Macarthur Nature Photography Competition

2025 competition details coming soon 

In a world seemingly overloaded by a daily avalanche of images, through Instagram, Facebook and television, a striking image can still cut through the clutter of it all, revealing to us something in our worlds that we have been missing.

The Macarthur councils are once again hosting the highly anticipated Macarthur Nature Photography Competition (MNPC). Enter your most striking, engaging and enticing images of local native flora, wildlife and natural scenery taken from within the Macarthur area.

The 2025 competition will open on Monday 3 March. Check back here for details.

Welcome to Country from Campbelltown City Council on Vimeo. 

2023 winners

• An online album of each age category winner has been developed by the Macarthur Councils and can be viewed on our Facebook page
• The winners were announced and shared online via social media, during October 2023 with the winners being contacted ahead of time
• All entries are available to view via Council’s website through Flickr. 

Ethical Photography Guidelines

A substantial proportion of wildlife photography is undertaken in national parks and reserves. Commonwealth, State and Territory, and local government rules apply.

Native animal and plant species are protected by law throughout Australia regardless of whether they occur in national parks, reserves, or Local government administered areas or private land, unless otherwise stated by Commonwealth, State or Territory fauna/flora agencies.

It is the responsibility of the photographer to ensure that they are aware of the laws and regulations which apply to the regions in which they undertake nature photography.

The kinds of activities often engaged in by nature photographers, which are currently prohibited in some or all government reserves and parks in Australia include:

• taking ('take' often defined to include 'interfering') or harassing (call playback is a form of harassment) native wildlife
• use a radio, tape recorder or other sound or amplifier system in a way that may cause unreasonable disturbance to an animal (eg call playback)
• disturbing or interfering with nests, hollows and habitat
• walking or driving off designated tracks or roads
• altering native vegetation (eg to get a clearer photo of bird)
• erecting structures (eg permanent bird hides), and feeding wildlife (eg using food to attract wildlife)
• flash photography on nocturnal species
• Interfering with plants that damage or harm the species.

Photos submitted to the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition  must be taken in accordance with ethical guidelines. 

Conditions of Entry

1. For the purposes of this competition, the competition organisers are defined as nominated staff involved in the organisation and coordination of the completion form Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly Councils.
2. The subject matter of the photographs submitted must be from within the Macarthur region, defined as Campbelltown, Camden and Wollondilly Local Government Areas (LGAs) and must be obtained lawfully.
3. Images of fauna must not include flash photography and must meet ethical photography guidelines as specified on the council website, any images submitted with flash on fauna will not be judged and residents will be contacted about animal welfare/ethics.
4. Photographs may be black and white or colour.
5. Each entrant may enter a maximum of three photographs in the competition, any excess images submitted will not be considered for judging.
6. The content of a photograph must not be changed or manipulated in any way: that is, no cloning, montaging, or digital manipulation other than cropping, toning, digital spotting, burning and dodging is permitted. No addition or removal of subject matter is accepted. Retouching is limited to removal of normal scratches and dust sports. Colour adjustment should be minimal.
7. Each photograph can only be entered into one theme.
8. Photographers who have made more than $500 in photography sales in the 2022/2023 financial year will not be eligible to enter the competition.
9. A panel of judges representing photography, art and local biodiversity expertise, will select theme place winners, and will shortlist 10 images for the People’s Choice Award. The judge’s decision is final.
10. Respective Councillors, competition organisers, the judging panel and their immediate families are not eligible to enter the completion.
11. Entries must be submitted online.
12. Late entries will not be accepted.
13. Entrants in this completion give permission for their works to be reproduced by print and electronic media by the competition organisers for not-for-profit publications, advertising and promotional purposes. Entrants will be acknowledged if the image is reproduced.
14. All personal information gathered by the competition organisers will be used solely for the purposes of administering the Macarthur Nature Photography Competition.

Submit your entry

Competition opens: Monday 3 March 2025
Competition closes: Friday 11 April 2025 

For more information please contact our Environmental Education Officer open.space@campbelltown.nsw.gov.au.

Location

Online annual photography competition within the Macarthur area.

Other, Campbelltown, 2560