A new kind of nature photography competition — one that begins at your front door.
The RAW Awards — Real And Wild: Photographer of the Year — was built on a single, defiant premise: the wild is not far away.
Most photography competitions reward passports. They celebrate the rare, the remote, the expensive expedition. The creature no one has photographed before. The continent most people will never visit.
We believe that is a narrow way to see the world. The heron standing in the car park drain. The fox picking her way through suburban gardens at 2am. The moth on a lit window, the lichen on a cemetery wall, the moment a child looks a wild thing in the eye — these are not lesser photographs. They are, often, more honest ones.
RAW is for the photographer who looks hard at where they already are. Showcase your skill.
"The real wild is everywhere. You just have to stop driving past it."
We are in our inaugural year — 2026 — and we are building something to grow and last. Not just a competition, but an annual record of what the wild looked like, from here, now, to the people who live closest to it.
Wildlife photography has long been tied to distance — flights, expeditions, and the pursuit of rare encounters in remote places. While these journeys can produce extraordinary images, they come with a cost.
RAW is built on a different idea: that meaningful photography does not require global travel.
By working within 100 km of home, photographers reduce the need for long-distance travel while developing a deeper, more responsible relationship with the places they document. The result is not only a more level competition, but a more sustainable one.
This is not about restriction. It is about relevance. The landscapes, species, and ecosystems closest to us are often the ones most in need of attention, understanding, and protection.
RAW encourages a shift — from extraction to observation, from destination to connection, from spectacle to stewardship.
Every image must be made within 100km of the photographer's home. This is not a restriction — it is a discipline. The best work often comes from deep, sustained attention to one place.
We reward observation and skill. Rarity is relative, a starling murmuration over a mall can be as extraordinary as a leopard at dawn — if the photographer's vision is captured.
AI-generated or AI-composited images are not permitted. The photograph must be entirely the work of a human and camera.
Photographers enter either the Professional or Amateur division. Judging is blind to status. Each category recognises: • RAW Gold — the overall category winner • RAW Amateur Gold — the strongest amateur photograph An amateur image can still win the category outright.
RAW Junior is free for all photographers under 18. The 100km rule is uniquely suited to young photographers — it levels the field and rewards what they already have: curiosity, time, and a home territory they know intimately.
This is a standalone competition that invites our pets as subjects. It is judged separetly has one winner crowned RAW Pet Photographer of the Year. If it's tame, it's game.
The competition's highest honour is the title of RAW Photographer of the Year — awarded to the single most outstanding image across all open categories.
In each category, two awards are made: the RAW Gold for the overall category winner, open to photographers of any background; and the RAW Amateur Gold for the strongest image made by an amateur photographer — defined as someone who does not derive 50% or more of their income from photography.
For physical presentation — medals, cash and a certificate — the award is simply called The RAW GOLD Award. Two names, two medals, both earning their keep.
Cash prizes are awarded to the category winner and RAW Photographer of the Year. Amounts for the 2026 season will be announced shortly.
RAW Junior operates as a fully separate competition for photographers aged 17 and under. Junior entries are not judged against adult work and the amateur/professional distinction does not apply. Junior winners receive their own dedicated awards, exhibition placement, and editorial recognition.
RAW Pet Photographer of the Year is a similar standalone competition that invites our pets as subjects. It is judged separetly and has one winner crowned RAW Pet Photographer of the Year. If it's tame, it's game.
All shortlisted and winning images from every category are featured on rawpoty.com and promoted through our Atlantic Geographic partnership. A shortlist credit from RAW — especially at the junior level — is a meaningful line on a photographer's CV from their very first year of competing.
Open to photographers worldwide. All nationalities welcome. Entries are submitted through our partner platform, Picter.