How to enter

Winning entries are chosen according to two key criteria: they should be aesthetically pleasing, and convey an interesting scientific phenomenon.

As well as an overall winner, a category winner and runner up will be selected for each category. For the 2025 competition, photographs can be submitted to one of 5 categories:

• Astronomy – for images of astronomical bodies, or that demonstrate astronomical or astrophysical phenomena
• Behaviour – for images that show the behaviour of living species
• Earth Science and Climatology – for images of physical processes or features related to Earth, including its oceans and atmosphere
• Ecology and Environmental Science – for images that demonstrate the interaction of species within the environment and the environment itself
• Micro-imaging – for any images taken using microscopes and other high-magnification imaging devices

The overall winner receives a prize of £1,000 (or currency equivalent) and winners of the categories not chosen as the overall winner receive £500 (or currency equivalent). The overall winner will also feature on the cover of a Royal Society journal and will receive a full Article Processing Charge (APC) waiver on their next open access publication in our journal portfolio. The final shortlist selected by the judges will be displayed in an online exhibition. The Royal Photographic Society will also provide certificates and 1-year Royal Photographic Society Memberships to the category winners, with a request that the recipients are asked to blog/social post about their award.

Wondering what our judges are looking for? Take a look at this blog post to find out what they think makes a good entry.

For any questions please contact imagecomp@royalsociety.org.