2025 Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition
For almost a decade, Australia Zoo’s Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition has encouraged the conservation of wildlife and wild places through photography. Every year, the ever-growing competition welcomes thousands of images from avid photographers around the globe. Photographs celebrate the rich diversity of life on Earth and inspire action to protect it for the future generations.
The competition is supported and judged by award winning photographers and conservationists, including Robert Irwin, Kate Berry, Harman Singh Heer, Day Scott, Ashleigh Scully, Russell Shakespeare and Sean Scott.
The Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition invites the submission of high-quality nature images for the opportunity to win unforgettable prizes and be exhibited at Australia Zoo.
Entries open on World Environment Day, 5th June and close 31st August 2025.
Winners announced 10th October 2025.
“ In an era of global change, wildlife and habitats are declining at an unprecedented rate, and it has never been more important to protect the natural world. Through the Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition, it is our mission to showcase the wild kingdom and encourage others to preserve it. "
—Robert Irwin
Crikey! Cover
The winning image will be awarded the cover on an issue of the Crikey! Magazine. To be successful, the image must be portrait orientated with space for the title ( above the focal subject). Entries should be of an animal or the natural world, and compelling as a magazine cover.
Click here to enter!The Natural World
A category to celebrate and showcase the beauty of the natural world and thus the need to protect it. Images submitted can showcase wildlife and wild places from anywhere on earth, and depict exciting new perspectives on our complex ecosystems. It is through these images, that we can raise awareness and advocate for the conservation of our precious biodiversity! Images may be landscape or portrait orientated.
Click here to enter!People’s Choice
In October, a selection of additional and memorable images will be shortlisted by the judges and Irwin family, after the winners have been announced for the other categories. The public will then help select the winner, highly commended and three finalists through online voting.
Crikey! Kids - 10 Years and Under
We are proud to encourage our youngest generation to get outdoors, explore our natural world and try their hand at wildlife photography. Images can be landscape or portrait orientated.
Click here to enter!Crikey! Kids - 11 - 14 years
This category is designed to promote youth to pursue photography and wildlife conservation. Images can be landscape or portrait orientated.
Click here to enter!Crikey! Kids - 15 - 17 years
In this category, youth from 15 – 17 years of age can enter images in landscape or portrait orientation. We are so pleased to showcase the incredible images from the next generation of nature photographers.
Click here to enter!Great Prizes
Five finalists will be selected from each category, including a winner and highly commended. These finalists will have their images exhibited at Australia Zoo, featured in Crikey! Magazine and will receive a personalised certificate.
There are a variety of exciting prizes to be won from each category, including cash prizes, Canon camera kits, stays at the luxurious Crocodile Hunter Lodge, epic Australia Zoo gift packs, zoo passes and more!
Crikey! Cover and The Natural World
Winners:
- $2,000 AUD Cash Prize
- Canon EOS R10 camera kit
- Two nights accommodation at the Crocodile Hunter Lodge in a Black Cockatoo or Red Kangaroo Cabin (conditions apply*) – over $1,800 in value!
Highly Commended:
- $750 AUD Cash Prize
Choice of either:
- Australia Zoo family (2 adults, 2 children) admission and giraffe encounter – over $300 in value!
OR
- Australia Zoo signed gift basket – over $300 in value!
Youth Categories – Crikey! Kids Under 10 Years, Crikey! Kids 11 to 14 Years and Crikey! Kids 15 to 17 Years
Winners:
- $1,000 AUD Cash Prize
- Canon EOS R10 camera kit
- Two nights accommodation at the Crocodile Hunter Lodge in a Black Cockatoo or Red Kangaroo Cabin (conditions apply*) – over $1,800 in value!
Highly Commended:
- $500 AUD Cash Prize
Choice of either:
- Australia Zoo family (2 adults, 2 children) admission and giraffe encounter – over $300 in value!
OR
- Australia Zoo signed gift basket – over $300 in value!
People’s Choice
Winner:
- A signed copy of Robert Irwin’s Australia photography book
- Two nights accommodation at the Crocodile Hunter Lodge in a Croc Cabin (conditions apply*) – over $4,000 in value!
Highly Commended:
Choice of either:
- Australia Zoo family (2 adults, 2 children) admission and giraffe encounter – over $300 in value!
OR
- Australia Zoo signed gift basket – over $300 in value!
* The stays at The Crocodile Hunter Lodge are subject to availability and not redeemable for bookings over Christmas Day.
Please read the Terms and Conditions for further information on prizing.
How to Enter!
Step 1: Take your most creative wildlife photo that matches the theme/requirements of the category you are entering.
Step 2: Read the Terms and Conditions and the downloadable guide for the full overview of the Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition.
Step 3: The photograph must be in portrait format for the Crikey! Magazine Cover category, and consideration needs to be taken to allow for the ‘Crikey!’ masthead to be positioned over the top quarter of the winning photo.
Step 4: Successful photographs will be high resolution, JPG or TIF format and a minimum of 300DPI.
No borders, signatures or watermarks are allowed. Submissions not meeting these requirements, or without successful payment of the entry fee, will not proceed to judging.
Step 5: Each photograph must be labelled with your name category, subject of the photo and, if required, a number for multiple images of the same subject. For example, an acceptable file name is:
JaneSmith_Crikey!Cover_Lion
Step 6: A panel of judges, consisting of expert, award-winning photographers, will choose the winners for all categories except People’s Choice.
Step 7: Wait until 10th October 2025 to find out if you are one of our competition winners!
A $10 AUD entry fee applies for each category excluding Crikey! Kids. The entry fees cover competition administration to allow proceeds from Crikey! Magazine to continue to provide essential support to Wildlife Warriors and make an immediate impact in the world of wildlife conservation.
Entry fees are non-refundable.
Supporting Wildlife Conservation
Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors are committed to wildlife conservation and valuing our natural environment, protecting it for generations to come. The decline of nature is unprecedented with more than one million animals and plant species now threatened with extinction.
Australia Zoo is a world-class zoological facility that is proudly continuing the important work of wildlife conservation through animal breeding programs, field research, educational programs and by supporting their globally-recognised charity, Wildlife Warriors. With 12 global conservation projects and three conservation properties, the charity is carrying on Steve Irwin’s dream of a world where humans and wildlife can harmoniously live alongside each other.
Major Sponsors
Image Credits
Ren Schiffer – 2024 Crikey! Cover Winner
Robert Nightingale – 2024 Natural World Winner
Jamie Smart – 2024 People’s Choice Winner
Jamie Smart – Crikey! Kids – 14 years and under Winner
Jared Miner – 2024 Crikey! Kids – 15 – 17 years Winner