The New Zealand Fish and Game Council in cooperation with the New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust is running a photo competition.

About the competition

The winning image will be used on the 2026 Game Bird Habitat Stamp and the 2026 Fish & Game Hunting Licence.

Entries open July 23rd 2024

The winner will receive $1,000 cash from the Game Bird Habitat Trust and a $1,000 Kilwell sports voucher.

Conditions of entry

Ideally, the photo will depict a game bird in its natural habitat.

In some instances, a photo of a harvested bird will be accepted, but it must be tasteful and highlight the bird well. 

The Habitat Stamp is traditionally launched on February 2nd each year in acknowledgement of World Wetland Day.

Species that can be entered include any game bird listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Act 1953

These are species administered by Fish and Game Councils for the benefit of recreational hunters. 

The list includes both waterfowl (black swan, Australasian shoveler, mallard duck, grey duck, paradise shelduck and pukeko) and upland game (chukar, partridge, pheasant, and quail).

The Game Bird Habitat Stamp

Past habitat stamp images can be viewed here.

With each licence sold, $5.00 (or $10.00 if sold through NZ Post) goes towards habitat conservation and is made available to any landowner or property manager in the country for the creation, enhancement, or restoration of habitat suitable for game birds and other wildlife. 

Anyone can apply for support from this fund which is administered by the NZ Game Bird Habitat Trust, with applications closing at the end of June each year. 

An application form is available here.

Photo Competition

The competition is open to anyone in New Zealand, except those directly involved in the competition and the judging panel (including their families and relatives).

The competition is also not open to Fish & Game staff or their families.

If you are under the age of 16 you must have permission to enter from your parent or guardian.

By submitting an entry for the competition, your parent/carer/guardian is deemed to have given such consent and to agree to the use of the entry as described in these terms and conditions.

Your entry must be submitted digitally via the Fish and Game website below.  No other forms of entry will be accepted.

By submitting images, each entrant confirms and warrants that:

  • the images are originals and have not been circulated or published previously
  • they are the sole author/photographer of each entry and that it is their original work
  • they own the copyright and any other intellectual property rights of each image
  • if anyone is pictured in the image their consent (or, where the image shows anyone under 18, the consent of their parent/guardian) has been given and they indemnify the competition organisers against any claims made by any third parties
  • they have received any necessary permissions from the owner(s) of depicted background objects including land, and buildings included in submitted images for the usage rights required
  • that if selected to feature on the Game Bird Habitat Stamp they will become the sole property of Fish & Game to use for all commercial and promotional activities
  • There is one prize to be won for each year's competition. The New Zealand Game Bird Habitat Trust will give the winner of the competition $1,000

For full terms and conditions click here.

What to enter
  1. Photographs of a game bird species in its wild natural habitat
  2. Photographs must be a minimum of 1MB – maximum 5MB file
  3. Entries must not have been a ‘winner’ in any other photographic competition or be currently submitted for any other competition
  4. A maximum of three entries may be entered per applicant
  5. Birds photographed in captivity such as in zoos, wildlife parks or similar locations are not eligible

Judging

A panel of judges will select images based upon technical quality, plus the aspect and background of the subject bird.

The ideal shot will be of the subject species at home in the kind of natural environment where it thrives.

Judges will look for diversity, originality and creativity of the composition. Judging will be anonymous.

The decision of the organisers is final and no correspondence will be entered into concerning the competition’s judging and organisation.

Once the winner is announced, all ownership rights to non-successful entrants will return to those entrants.

Announcement of overall winner

Judges will choose the winning shot and contact the winner privately.  The public will see the winning image and the identity of the winner when the Game Bird Habitat Stamp is launched. 

Timing

Submission period            

23rd July 2024 - 23rd August 2024

Click here to enter