2024 Photography Competition

There's an incredible prize up for grabs for the photographer who wins the calendar cover spot, a £300 camera bag (see below) kindly gifted by Lowepro. 

The overall cover winner will be contacted in August and invited to The Wolseley Centre to receive their prize, and see their image proudly printed on the front of our 2025 calendar! 

Each photographer that wins a spot in the calendar, will receive a free copy and a winner's certificate.

We've also got an under 18 category for one lucky budding photographer to win a FREE place on a workshop with talented local photographer Adrian Clarke. You can find him on Instagram here. This will enable them to elevate their photography and learn from an experienced and talented wildlife photographer. The workshop will take place at The Wolseley Centre during September 2024. Under 18s submissions will also be judged for potential inclusion in the calendar but they may not win a spot. 

Karen Rae, gifted local photographer and winner of our 2023 competition, joins our 2024 judging panel this year to help select 12 winning images for the calendar, before the public selects the overall cover winner. The public vote will run between Monday 29 July and Sunday 11 August before the overall winner is revealed at the beginning of September. The panel of judges includes: Sarah and Christine, from Staffordshire Wildlife Trust’s marketing and communications team who are both keen photographers themselves and Assistant Ranger Tom Ellis, a talented wildlife photographer.

Whether it's a kestrel hovering in the sky, a kingfisher diving for a fish or a butterfly in flight, this category is dedicated to fast shutter speeds capturing wildlife on the move. 

We need nature, both for our physical and mental health. These photographs will show people enjoying nature - ideally at one of our nature reserves! This could be your partner appreciating a walk amongst wildflowers or admiring a view, or your children exploring the wonders of bug hunting. Remember if those featured in your photo can be identified, then you must have permission to photograph the person featured in the photograph. Distant photos where the person's face isn't clear, or those taken from behind can be entered without a completed form. You can download a consent form below for use where people are identifiable.

This category is dedicated to Staffordshire’s many stunning habitats – dappled woodland glades, rugged moorland vistas or heathlands gently illuminated at sunset. We’d really love to see your captures of SWT nature reserves but your landscape can be anywhere in Staffordshire.

Dedicated to the world of macro photography, capturing the intricate and finite details of nature with careful consideration to lighting, composition and colour.

Does your garden pond host a bunch of amphibians? Do you have an allotment visited by curious robins? Or perhaps the container garden on your window ledge attracts beautiful butterflies! We want to see photos of nature thriving in your green space - no matter how big or small.

This category is for under 18s, allowing our budding photographers a chance to show off their skills. Entrants aged 18 and under can submit their photo to any of the five categories above. However, these entrants will be judged as a separate 'junior' category so must select the under 18 tick box when entering. Only one winner will be selected from this category but there will also be a runner up. Both will receive a copy of the calendar, the winner will have a 121 photography workshop at The Wolseley Centre with Adrian Clarke. Remember that entrants will need to have consent of a parent or guardian to enter, which must be confirmed upon entering the competition.