Rules

The BC SPCA Wildlife-in-Focus Photography Contest is open to all photographers at least 14 years of age*, with the exception of Wild ARC employees. All photographs must be taken in British Columbia. The BC SPCA reserves the right to verify, in its sole judgment, winner eligibility. 
 
*Youth 13 and under can participate in BC SPCA Kid’s Club contests


Entries will be accepted starting 12:00:00 AM (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 and the final date and time for submitting photos is 11:59:59 PM (Pacific Time) on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. The BC SPCA anticipates notifying winners by mid-late August.


We are looking for striking images from green spaces, beaches, roadsides and your backyard, that represent the resiliency of local wildlife living at the interface with humans. Contest photographs will ideally represent a diversity of species and challenges local wild animals face, keeping in theme with our overall mission. These images may show fun and interesting animal behaviour, portraits of wild animals in their natural habitat, and adaptations of wild animals living in urban environments.

All photographs must be taken in British Columbia and submissions must indicate physical location and approximate date taken. Photographs taken before the contest year may be submitted. Previously published photos may also be entered, however please include information on when and where the photos appeared. If you have entered a photo in a previous year’s Wildlife-in-Focus contest, please do not enter the same photo in the current contest.

Urban wild animals include both native and non-native free-living species of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles and invertebrates resident or transient to BC. Please do not include photographs of exotic pets, domestic or feral domestic animals such as feral European rabbits, for example. The photographed animals cannot be temporarily confined or live in permanent captivity; therefore animals in game farms, roadside zoos, educational, breeding, or commercial facilities, or wildlife rehabilitation centres will be disqualified. If you are unsure whether a species is suitable, please email wif@spca.bc.ca for assistance.

Entrants must not infringe on the rights of any other photographer or person or submit images that involve the willful harassment of wildlife or damage to the environment by the photographer. All photos should be taken in adherence to NANPA Principles of Ethical Field Practices. Additionally, free-living wildlife cannot be coerced with food (with the exception of birds at feeders only), or stressed unnaturally in order to photograph - for example, no chasing or harassing, no bright flashes on sensitive nestlings, etc. Remotely operated cameras may be acceptable provided the technology does not have the potential to harass or alter the behaviour of animals. For example, stationary wild/game cameras are acceptable, but the use of drones or other moving, unmanned vehicles is not acceptable. The photo must not contain people. For more information about ethical wildlife photography, please visit the BC SPCA website.

Digital Alterations: All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter and the scene as it appeared. Photos that have been digitally altered beyond standard optimization will be disqualified. Acceptable alterations include adjustments to colour, contrast, brightness and sharpness; removal of dust and scratches; cropping; black and white conversions. Not acceptable are photo composites; the addition, duplication, deletion or moving of objects in the photos (including watermarks); or the use of artistic digital filters and effects. Examples of artistic filters and effects are watercolour, neon glow, posterizing, stained glass, and others which do not show the scene in its natural way.


People's Choice
The photo with the most votes will be awarded the People's Choice Award. The top photos with the most votes and judge’s picks will be featured on an exclusive Wildlife-in-Focus hot beverage thermos available for purchase on shop.spca.bc.ca later in the year.

There is no limit to how many times you can vote for an entry. The more you vote, the more sick, injured and orphaned wildlife at Wild ARC you help!

In the event of a tie for the top spot, the photograph that was entered first will be considered a higher rank. Please note this is the system already used by GoGo Photo Contest to determine the rankings, and we will abide by the final rankings. Photos that do not meet the rules below may require substitution or forfeit their spot.


Judge's Picks
Winners will be announced in a media release and the BC SPCA website, and will receive a gift item. The top photos with the most votes and judge’s picks will be featured on an exclusive Wildlife-in-Focus hot beverage thermos, available for purchase on shop.spca.bc.ca later in the year. The BC SPCA may also award Honourable Mentions as the judges deem appropriate.


Photographs will be judged on originality, technical excellence, composition, overall impact and artistic merit. All decisions by the judges will be final and binding.


All images must be digital and photos may be colour or black and white. Photographers may enter a single or multiple images; there is no maximum number of entries per participant. Net contest proceeds go to the BC SPCA's Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre to care for local injured and orphaned wildlife, and any contributions are tax-receiptable.

Entrants submit contact and contest information, upload photo(s), and select payment amount (optional votes). All photos must have complete information on location and date taken. The judges use this information to help them select the winners. Not providing this information may hurt your chances of winning. Payment is made on a secure web page using a major credit card. Registration confirms the BC SPCA can contact you regarding this year's and future year's contests unless otherwise specified.

Prepare Your Photos: Camera-made digital images or digital scans of slides or prints must be uploaded as jpg or png files. To be included in the judging and eligible to be featured in prize items, a minimum file size of 1MB (or minimum 900px tall or 1200px wide) is required, and photos must be considered "print quality" with respect to their composition, focus, colour and tone, resolution (dpi), and format.  


Entrants retain ownership and all other rights to future use of the photographs but entry into the contest constitutes your agreement to allow your entered photographs - and your name and city - to be published as winners or finalists in BC SPCA magazines and publications, and on the BC SPCA website, and be used for fundraising and educational activities of the BC SPCA with appropriate photography credit. These activities may include, but are not limited to, BC SPCA publications and web pages, calendars, annual auction, online photo features and contests, photo cards, social media and emails providing BC SPCA information.


By entering this competition, you agree to these entry rules and the following legal conditions:

By entering, participants warrant that their entry materials are original, that they are the photographer and they do not infringe on any third party's rights, and that the participant has obtained any necessary permissions from any third party if a third party's property appears in the photograph. The BC SPCA reserves the right to disqualify any entry if it finds in its sole discretion that any of the foregoing warranties are not true. Decisions of the BC SPCA shall be final and binding.

By entering, participants release and hold harmless the BC SPCA, its affiliated organizations, and each of their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives (collectively, the "Organization") from any and all liability for any injuries, loss, claim, action, demand or damage of any kind arising from or related to the BC SPCA Wildlife-in-Focus photography contest, any prize won, any use of the entry materials by the BC SPCA, the warranties participants make, any misuse or malfunction of any prize awarded, participation in any BC SPCA-related activity, or participation in the BC SPCA.

The contest is governed by the laws of the Canada and is subject to applicable federal, provincial, and local laws and regulations. Participant agrees that any and all disputes that cannot be resolved with the Organization, and causes of action arising out of or connected with the BC SPCA, shall be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action, before a court of competent jurisdiction. In any such dispute, participant shall, under no circumstances, be entitled to claim punitive, incidental or consequential damages, or any other damages, including attorneys' fees, other than participant's actual out-of-pocket expenses (if any) associated with participating in the BC SPCA Wildlife-in-Focus photography contest. Participant hereby waives all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.

Any attempt by an entrant or other individual to deliberately damage any website or undermine the legitimate operation of the BC SPCA is a violation of criminal and civil laws, and should such an attempt be made, the Organization reserves the right to seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law.

The Organization is not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by website users or by any equipment or programming associated with or utilized in the photography contest, or by any technical or human error that may occur in the processing of submissions to the BC SPCA Wildlife-in-Focus photography contest, including but not limited to any misprints or typographical errors. The Organization assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, photographs. The Organization is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer equipment, servers, providers, computer on-line systems, software, or failure of email on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any website, including injury or damage to participant's or to any other person's computer related to or resulting from participating in or uploading images or information to the BC SPCA Wildlife-in-Focus photography contest.

In no event will the Organization, their advertising and promotional agencies, or their directors, officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives be responsible or liable for any damages or losses of any kind, including direct indirect, incidental, consequential or punitive damages arising out of participant's access to and use of the Organization's websites, or the downloading or uploading and/or printing of material from said sites. Without limiting the foregoing, everything on the Organization's sites is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied.

The BC SPCA is not responsible for lost, damaged, late or misdirected photographs, or for uploading connections, garbled transmissions, unauthorized intervention or technical malfunctions.

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