Wildlife Photography Contest for Public-2026

Kerala Forest Department
Wildlife Week Celebrations – 2026
Wildlife Photography Contest – 2026

Terms and Conditions


The terms and conditions for participating in the Wildlife Photography Contest 2026 are as follows, and the contestants have to agree to the same. Failure to abide by these terms and conditions may render a contestant ineligible for the competition.


1. Eligibility: This Contest is open to any Indian citizen irrespective of their age. Employees and associates of Kerala Forest Department (KFD) which includes the staff of KFD and its subsidiaries and affiliates and their immediate family members (spouse, parents, children, siblings, and their respective spouses, regardless of where they live) are not eligible to participate in the Contest.
2. Agreement to Rules: By participating, the contestant agrees to be fully and unconditionally bound by these terms and conditions, and contestant represents and warrants that contestant meet the eligibility requirements. In addition, contestant agree to accept the decisions of the Chief Wildlife Warden as final and binding as it relates to the content of this Contest.
3. Contest Period: Entries for the Wildlife Photography Contest 2026 will be accepted from 24th September, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. to 03rd October, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Late entries will be summarily rejected.
4. How to participate: There is no entry fee for the contest. The contest must be entered by submitting online only through the link “Wildlife Photography Contest 2026” in the official website of Kerala Forest Department www.forest.kerala.gov.in. Entries by any other means shall be summarily rejected. The entries should meet all the technical specifications as mentioned in clause 7 (Serial number 7) below. If contestant uses any fraudulent method or otherwise attempt to circumvent the terms and conditions, the entry shall be disqualified at the sole discretion of the Chief Wildlife Warden.
5. Theme of the Contest: The entries shall be on “Living in Harmony with Nature” photographed in the State of Kerala.
6. Entry limits: Each participant will be allowed to submit a maximum of five entries in this contest.
7. Technical specifications of the Photograph entry:

  • Format: The Photographs must have been taken in RAW format (JPG, JPEG, X3F, RW2, NEF, MOS, PEF, TIF, RAF, DNG, CR2, CR3, PNG, RAW, KDC, NRW, SR2, 3FR, MEF, IIQ, DCR, ORF, SRF, ARW, CRW, AVIF, PSD, TIFF) and within the past two years. The capture date must be evidenced on request. All entries must be uploaded in JPEG format along with the RAW file. The contestants must not include their name in the caption or on the photograph itself and also not suppose to include their name in the file data i.e. owner, copyright or creator fields.
  • Size & Resolution: The Photographs must be submitted as JPEGs, saved at a high-quality setting of at least 8 in Photoshop, Adobe RGB (1998), and at 1920 pixels along the longest dimension. The Jury will not consider the photographs that have borders, watermarks or signatures.
  • Any entry that cannot be authenticated or is not of an acceptable quality will be disqualified. Only standard optimization of the image (standard optimization means adjusting colour, tone and contrast, sharpening, burning, dodging, noise reduction, brightness, dust removal and small amount of cropping) will be allowed. Any kind of manipulation that alters the truthfulness of the original image would lead to disqualification.
  • The connectivity issues while uploading the RAW File entries during the photo contest period, is most likely related to the applicant’s connectivity facility and KFD is not responsible for delay in uploads.

8. Ethical Guidelines

  • All submitted photographs must accurately represent the natural world in a manner that is creative, truthful, and ethical. Any manipulation or staging of scenes is strictly prohibited.
  • Entries must not mislead the viewer or attempt to misrepresent the reality of nature. All provided caption information must be comprehensive, truthful, and accurate. The Photographs depicting captive, restrained, manipulated animals, animal models, taxidermy specimens, or any other animal being exploited for profit are strictly prohibited.
  • The Participants are prohibited from causing harm or distress to an animal or damaging its habitat in an attempt to secure a photograph. This includes taking photographs at nests using wide-angle lenses; however, telephoto lenses are permitted. The welfare of the animal must always be prioritized. The use of drones for photography is not permitted.
  • Baiting is not permitted, nor in any form of baiting that may endanger an animal or adversely affect its behaviour, either directly or through irresponsible habituation. Any other means of attraction, including bird seed or scent and attracting wildlife using calls, are not permitted. If it is found that an entry had been achieved through cruel or unethical practices, including the use of live bait or irresponsible baiting, or in any way in violation of the relevant Act and Rules, the entry will be disqualified and suitable legal action will be taken.

9. Scrutiny of Photography entries: The photos received during the Contest Period (from 24th September, 2026, at 10:00 a.m IST to 03rd October, 2026, at 5:00 p.m IST) and found otherwise in order will be scrutinized on 4th October, 2026, by the Nodal Officer (Assistant Conservator of Forests (FMIS), Thiruvananthapuram) for the Wildlife Photography Contest 2026. The photos submitted after 5:00 pm IST on 3rd October 2026 will not be accepted and will be rejected without providing any reason whatsoever.


10. Selection of Winners and Notification: The valuation of the Wildlife Photography Contest- 2026 is by means of Open judging process. The entries will be evaluated by a panel of three or five judges (Jury) and one among the member should be assigned as Jury Chairperson. The Judges will be eminent personalities with rich experience in wildlife videography/photography. The Jury’s decisions are final and binding and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into regarding the judging process or any outcomes reached. The Judging should be conducted in an Auditorium with high resolution LED wall. The entries shall be displayed on the LED wall with the Jury sitting at the right distance to evaluate the pictures. Anyone who wishes to watch the judging process shall be permitted to sit in a designated area allocated for the public. Visitors shouldn’t interfere in the judging process in any manner and those who found stand in the way of the process shall be asked to vacate the auditorium. The Kerala Forest Department may also telecast the judging process live over Facebook/ Youtube and necessary arrangements for live telecast will be organized. The Winners will be notified by email and/or telephone. The Kerala Forest Department shall have no liability for the Winner’s failure to receive notices due to spam, junk e-mail or other security settings or for Winner’s providing with incorrect or otherwise non-functioning contact information.
11. Prizes: The First, Second and Third prize winners will be awarded with a Cash Prize of Rs.20,000/-, Rs.10,000/- and Rs.6,000/- respectively (subject to pending Govt. orders), along with a Certificate of Recognition. In addition, Certificates of Merit will be awarded to ten entries as a consolation prize. No cash or other prize substitution shall be permitted. The prize is nontransferable. Any and all prize-related expenses, including without limitation any and all Central, State, and/or local taxes, shall be the sole responsibility of Winner. No substitution of prize or transfer/assignment of prize to others or request for the cash equivalent by winner is permitted. Acceptance of prize constitutes permission for the KFD to use winner’s name, and entry for purposes of advertising without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.
12. Rights Granted by Contestant: By participating in the Contest, contestant understand and agree that KFD or anyone acting on behalf of the KFD, shall have the right, where permitted by law, to publish, broadcast, distribute, and use in any media now known or hereafter developed, in perpetuity, without limitation, the entry, name, photo, information for advertising, public relations, and promotional purposes without any further compensation, notice, review, or consent. By participating in the Contest, contestant represents and warrants that the entry is an original work of authorship, and does not violate any third party’s proprietary or intellectual property rights. If the entry infringes upon the intellectual property right of another, contestant will be disqualified at the sole discretion of KFD. If the content of the entry is claimed to constitute an infringement of any proprietary or intellectual proprietary rights of any third party, contestants shall, at their sole expense, defend or settle against such claims. Contestant shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless KFD from and against any suit, proceeding, claims, liability, loss, damage, costs or expense, which KFD may incur, suffer, or be required to pay to arise out of such infringement or suspected infringement of any third party’s right.
13. Other Terms & Conditions: KFD reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Contest. Images that have been submitted for the Wildlife Photography contest in the previous years are ineligible. Photographs that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the forest will be rejected without providing any reason and the same may attract the provisions of relevant Acts and Rules in force, in case the same is found to be a violation of the said Acts and Rules. The KFD reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers or attempts to tamper with the entry process or the operation of the Contest or violates these Terms & Conditions.
14. Disputes: The decision of the Chief Wildlife Warden will be final.

Chief Wildlife Warden, Keralam