Sustainability Photographer of the year 2025

Accepting submissions until 22 May 2025.  

Join us in celebrating the environment through your lens.  

This year’s theme — “It made me think” — invites you to pause, reflect and connect with the environment around you. As spring brings Oxfordshire into full bloom, we encourage you to head outdoors, embrace nature’s beauty, and capture images that are not just visually striking, but also thought-provoking. 

Your photo doesn’t need to be professionally shot or technically perfect — it just needs to tell a story. One that makes others stop and think. It’s an opportunity to engage with nature, appreciate biodiversity and spark conversations about sustainability.  

Whether it's a fleeting moment, a quiet corner or a sign of change — if it made you think, it’s worth sharing. 

Please make sure you read and understand the detailed terms and conditions below.  

ENTER THE COMPETITION

Check out the winners from 2024, 2023 and 2022 for inspiration.    

Who can enter?  

Any current staff member or student from the University of Oxford with a valid ID card can enter. You do not need previous experience, just a camera or phone, an observant eye and some inspiration.  

Judging criteria  

Entries will be assessed based on the aesthetic quality of the image, its ability to bring sustainability to life, an Oxford focus on environmental issues of global significance, and adherence to the aims of the competition. Please note that once made, all judgement decisions are final and further deliberation will not take place.    

Announcing the winners  

The Sustainability Photographer of the Year and the four finalists will be contacted via email by the end of May 2025. The public announcement will take place at the End of the Year Showcase during the first week of July.   

How to submit  

Please use this form to submit your entry. You may submit up to three photos. Please make sure you read and agree to the terms and conditions listed below.   

Please contact the Environmental Sustainability team with any questions: sustainability@admin.ox.ac.uk.  

Terms and conditions 

• Please complete your submission form by the end of 22 May 2025.  
• You can submit up to three photographs for this competition using multiple forms. Before submitting your application, ensure you understand and have met the terms and conditions outlined on this page.   
• Please note that by submitting an application, you agree for your submission to be used by the University in publicity materials both in print and online. If we do use your image, we will credit you as the photographer wherever this is feasible. For example, the photographs may be presented at University of Oxford Environmental Sustainability events or in reports.   
• All photographs must be submitted digitally as JPEGs. To allow for quality resolution, we suggest images be a minimum of 12 megapixels (18 or over preferably). If you can adjust your camera settings, please use 150 DPI or greater.   
• No borders, filters, watermarks or signatures should be included.   
• The pictures can have been taken at any time.   
• Include your full name and the year 2025 within the image file name (eg ‘Sunset_Vered_Balan_2025’).   
• All submitted entries must be the original work of the entrant. The entrant must be the sole owner of the entire sole copyright for all images entered. It is the responsibility of the entrant to ensure compliance with this requirement.   
• If you have submitted a photograph of a recognisable individual or a group, you must have obtained the person’s prior consent for the use of that photograph in accordance with the University guidance on GDPR and photography. Entrants must ensure that they have the consent of any subjects of their photograph(s) before entering the competition. Please include consent form(s) in your submission.   
• By entering the competition, you will be deemed to be bound by the rules, and the University of Oxford reserves the right to exclude any entry from the competition at any time if there is reason to believe that an entrant has breached the rules.   
• By entering the competition, you agree to your name, biographical information (specifically your name and college/department) and submitted image(s) being used by the University of Oxford for the following purposes: (i) publication in print materials, (ii) publication online; and (iii) promotion of the University of Oxford in any other media.   
• By entering the competition, you grant the University of Oxford a non-exclusive licence to use your image(s). You retain the copyright for your image(s).   
• Photographs may be removed from the competition if it is felt that it does not meet these requirements.