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Stories in New Zealand

The 2026 Oceania Photo Contest Is Now Open!

A Kiwi bird being cradled in a man's arms.

Enter today to win a share of $15,000 in prizes.

August 10, 2026

Entries close 18 September 2026.

Return to the Wild This photo of a precious manu being cradled speaks volumes, capturing the deep care, reverence, and hope behind every step of this remarkable return to the wild. © Tony Stoddard / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Oceania is an extraordinary region—home to species and ecosystems found nowhere else on Earth.

We started the Oceania Photo Contest because we know that a powerful photograph can do more than capture a moment. It can tell a story. Stories of wonder and resilience and connection. A photo, however ordinary, can do extraordinary things.

The Oceania Photo Contest is more than just a photography competition. It is a chance to join TNC’s growing community of storytellers, nature lovers and advocates helping inspire action.

A close up of the underside of a mushroom with firefly-like lights around it.
Pluteus' Fireflies The endearing species—Pluteus Velutinornatus—with its velvety, mottled cap, almost animal-like with lovely dark lined gills giving them so much dimension. © Nic Wooding / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Past Oceania Photo Contest Winners

2025 New Zealand Category Winners

The 2025 Oceania Photo Contest received more than 1,200 New Zealand entries that highlighted the unique biodiversity of the region and served as a reconnection with much-loved landscapes and a reminder that New Zealand is home to a huge array of species found nowhere else on Earth.

See the New Zealand Category Winners
Lightning strikes over the water against a dark stormy sky.
A close up of forest trees that looks like a watercolour painting.
Whales stranded on a beach and humans working to save them.
Three fungi that are shaped like witches’ hats.
A close-up of the faces of eels underwater.
Lightning strikes over the water against a dark stormy sky.

Surge: 21 January 2024—I absolutely love storms, so after following the radar all day & seeing a storm rolling in, I knew I wanted to capture some lightning over Paraparaumu Estuary. © Kaitlin Groom / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A close up of forest trees that looks like a watercolour painting.

Enchanted Forest: Out capturing sunrise in the morning, walking along and exploring a new spot, and I came across Lake Weyba Bushland Reserve. © Fay Seah / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Whales stranded on a beach and humans working to save them.

December Whale Stranding: A mass whale stranding happened in December 2024, at Farewell Spit, South Island of New Zealand. It's a regular location for long-finned pilot whales to beach. © Tim Cuff / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Three fungi that are shaped like witches’ hats.

Hocus Pocus: Hygrocybe astatogala are definitely the witches of the mushroom kingdom. © Chin Kang Chia / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A close-up of the faces of eels underwater.

Freshwater Eels: Pair of New Zealand longfin eels (Anguilla dieffenbachii) in a tributary of the Wakapuaka River in Hira, Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand. © Colin Marshall / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

2025 Oceania Photo Contest Winners

The natural world continues to inspire people across Oceania. Through thousands of images submitted from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, the 2025 Oceania Photo Contest revealed stories that celebrate the beauty, resilience and significance of nature.

See the 2025 Winners Gallery
A man with bolt cutters underwater trying to cut a chain off a wild whale's tail.
Glowing green fungi.
Aerial view of a flooded area where all the trees are gone.
A delicate waterfall highlighted by a ray of light against a dark backdrop.
A blue shrimp sitting on a ball of tiny red eggs.
A man with bolt cutters underwater trying to cut a chain off a wild whale's tail.

Grand Prize Winner—Tauhi: A day I never imagined—we answered a call about an entangled humpback whale thrashing in distress. © Miesa Grobbelaar / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Glowing green fungi.

Galactic Ghost: During the autumn months, Tasmania sees a brief explosion of a short-lived bioluminescent fungus, the so-called ghost fungus (Omphalotus nidiformis). © Benjamin Alldridge / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Aerial view of a flooded area where all the trees are gone.

The Collapse of the Green: This drone photography captures the forest fading under the weight of extremes. © Cheng Kang / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A delicate waterfall highlighted by a ray of light against a dark backdrop.

Nightfall: This photo was taken in Wilson Creek Canyon about an hour north of Wanaka, New Zealand. © Olivia Wentzell / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

A blue shrimp sitting on a ball of tiny red eggs.

Peacock Mantis and Eggs.: A female peacock mantis shrimp stands upright surveying the area while holding her large clutch of red eggs. © Peter McGee / 2025 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Read more

A Kiwi bird being cradled in a man's arms.

2026 Oceania Photo Contest Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions for the 2026 Oceania Photo Contest.

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