DSWF’s Wildlife Artist of the Year is an internationally renowned wildlife art competition and exhibition, attracting entries from some of the most talented and passionate international artists who come together to celebrate the beauty of the natural world.
With eight unique categories, DSWF encourages all artists, both amateur and professional, to take part in this global competition.
For more information on the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition and how it came about, click here, and to enter this exciting competition, please click here. Below are some of the competition FAQs. If you have any further questions having reviewed all the available information below, please contact the DSWF team at way@davidshepherd.org.
The DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year competition is open to all artists, both amateur and professional, aged 15 years and over on the closing date (27 March 2025). Artists aged between 15 -19 years old by the closing date are entered into the Youth Exclusive category.
You can enter WAY by filling out the online form on the entry page and uploading a digital copy of your piece. All entries, without exception, must be sent in a digital format with the following specifications:
You may also enter WAY using this postal form. Please note that all postal entries for WAY must be sent at least 1 week prior to the closing date to ensure that they are received in time for judging.
For the digital image of your piece, we recommend using a high quality camera, scanning your image or getting a professional photograph taken and sending this by email.
Please note that the image quality of your entry is extremely important. This is the only exposure to your artwork that the judges will have for shortlisting finalists for exhibition. If you send a poor representation, this will reduce your chances of being selected as a finalist.
Please ensure that the image of your piece is not blurred, affected by a glare, and is cropped correctly. Due to the high number of entries, DSWF may be unable to contact you if your image is not of high enough quality.
Upon completion and submission of your entry form with the associated payment you will receive an automatic email confirming safe receipt. If after 48 hours you have still not received this, please contact way@davidshepherd.org or call our office on 01483 272323.
Unfortunately, we cannot accept any changes to submitted pieces once an entry has been received. However, if you are aware that you have made an error on your entry form (e.g. listing the wrong dimensions), please email way@davidshepherd.org as soon as possible and we will look into this for you.
Every artist who has taken part in WAY 2025 will be advised after the second round of judging has taken place, in mid-June 2025, as to whether or not they have been shortlisted and selected for exhibition. This information will be sent via email to the email address provided on your entry form. Please ensure that your email address is correct when entering.
Those who are unfortunately not shortlisted will also be informed by email at the same time.
The winners of the competition will be selected by our expert judging panel from the finalists of the competition and therefore will all be artworks that are physically in the exhibition at the Mall Galleries. The overall winner, category and award winners will be judged in person at the Mall Galleries after hanging and before the exhibition opens. Winners will be announced in the WAY 2025 Awards Ceremony which will be on 8 or 9 September 2025. This will also be available to watch online, and will then shared via social media.
Please be aware that we have previously experienced a few issues with artists trying to submit their entry using the Safari browser. Please try accessing the form via an alternate browser (e.g. Chrome) and try again. If the problem persists, you may either send or email our team at way@davidshepherd.org. We have also found that entries being sent in the last two weeks before the deadline can be held up by the sheer volume of traffic on the website. Please do try and submit your entries as early as possible to avoid this problem. Thank you for your patience.
Yes! Wildlife Artist of the Year is open to all international amateur and professional artists from across the world. All artists will receive equal consideration by our judges. Please just be aware that by entering WAY, you are agreeing to send your piece (if shortlisted) to be displayed at our in-person exhibition in London, UK.
Please note that there is no maximum number of entries, however there is a maximum of 10 entries per online entry form. If you are planning to submit more than 10 entries, please submit 10 via the online system and contact us at way@davidshepherd.org and we will help with processing further entries at the correct discounted price.
Important note: If you wish to qualify for the reduced entry fee of £15 for third and subsequent entries, please submit all the artworks you are entering at the same time. For submitting more than 10 entries please see the note above.
Payment via online entry can be made by debit or credit card (hosted by PayPal) or by direct payment from a PayPal account. You do not have to have a PayPal account to use the card payment option.
We have previously had instances where certain payment options are not available in some countries. Please contact us at way@davidshepherd.org if you are experiencing difficulties.
No, the entry fee is not refundable in normal circumstances. We may refund the amount to you if there is an error in the transaction that prevents you from submitting your piece or results in your submission being made more than once. If this is the case, please call our office on 01483 272 323 or email us at way@davidshepherd.org.
Unfortunately, we are not able to accept entries without the entry fee. DSWF is a small charity, with the Wildlife Artist of the Year competition being an incredibly important part of our fundraising efforts to support endangered species and the work of our conservation partners across the world. If you have problems regarding the methods of payment of the entry fee and would like advice, please email the team at way@davidshepherd.org.
Yes, this is possible and the payer details are requested on the online entry form if different to the artist. If payment is being made offline, it is vital that the person paying the entry fee makes it clear who the entrant they are paying for is by providing the entrant name and address.
Yes, but only if you are a shortlisted finalist and your piece is selected by the judges to take part in the annual exhibition. In this case there will be additional costs for shipping your piece to and, if unsold, from the Mall Galleries, London.
Mediums can include, but are not restricted to, oil, acrylic, watercolour, pencil, mixed media, bronze, plaster, wire, collage and textiles, with styles encompassing traditional, abstract, monochrome and many others – the choice is yours.
However, any pieces made directly from animal products, their parts or derivatives such as bone and fur will not be considered suitable for exhibition and therefore will not be considered by the judges.
We also accept ‘original prints’ which are defined as a print either in black and white or in colour, drawn from one or several plates, conceived and executed entirely by hand by the same artist, regardless of the technique employed, with the exclusion of any and all mechanical, digital or photomechanical processes. Every stage must have been completed by hand by the artist. Examples are woodcuts, etchings and linocuts.
Unfortunately, photography or digital artworks are not accepted in this competition.
No. Please note that all submitted artwork must be the original piece and must be available for sale by DSWF for the duration of the WAY 2025 exhibition.
Please note that all submitted pieces must have been completed by the artist within the last five years. Artwork produced before 27 March 2020 will not be considered.
Yes. However, please ensure that you have permission from the photographer, company or individual that you can use it for artistic purposes (see Terms and Conditions).
Please be aware that this competition is for wildlife art, and all entries that include animals should be of wild animals. Any domestic animals (e.g. dog, cat, cow, sheep) will not be accepted and will not be considered as a finalist piece. For entries to the ‘Facing Extinction’ category, please check the species is listed as under threat on the IUCN’s Red List (www.iucnredlist.org).
The categories are clearly described in the Terms and Conditions and artists can chose where they think their artwork fits best. All entries made by artists aged between 15 and 19 years at the closing date will be entered into the Youth Exclusive category. Occasionally judges will feel that an artwork fits better in another category and will ask for it to be moved. We will always discuss this with artists.
No, all entries made by artists aged between 15 and 19 years at the closing date will be entered into the Youth Exclusive category which is judged separately to the main categories.
Unfortunately, DSWF cannot accept a piece that has been entered into a previous Wildlife Artist of the Year competition.
Yes. Whilst judging is done anonymously, we understand that the majority of artists ‘sign’ their work, and therefore to avoid dramatically changing the image of the artwork we do allow pieces with the signature showing.
No, there is no maximum size limit but please do bear in mind that you will be responsible for the logistics and cost of delivery if your artwork is shortlisted for the Mall Galleries exhibition.
All pieces submitted need to be completed by a singular artist. No collaborations or group pieces will be accepted.
Please note that initial judging to shortlist stage will only be based on the image submitted with each entry. Therefore it is extremely important that a high resolution, clear, cropped photograph is sent of your artwork. The overall winner, category and award winners will be judged in person at the Mall Galleries after hanging and before the exhibition opens.
The judging panel is made up of artists, conservationists, gallery owners, editors, photographers and interior designers. There will be a separate panel formed for the Youth Exclusive category, with winners announced alongside the other category winners.
The judges are not only looking for beautifully executed artworks but also imaginative and innovative interpretations of category titles. As well as an understanding of your subject, the judges are looking for originality and a genuine love and understanding of your medium.
For the Youth Exclusive category, judges are looking for freedom of expression but will expect that artworks represent the natural world as specified in the wide breadth of all categories.
You can of course get your inspiration from a photograph or other artwork but be sure to make this your own interpretation of that image. Straight copies are not only breaching copyright but may also be judged to be unimaginative. Please see the specific terms over the use of photographic images in the Terms and Conditions.
The judges will choose an overall competition winner, an overall competition runner up, and a winner of each category. In addition to this there are various other prizes including the David Shepherd Art of Survival Award, the Michelle Lee Howk First Time Entrants Prize and The Artist Editor’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice Award is voted for by the public during the exhibition period.
Prizes are detailed in the Terms and Conditions. During the competition period additional prizes may be added.
All cash prizes are fully sponsored.
Shortlisted artists will be asked to complete an Artist Agreement that provides DSWF with detailed information on the artist and the artwork for exhibition, sales promotion and artist payment purposes. Artists will be provided with detailed requirements regarding the exhibition logistics including delivery and hanging.
The DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2025 Exhibition will be held at the Mall Galleries, London SW1 between Tuesday 9 September – Saturday 13 September 2025.
There will be also be an online exhibition, where WAY 2025 finalist work can be viewed and purchased remotely. The online exhibition will open on Monday 1 September and close on Saturday 13 September 2025.
At entry stage it does not matter if artwork is framed or unframed, as long as the image sent is very clear and the frame and/or mount are not visible.
Artworks selected for exhibition must be delivered to the Mall Galleries ready for hanging, including framing if relevant, and an art hanging system. If you need any assistance or advice with this, please contact us at way@davidshepherd.org.
We understand that some artists based outside the UK will have challenges in organising delivery to London. We strongly recommend the use of our art logistics partner Picture Post, who can advise on delivery administration, including import and tax considerations, and organise delivery and return on your behalf. Details of Picture Post’s services will be provided to shortlisted artists. Delivery costs (including any customs and VAT costs) are paid by the artist. DSWF will cover the Picture Post administration charges.
All shortlisted artists will be asked to submit a biography and a description of the shortlisted artwork in the Artist Agreement. These will be used in the online gallery and for the labels at the exhibition. It is therefore essential to provide up to date and engaging copy, within the word count specified.
The DSWF marketing team work on a schedule of promotional activities to ensure the exhibition receives maximum attention. We also work with the team at the Mall Galleries to ensure visitor numbers are high during the week and with our various media partners to attract visitors and buyers.
We are always delighted if artists can also promote the WAY exhibition to their networks. Shortlisted artists will be provided with a Promotion Pack to help with their marketing, We will also often ask finalists to work with our DSWF marketing team on promotional activities before the exhibition.
All artwork sold during the WAY exhibition will be split 50/50, with 50% going to the artist and 50% to DSWF.
Any artwork sold by agreement after the exhibition closes, or from commissions taken from the exhibition, will be split 70/30, with 70% of the sale price going to the artist and 30% going to DSWF.
DSWF will handle all sales and the delivery to buyers, with costs charged to buyers.
Upon receipt of payment from the buyer, and confirmation from the buyer that the artwork has been safely delivered and received in good condition, our Finance department will be alerted and will arrange transfer of your portion of the sale proceeds to your nominated bank account.
If an artwork does not sell during the exhibition it will no longer be available for sale by DSWF unless it is agreed between DSWF and the artist for the artwork to be used for future fundraising.
All unsold artworks must be collected from the Mall Galleries by artists, at the artist’s cost, shortly after the exhibition and by a date which will be notified. DSWF retain the services of Picture Post who will assist with collection from the gallery and onward delivery back to the artist, including export and tax considerations for artists based outside the UK. Artists will pay for delivery costs but DSWF will cover all administration costs. Please note, DSWF does not take responsibility for artworks that are not collected or shipped from the Mall Galleries by the specified dates. Neither DSWF nor the Mall Galleries have storage facilities.
The original piece of artwork for all shortlisted artists must be available to sell during the exhibition. No substitute will be accepted.
If your artwork is either an original print (see definition above) or a cast sculpture produced in a limited edition then we can offer multiple editions of your artwork for sale at the exhibition. This will be discussed with artists on an individual basis.
