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National Wildlife Federation 56th Annual Photo Contest 2027

The National Wildlife Federation's annual photo contest is one of the most-entered wildlife competitions in the United States. The 55th contest ran from 14 January to 29 March 2026; NWF expects to notify winners in October 2026 and to publish all winners and honorable mentions in December 2026 and in the Winter 2027 issue of National Wildlife magazine, so the 2026 results were still pending on 7 November 2026. The 56th contest will open for entry in January 2027; exact dates, fees and rules are not yet published. In 2026 the Grand Prize was USD 5,000, with USD 750 for the portfolio prize. The rules ban composites and anything beyond standard optimization but do not mention AI or RAW files.

AI banned
Deadline
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Entry fee
2027 fees not yet published; in 2026: USD 15 (1 photo) / USD 20 (up to 10 photos) / USD 25 (up to 15 photos, includes a one-year digital subscription) / USD 20 per portfolio
Official siteRead full rules

Authenticity policy

AI policy

All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified.

RAW files

Not specified

Editing rules

The current rules (the 2026 PDF; 2027 rules are not yet published) require camera-made digital images or scans that accurately reflect the scene as it appeared. Acceptable changes are colour, contrast, brightness and sharpness adjustments, dust and scratch removal, cropping, black-and-white conversion, HDR and focus stacking of the same scene, all to be disclosed. Not acceptable are photo composites of different scenes, adding, duplicating, deleting or moving objects, and artistic digital filters. AI and RAW files are not mentioned. The widely reported owl-and-aurora disqualification of spring 2026 concerned NWF's separate Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest, where NWF concluded the winning photo was a composite of multiple images, not this contest.

Verified on November 7, 2026

Frequently asked questions

Does National Wildlife Federation 56th Annual Photo Contest 2027 allow AI-generated images?
No. National Wildlife Federation 56th Annual Photo Contest 2027 does not permit AI-generated images in its competition entries.
How much does it cost to enter National Wildlife Federation 56th Annual Photo Contest 2027?
2027 fees not yet published; in 2026: USD 15 (1 photo) / USD 20 (up to 10 photos) / USD 25 (up to 15 photos, includes a one-year digital subscription) / USD 20 per portfolio

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