California Wildlife Photo of the Year Contest****

You are invited to submit your very best photos of California wildlife for the 2025 14th annual California Wildlife Photo of the Year contest.

The 2025 contest has five submission *Entry Periods, beginning in January, 2025 and ending October 31, 2025. The final judging period, November - December, 2025, is reserved for selecting the Photo of the Year. The 2025 14th annual contest is presented by California Watchable Wildlife and is sponsored by Sierra Nevada Conservancy, Out of this World Optics and Abbey House Inn.

Winning images will be posted on social media.

The 2025 Photo of the Year will be announced in January, 2026

Here's how:

Enter up to 2 images per *Entry Period.
Click here for Submission Guidelines and Terms. Please pay attention to image naming protocol, image size and image submission criteria.

What to submit:

Images taken at a California Watchable Wildlife Viewing site (see map on California Watchable Wildlife Website)
Images taken in the Sierra Nevada (view map)
Any California wildlife species in native habitat
People viewing wildlife
Interesting animal behavior
Seasonal abundance of wildlife

Judging

Images will be judged by a panel of three judges. Criteria are:

Technical Excellence (focus, exposure, resolution)
Composition
Difficulty in getting the shot
Overall impact and storytelling aspects of the image

* Entry Periods:	Winning images published on social media:
1) January-February, 2025	March/April, 2025
2) March-April, 2025	May/June, 2025
3) May-June, 2025	July/August, 2025
4) July-August, 2025	September/October, 2025
5) September-October, 2025	November/December, 2025

Awards

Photo of the Year will be chosen from all winning entries submitted in 2025. In addition, one photo will be selected from the submissions to represent a California Watchable Wildlife viewing site (view map), and one photo to represent the Sierra Nevada (view regions) All awards are made by California Watchable Wildlife. The Photo of the Year photographer is awarded an optics product valued at $1,000 from Out of This World Optics and a two-night stay at Abby House Inn in Winters, valued at $350.

Click here for Submission Guidelines and Terms.

Return to the California Watchable Wildlife Website.

The Abbey House Inn is a lovingly restored historic victorian, built in 1905 and fully updated in 2002. Each well-appointed bedroom includes a private bath and some have a jacuzzi tub and cozy fireplaces. The Inn has a spacious dining area, parlor with fireplace, plus a wrap-around porch and patios. Plus nearby to many wildlife and nature adventures in Yolo County.