The RAW Photography Awards was built on more than a competition. It was built on a belief that photography has the power to change how we see the places we call home — and that responsibility demands accountability.
This page exists because transparency is not optional. It is the foundation of everything RAW stands for.
The 100km rule is not just a competition mechanic. It is a conservation statement.
Every major photography competition in the world rewards travel. The rarest location. The most remote access. The largest carbon footprint. RAW deliberately dismantles that structure.
By requiring every image to be made within 100km of the photographer's home, RAW removes the environmental cost of competitive photography and replaces it with something more valuable — deep, repeated, committed engagement with a single place.
Photographers who return to the same marsh, the same forest edge, the same stretch of coastline year after year become its most passionate defenders. You don't fight for what you don't love. You don't love what you don't know.
RAW is designed to accelerate that knowing.
That belief demanded judges and organizations who live it. RAW believes in supporting worthy initiatives like Vital Impacts and CCPC.
Their organisations and initiatives reflect the same values RAW is built on.
A women-led non-profit using art and storytelling to raise funds for grassroots conservation. Within its first years, Vital Impacts raised over $3.5 million supporting the Jane Goodall Institute, Big Life Foundation, and SeaLegacy.
Over 17 years, Project North delivered over $2 million in sporting equipment to more than 40 Arctic communities — supporting Inuit youth through sport, strengthening community wellness, and building connections between southern and northern Canadians. Valberg's photography amplified the project's message, documenting the people, wildlife, and landscapes of the North.
Collaboration is central to the CCPC. They work as a unified collective to advance conservation goals and build lasting partnerships with organizations making meaningful ecological impact. The CCPC provides photography and videography support to ENGOs, First Nations, university research teams, and government agencies engaged in conservation projects across Canada.
RAW is building something that has never existed before — a global visual record of local environments, photographed by the people who know them best.
Not tourists. Not expeditions. Neighbours.
Every entry into RAW contributes to a growing archive of real places, real species, and real change — documented over time by photographers with skin in the game. That archive belongs to the community that created it.
The RAW community is also deliberately inclusive. Entry fees are kept accessible. RAW Junior is completely free for photographers under 18. The 100km rule removes the travel budget that has historically excluded the majority of the world's photographers from competing on equal terms.
Geographic privilege is not skill. RAW does not reward it.
Words without action are marketing. RAW backs its values with a concrete financial commitment.
10% of all RAW Photography Awards entry fee revenue is donated directly to conservation organisations — beginning with Vital Impacts and CCPC, two organisations whose mission and integrity align with everything RAW stands for.
This is not a partnership of convenience. It is a commitment to the idea that a photography competition which celebrates the natural world has an obligation to protect it.
RAW is a for-profit competition. That transparency matters. The founder — Trevor Lowthers — has invested substantial time and resources into building a competition that stands apart from what exists. But profit and purpose are not mutually exclusive. He has made a commitment to helping the world around you and him through donations to the excellent programs already mentioned. The percentages and prizes will increase as expenses get paid. Thankyou for your support and submissions. Good Luck!
"10% of all entry fee revenue from the RAW Photography Awards will be donated to conservation organisations dedicated to protecting wildlife, habitat, and the photographers who document them."
This commitment applies to all paid entry packages across all RAW competition categories. Donation recipients for the 2026 season include Vital Impacts and CCPC. RAW will publish an annual transparency report confirming the total donated and the organisations supported.
All entries are judged without knowledge of the photographer's identity, division, or location. The image stands alone. The best photograph wins — regardless of name, reputation, or following.
Every photographer locks a 100km territory before submitting. All images must be made within that radius. AI-assisted screening supports the judging panel in verifying compliance and authenticity.
AI-generated images are strictly prohibited. RAW believes in the irreplaceable value of a real moment, observed and captured by a real person, in a real place. That line will not move.
The 100km rule removes geographic privilege from the equation. Amateur and professional divisions ensure skill is rewarded at every level. RAW Junior removes financial barriers for photographers under 18.
RAW is a for-profit competition. 10% of entry fee revenue is donated to conservation. An annual report will confirm the total donated, the organisations supported, and the breakdown of funds.
RAW's judging panel consists of working photographers and conservation storytellers — people who have spent careers in the field and understand what it takes to make an exceptional image close to home.