Let your photo speak for nature
Contest ends August 14th, 2026
The Bowen Island Conservancy is delighted to sponsor our 2026 Caring for Nature Biodiversity Photo Contest. Building on the extraordinary success of the last two years’ events, we once again invite all Bowen Island photographers of all ages and all skill levels—amateur and professional, young and old—to share their unique view of the natural wonders of Bowen Island.
Last year’s winning entries amazed and inspired us.
River Otter by Bogdan Gheorghe
Biodiversity — short for biological diversity — refers to all the variety of animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms that make up our natural world. Each of these organisms work together in ecosystems, in an intricate web, to maintain balance and support life. The healthier and more diverse an ecosystem, the healthier and more resilient we humans are.
Prizes!
in each category:
1st Place
Gift certificates from one of: Bowen Island Pub, Tippy’s Cookhouse or Phoenix Books*; and a print of the winner’s photo
2nd Place
Exploring Bowen Island’s Marine World by Bob Turner, Len Gilday, and Will Husby – or other Conservancy publication.
3rd Place
Places for Nature – a Bowen Habitat Map by Will Husby.
* For Children’s first place, gift certificates are from either Tippy’s Cookhouse or Phoenix Books
CONTEST CATEGORIES
- Kids (ages 12 years and under)
- Teens (ages 13–19 years)
- Adult (age 20 years and over)
- Backyard Biodiversity (all ages): highlight how you share the place where you live with Bowen’s wild plants and animals
The Rules
- All photos must be taken on Bowen Island or the waters that surround it.
• Editing and cropping photos is allowed
• No AI images will be accepted
• By entering this contest you give the Bowen Island Conservancy permission to use this/these photos for education and communications purposes. - Photographers must abide by the photographer’s code of conduct
- Up to three photos may be entered by each photographer.
• We accept any file format supported by your mobile device or camera, but .jpg format is preferred.
• You can enter your photos in one of the following categories:
– Kids (ages 12 years and under)
– Teens (ages 13-19 years)
– Adult (age 20 and over)
– New! Backyard Biodiversity (all ages). A recent study sponsored by the Bowen Island Conservancy has shown that some of the highest biodiversity on Bowen is located on private land. Highlight how the place where you live is wildlife-friendly. - Each photo must be titled as follows:
Photo name by your name
e.g., Pileated woodpeckers on stump by Jane Smith.jpg
How to title your photos on:
• iPhone/iPad
• Android
• Windows
• Macintosh - Each photo must be accompanied by a description (30 words or less) of how you feel this photo illustrates Bowen’s Biodiversity.
- All photos will be judged by a panel of local naturalists and photographers
- By entering the contest photographers give the
Bowen Island Conservancy to use their submitted photos for education and promotional purposes.
Swallowtail Butterfly by Tim King
How to Submit Your Photos
This year we will be accepting photo submissions by email.
To make a photo submission follow these steps:
- Select up to 3 photos.
- Create photo titles for each photo as follows:
Photo name by your name
eg. Deer Faun by Pat Smith.jpg - Open your email app and create an email to send to us.
- Copy and paste one of the following email addresses into the To: box
• biodiversity-adult@bowenislandconservancy.org to enter the adult category
• biodiversity-teen@bowenislandconservancy.org to enter the teen category
• biodiversity-kids@bowenislandconservancy.org to enter the kids category
• biodiversity-backyard@bowenislandconservancy.org to enter the backyard biodiversity category - Type: “Biodiversity” into the subject box.
- We will need the following information in the body of the email (see right).
- Check to make sure that you have completed all the steps above, then click on the send mail icon — you are done!
We will send you a return email within one week to confirm that we have received your photo(s).
We can’t wait to see the wonders of Nature through your lens!
Enter the contest today!
Your email will look like this:
To: (email address)
Subject: Biodiversity
Message:
Your name
The contest category you are entering (Kids, Teens, Adults, or Backyard Biodiversity)
The title of Photo One
Description One: (a brief description of how this photo represents an aspect of Bowen Island biodiversity.)
The title of Photo Two
Description of Photo Two
The title of Photo Three
Description of Photo Three
How to name your photo file.