Grand Prize – Cover Photo
The photo that receives the most votes overall will be featured on the cover of NVBA's 2026 calendar, two copies of the calendar, as well as free admission to NVBA events for all of 2026, with the exception of any field trip events (trips that take place more than 50 miles from Reston, VA).

Top 12 Photos – Monthly Winners
The next twelve photos with the highest number of votes will each be featured in our NVBA calendar. Each monthly winner will also receive a copy of the calendar for free.

All Entrants – Honorable Mentions
Photos will be added, with credit, to a webpage on our website honoring the calendar fundraiser for 2026 and will be invited to our Photo Celebration as part of our January Alliance Afternoon.

The Real Reward
Every vote is a donation that directly supports our mission to engage all Northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. We advance our mission through educational programs, citizen science, conservation initiatives, and advocacy initiatives. We envision a world where people, wildlife, and their habitats thrive.

Our mission is to engage all Northern Virginia communities in enjoying, conserving, and restoring nature for the benefit of birds, other wildlife, and people. We advance our mission through educational programs, citizen science, conservation initiatives, and advocacy initiatives. We envision a world where people, wildlife, and their habitats thrive.

In 2026, we are growing our work and engaging more deeply in the Northern Virginia community. Your support through this calendar fundraiser supports our ability to offer more bird walks, field trips, virtual and in person events, habitat restoration projects and more!

Rules of the Contest | Submission Guidelines

Does your bird photo have what it takes to be a calendar star? 🌟

Get ready for the Northern Virginia Bird Alliance's first annual Calendar Photo Contest! Submit your stunning bird photographs and help them soar to the top while raising funds for bird conservation in Northern Virginia.

How It Works

• Enter your photos: Submit your favorite bird photographs taken in Northern Virginia. P.S. Any votes entered during the submission phase will be counted but will only appear in the leaderboard once the voting period begins.
• Rally your supporters: Share your photo's page with friends, family, and fellow birders and encourage them to vote!
• Vote and donate: Each vote equals a donation that helps NVBA protect birds and their habitats throughout Northern Virginia.
• Win a calendar feature: The top 13 photos — including our Cover Photo and 12 Monthly Features — will be showcased in NVBA's 2026 calendar and earn a year of bragging rights!

Key Dates

• Photo submissions: 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - 8:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday, November 14, 2025
• Voting: 5:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Wednesday, October 29, 2025 - 8:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Friday, November 14, 2025
• Winners announced: November 15
• Calendars available for purchase: Until December 1^st for delivery in December, with another option to order for early January delivery of calendar.
• Photo Celebration: At our January Alliance Afternoon, we will have printed versions of the photos on display for celebration of the contest and invite all photographers to join in celebrating.

What We're Looking For:

• High-quality photographs of wild birds taken in Northern Virginia, preferably high resolution photos with a minimum of 3300 pixels wide x 2550 pixels high at 300 dpi
• Images representing all seasons — winter, spring, summer, and fall
• Do not add watermarks, dates, logos, names, or other text to images
• Horizontal (landscape) format preferred
• Species diversity — common backyard birds to rare visitors

Every entry and every vote makes a real impact. Together, we can help protect the incredible birds that call Northern Virginia home and ensure they thrive for generations to come.

Contest Entry & Voting

• Entry fee: $10 per photo
• Calendars are sold separately and do not automatically come with registration. All winners will receive 2 free calendars.
• The photo submission period begins October 29th and goes until November 14th. The voting runs alongside the submission period. 
• Each $1 donation = 1 vote (minimum of 5 votes per transaction)
• All votes and entry donations are non-refundable.
• Entries and votes must be submitted online through the official contest page.

Photo Guidelines

• Photo submissions must be of birds found in Northern Virginia and the photo must be taken in Northern Virginia. Northern Virginia, for purposes of this contest, includes: Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Fauquier, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and Clarke counties, plus the independent cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park
• Photos should be high resolution, either in jpg or png format with a minimum of 3300 pixels wide x 2550 pixels high at 300 dpi
• Photos should not be altered, other than minor contrast, brightness, crop, tone, sharpen, clean dust or adjust exposure. Photos may not be altered via AI, nor may you add, erase, or move anything in the photo to change how the subject looks and behaves. 
• We anticipate most photos to be birds, but insects and plants native to Northern Virginia are also welcome! Please do not have people in your photo.
• Ensure no watermark or signature is visible in your uploaded version.  
• If you win a monthly feature, NVBA may reach out to you for more information.
• Should a photo be found to be violating any of these rules, even if it is winning on the leaderboard, your photo will not be included in the calendar. 

Submission Guidelines

• You may submit as many entries as you like, but each must be of a different bird, plant or insect. 
• Any photograph that includes content that is deemed inappropriate, obscene, etc. as determined by the staff of NVBA will be removed from the contest and no refunds will be provided.
• Once entered, photos become useable by NVBA and may be used for future marketing purposes, with credit provided to the photographer.