About the competition

The Royal Society of Biology annual photography competition invites amateurs to submit photographs on a particular theme.

Find out more about previous competition entries.

Photography Competition 2018

'Patterns in nature' is the theme of this year’s competition. Life on Earth encompasses a myriad of regular forms, sequences and structures and we invite you to capture these details of biology. The judges are looking for an original interpretation of the theme

You might wish to explore how animals use spots, stripes and other shapes to camouflage and signal; or capture the collective arrangement of wildlife in colonies, herds and shoals. Your photograph could depict the spirals and symmetries of the plant kingdom to the meanders and tessellations as seen in wider landscapes.

We also welcome entries that explore this theme at a molecular or cellular level, illustrating regular patterns that can only be observed with the aid of a microscope such as cell division and gene expression.

A poster for this year's competition is now available to download.

Prizes

There are two categories in the competition, each with a cash prize:

• Photographer of the Year (18 and over) - £1,000 top prize
• Young Photographer of the Year (under 18) - £500 top prize
  
  

How to enter

The Photography Competition 2018 is now open for entries.

Each entrant can submit up to three photographs for the competition.

Please read the competition's terms and conditions before entering and submitting your photographs.

The competition will close for entries on 31^st July 2018. Shortlisted entries will be announced in September 2018, and the winning entries announced in October 2018.

Contact

If you have any queries regarding the competition, please contact Raghav Selvam.

Judges

Tim Harris - Nature Picture Library and Bluegreen Pictures
Tom Hartman - program chair of MSc in Biological Photography and Imaging at the University of Nottingham
Alex Hyde - natural history photographer and lecturer at The University of Nottingham
Linda Pitkin - underwater photographer

Competition sponsor

The Royal Society of Biology wishes to thank Eppendorf for its continued support of this competition.