Young Mammal Photographer of the Year 2026

Welcome to Young Mammal Photographer of the Year 2026!

This year, we're accepting entries to 5 categories: Mammal Portraits; Mammals in their Landscapes; Mammal Behaviour; Humorous Mammals; and Mammal Photojournalism.

For Young Mammal Photographer of the Year 2026, we will select an overall winner, as well as 'Highly Commended' photographs from each category. Photographs will also be entered into the adult competition for each category.

We are taking submissions for Mammal Photographer of the Year 2026 from November 1st 2025 until January 31st 2026. Submissions will be voted on after this period. Upon submission, we will need the contact details of a responsible adult. Please carefully read the below rules, ethical guidelines, and terms and conditions before submitting photographs.

Rules:

• You can enter up to 5 individual photographs, each up to 10MB in JPEG format. Series of photographs can only be entered for the category 'Mammal Photojournalism'. If you are entering a series of photographs, please mark these as such. 1 series of up to 5 photographs counts as 1 individual entry.
• Your photographs can be taken on a camera, camera trap, or mobile phone. If taken on a mobile phone, please indicate this is the case. If images have been captured on a mobile phone through a digiscope attachment (spotting scope with mobile attachment), this counts as a camera photograph. 
• You must be under 18 to enter this competition. If you are 18 or over, please see here for our Mammal Photographer of the Year 2026.
• You must have parental or guardian permission to enter and provide their contact email address when submitting.
• Only wild mammals taken in the British Isles (including: England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, the Scottish Islands, and the Isle of Man) are accepted. Photographs taken in zoos, wildlife parks, or abroad will not be accepted. Photographs taken in wildlife sanctuaries or whilst undertaking conservation activities on wild mammals will be accepted, but please refer to our ethical guidelines (below).
• Use of AI or strong digital manipulation of photographs is not allowed. You are allowed to alter photograph sharpness, brightness, contrast, and colouration, as well as crop photographs, but no other manipulations are allowed. Artwork or illustrations are also not accepted. You can submit any artwork or photo-artwork collages to our Mammal Illustrator of the Year competition here.
• Each image can only be entered once, must have been taken no earlier than 01-01-2025, and must be your own original work. You must be the sole author and owner of the copyright of all images entered. The Mammal Society does not accept any liability for the publication of unlawfully reproduced images. 

Ethical guidelines:

• Wildlife comes before photography. Do not destroy or alter habitat in pursuit of a photo – including traveling to and from a site.
• Do not disturb or distract wildlife to get its attention or to encourage certain behaviour. You could prevent an animal from foraging, hunting or taking cover. Avoid flash photography or the intrusive / dangerous use of drones. Do not set traps for the purposes of photography. 
• Do your research. Don’t go into a habitat or approach wildlife without sufficient knowledge of how to act sensitively and responsibly. Be aware of special reasons for caution or care by knowing the signs of stress in your subject species, checking for any plant/tree/animal diseases that you must be careful not to spread, and considering any legal protections that apply to species you are photographing.
• Follow ethical guidelines if putting food out for animals. Consider their health and the way you may influence their natural and safe behaviour. Don't use live bait. 
• Avoid supporting unethical practice. Photographs of animals in captivity are not applicable for MPOTY, but also consider whether a photograph tour or ‘staged’ photo opportunity is ethical and sustainable. 
• Caption accurately and honestly. Misleading information about the circumstances of a photo can lead to misinformation about the behaviour or location of a species, or lead to inappropriate practice by other photographers seeking to learn from your technique. Likewise, the use of digital manipulation to present a false impression of wildlife location or behaviour is not accepted.
• Consider what you share. Some species may be the target of persecution, harassment or illegal hunting, and revealing the precise location could put them at risk. Avoid giving away precise locations in the caption or photograph where doing so could put wildlife at risk. 

Terms and Conditions:

• All photographs must have been taken with respect for the ethical photography principles outlined above. If we suspect that a breach of these conditions has taken place, resulting in risk, harm or disturbance to wildlife or habitat, and cannot satisfactorily resolve this with the owner of the photograph, the image will be disqualified. 
• All photographs must be your own original work. You must be the sole author and owner of the copyright of all images entered. The Mammal Society does not accept any liability for the publication of unlawfully reproduced images. 
• We reserve the right not to accept entries where the judges have concerns that taking the photograph may have caused undue disturbance. To avoid a mistaken judgement of unethical practice, entrants should describe their approach and make special reference to measures they put in place to avoid harm or disturbance where photographs concern juvenile animals, mothers and offspring, or seals at haul-out sites.
• By entering your image, you agree to grant the Mammal Society the non-exclusive right to publish, feature, reproduce and use it for any purpose at any time in any of its publications, websites and associated media outlets including adverts, cards, calendars, press releases, social media, our Mammal News magazine, etc. in existence now or later invented. The photo will be credited with the photographer’s name wherever possible. 
• By entering your image, you agree that it might be exhibited in spaces such as at our Annual Conference, or other internal or external exhibitions, festivals, and conferences.
• Prizes are as stated; no alternative can be offered. Reasonable efforts will be made to contact winners. Prizes unclaimed within a reasonable time frame will be reallocated. The judges’ decision is final. The competition may be modified or withdrawn at any time. 
• In the event of a prize being withdrawn, an alternative prize of equal value will be offered.