographer's Guide to Photo Contests by Photo Shelter six years running. In 2018, Chronicle Books released Wonders: Spectacular Moments in Nature Photography featuring more than 100 breathtaking images from the BigPicture competition and a foreword by Dr. Sylvia Earle, renowned marine scientist and ocean advocate. The book was nominated for the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards in the Photography & Illustrated Travel Book of the Year category that same year.

Photographs and photo stories will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. See full competition rules for details on scoring.

Category information

Terrestrial Wildlife
Animals photographed anywhere in the world. Images may include land-based mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and non-flying insects whether they live in trees or on land.

Winged Life
Birds or flying insects photographed anywhere in the world—in flight, perched, or in action. This category also includes flightless birds such as penguins and ostriches.

Landscapes, Waterscapes & Flora
Captivating images of wild places with a unique perspective, from expansive landscape vistas of forests, deserts, and mountains to the microhabitats of plants and other flora. Images may include water environments of oceans, lakes, and rivers with images taken above or under water including waves, tide pools, and other water scenes.

Aquatic Life
Animals including mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates that spend the majority of their time in water. This category includes polar bears.

Art of Nature
Abstract expressions of nature and/or science. Life photographed out in nature or under the microscope. Images may include unusual close-ups, angles, patterns, motion, or perspectives, black and white photography, and images created using scientific imaging tools. Artistic effects should not be the result of digital manipulations.

Human/Nature
Images that depict the efforts of scientists, conservationists, and others working to sustain life on our planet, or the complex relationship between humans and nature. Images should illustrate the impacts of humans on the environment and can be either positive or negative stories.

2021 Photo Story: Out of the Ordinary A 4–6 image submission with captions. Extraordinary events are occurring in the natural world—some start in very ordinary ways. A rehabilitated animal takes on a new role as a wildlife ambassador. Ordinary backyards produce unexpected beauty. Unlikely species interact in unfamiliar environments. Rarely-seen plants and animals exhibit surprising characteristics. Basic elements like wind, water, fire, and air act in unanticipated ways. This year’s photo story shows us the world anew. Submitted images must not violate any laws, regulations, or BigPicture rules.

Suzi Eszterhas
Wildlife photographer (BigPicture Jury Chair)
Suzi Eszterhas is an award-winning wildlife photographer who is best known for her work documenting newborn animals and family life in the wild. Her photographs have been published in over 100 magazine covers and feature stories. A dedicated conservationist, Suzi lends her images and expertise to help raise funds and awareness for several environmental organizations around the globe. Suzi is also the Founder and Executive Director of Girls Who Click.

Michael Aw
Wildlife photographer
Michael Aw is an award-winning wildlife photographer, explorer, and ocean advocate. He is the principal author of 38 books, co-author of eight books about the ocean, and founder of Asian Geographic and Ocean Geographic magazines. He has won over 68 international photographic awards, including four from Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Michael has led multiple expeditions with some of the world’s most influential image-makers and scientists.

Shem Compion
Wildlife photographer
Shem Compion is a wildlife photographer working throughout Africa and the world. Highly dedicated to his craft, he has lived in a car for seven months, built specialized underground hides, hiked with military escorts, and slept on top of a few volcanoes—all in the pursuit of creating images of relevance and impact. He is currently working on projects that explore uncharted areas in Africa.

Claudio Contreras Koob
Wildlife photographer
Claudio Contreras Koob has dedicated over 30 years to raising public awareness around the importance of nature and conservation. He is an International League of Conservation Photographers Fellow and his work has been published in Mexico and in several international magazines. Claudio is committed to the protection of all living forms, big and small, and collaborates with several scientists and organizations on projects dedicated to conserving of our natural world.

Inka Cresswell
Wildlife filmmaker and photographer
Inka Cresswell is a marine biologist and wildlife filmmaker/photographer. Her most recent film, MY25: The Ocean Between Us, tells the story of how she has seen the ocean change within her lifetime and has screened at film festivals globally, including Wildscreen. She hopes that her work will educate and inspire a new generation of conservationists, and arm them with the tools they need to educate others and drive real conservation impact.

Jasper Doest
Wildlife photographer
Jasper Doest is an award-winning photographer who creates visual stories that explore the relationship between humankind and nature. Jasper—who majored in ecology—knows human life depends on everything our planet has to offer, yet he recognizes the unsustainable nature of the current human patterns of consumption. Jasper is also a contributing photographer for National Geographic magazine and has received awards from World Press Photo and Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

Morgan Heim
Wildlife photojournalist and filmmaker
Morgan Heim is a wildlife photojournalist and filmmaker focusing on wildlife-human coexistence. She is a Senior Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, and her work has appeared in outlets such as Audubon, Smithsonian, National Geographic, and Newsweek. Her current projects focus on growing empathy for roadkill, our complicated relationships with cormorants, and a long-term effort about the environmental impacts of drug cartels on U.S. forests.

Rathika Ramasamy
Wildlife photographer
Rathika Ramasamy specializes in bird photography and is arguably one of India's most prominent wildlife photographers. Her work has been featured in several international publications and exhibitions. Rathika has served on the jury panel of many national and international photography awards and contests, including the National Awards for photography instituted by the government of India. She is a founding member of Wildlife Conservation of India.

Sophie Stafford
Photo editor
Sophie Stafford is a passionate conservationist and charity communication consultant who has judged many of the world’s nature photography competitions. As Editor of BBC Wildlife Magazine, she judged and co-managed the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for nearly 10 years. Sophie is an affiliate of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and reviews and judges photography for a myriad of natural history magazines that she produces for international conservation charities.