Open for entries on 6 January 2025
Here you can find all the information you need about our 2025, Wildlife Artist of the Year (WAY) competition.
Use our online, or postal form to submit your entry to the 2025 Wildlife Artist of the Year competition. We encourage professional and amateur artists to use the natural world as a source of inspiration, and in doing so raise vital awareness for some of the most pressing environmental issues our planet faces. See full terms and conditions before entering.
6 January 2025 Open for artwork entries
27 March Closed for entries
April – May Judging will take place
1 September Online exhibition goes live on the DSWF website
9 – 13 September Exhibition opens for the general public at Mall Galleries
14 September 2025 Online and in-person exhibition closes
Unlock an extensive range of benefits by sponsoring Wildlife Artist of the Year 2025:
Each year we gather your votes, and announce the People’s Choice winner!
You can vote for your favourite piece online or in-person, and we will announce the winner after the exhibition has closed.
Our live exhibition at the Mall Galleries is free to attend from Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 September.
All finalists will be displayed at the gallery for you to come and browse – all pieces are available to purchase with 50% of proceeds supporting DSWF’s conservation projects.
The perfect way to support Wildlife Artist of the Year, is to browse and shop our finalists.
You will be directly supporting our conservation work across Africa and Asia, with 50% of all artwork proceeds helping fund our ongoing projects.
See here for full FAQ’s
Please enter by completing the Online Entry Form.
If you are unable to enter online we do accept postal entries. Please download the Postal Entry Form here or contact us on way@davidshepherd.org or 01483 272323 and we will send you a form.
Please help us by entering as early as you can in advance of the closing date.
The entry fee is £25 per an artwork for the first two entries, thereafter it is £15 per entry. (There is no limit on the number of entries, but the online form will take a maximum of ten entries in one submission). Entries to the Youth Exclusive (15 – 19 years) category cost £15 per entry.
Important note. Please submit all the artworks you are entering at the same time if you wish to qualify for the discounted entry fee. If you wish to enter more than ten artworks, please enter your first ten via the online form and then contact us at way@davidshepherd.org and we will help you with any additional entries.
Entries will open from 12:00pm GMT on the 6 January 2025 and run until 12:00pm on 27 March 2025.
Whether you are a long-term participant, an established artist, or an avid amateur, DSWF encourages you to create a work to celebrate nature. Entries to the DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year 2024 competition are open to artists over the age of 15 years on the entry closing date of the competition (27 March). Artists aged between 15 -19 years at the closing date will be entered into the Youth Exclusive category.
All artists shortlisted by our expert judging panel are invited to exhibit and sell their artworks as part of our annual exhibition which will be held at the Mall Galleries, London, running from Monday 8 to Saturday 13 September 2025. The online exhibition will open on the DSWF website one week before the live exhibition on Monday 1 September at 12pm.
Prizes include £10,000 for the overall winner (including a £5,000 conservation donation to a DSWF project of the winner’s choice), £2,000 for the runner-up (including a £1,000 conservation donation to a DSWF project of the winner’s choice) and category prizes of £500 each.
Please carefully read the Terms and Conditions before entering the competition as they include important information about eligibility and the entry, judging and exhibition processes. Please use our FAQs for guidance. If you have any further questions about your entry which is not covered by the FAQs, please email the DSWF team at way@davidshepherd.org.
