Wild Cities
Celebrating the UK’s urban green spaces and their wild inhabitants
Do you enjoy watching wildlife in your city? Are you an amateur photographer looking for a great opportunity to show your work to a wider audience with a chance to win a fantastic prize? Together with our partner, Canon Europe, we invite you to enter our urban wildlife photography competition.
About the competition
***THE COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED*** See the winning submissions.
We were looking for engaging photos capturing the UK’s urban green spaces, the wildlife that calls them home and the positive impact that nature connection has on our physical and mental wellbeing. Submissions should express a sense of hope for the future and a call to action to create more urban greenspaces.
This competition was for amateur (non-professional) photographers over the age of 18, who are resident in the UK. Under 18s could submit photos to this competition through a parent or guardian. Submissions could have been taken on any device and every participant was permitted to send in one entry per month using an online form on this page. There was a chance to win Canon equipment through a random prize draw at the end of each month. The competition opened on Thursday 27 April 2023 and closed on Tuesday 31 October 2023 at 23:59.
Earthwatch and Canon will host an awards ceremony on 1 December 2023 in London to showcase the winning work selected by our prestigious panel of competition judges. Short-listed participants will be notified via email by the end of November.
Previous submissions
Why urban wildlife is important
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world and ranks bottom in Europe for nature connectedness.
84% of the UK population lives in an urban environment, and there are huge inequalities when it comes to who has access to green spaces.
People with a high level of nature connectedness enjoy better mental health and are more likely to act in environmentally friendly ways.
A partnership for nature
The Wild Cities photography competition is inspired by Earthwatch Europe’s Tiny Forest programme which brings mini, intensely-planted and fast-growing native forests to urban centres. The project was launched in 2020 and in three years has planted 200 Tiny Forests in the UK – the equivalent of 120,000 trees. For every photo entered into the Wild Cities competition, Canon give £5 to Earthwatch Europe to fund the creation of a new Tiny Forest.
“Regenerating biodiversity lost and conserving our natural environment is critical to combating impacts of climate change and creating a more sustainable society. This is a key part of Canon’s continued efforts to bring the world closer to achieving ‘kyosei’ – Canon’s corporate philosophy of living and working together for the common good.”
Canon Europe
Wild Cities Submission Form
Please read our Terms & Conditions as well as the Competition Rules.
The Wild Cities competition is now closed! Good luck to all our entries.