Orkney Nature Festival Photography Competition 2026
The winners of the Inaugural Orkney Nature Festival Photography Competition have now been decided.
From an exceptional pool of over 200 images, only six could be the category winners. We are so grateful to everybody who entered! A big thank you must go to our Competition Judges; Rachel Bigsby, Tom Hadley, Kirsten Shearer and Heather Woodbridge.
The winning images, and the runner up, for each category are displayed below. Well done to each of the successful entrants! The generocity of our local sponsors, who have supported the prizes for each category, is grately appreciated; thanks to Alison Moore, Highland Park, NorthLink, Ola Gorie, The Orcadian Bookshop and The Orkney Distillery.
Natural Landscapes of Orkney
Prize sponsored by Highland Park
Winner – ‘Hoy Hills’ by Kirsti Jones
Runner Up – ‘Sunlit Spray’ by Mark Simms
Terrestrial Animals of Orkney
Prize sponsored by Ola Gorie
Winner – ‘Black Guillemot flying past with a Butterfish’ by David at the Hall of Einar
Runner Up – ‘Merlin surveying it’s territory’ by William Hodgson
Marine Animals of Orkney
Prize sponsored by Alison Moore
Winner – ‘Surfing’ by David Askew
Runner Up – ‘A Moment to Dry’ by Dawn Underhill
Plants of Orkney
Prize sponsored by The Orkney Distillery
Winner – ‘Bog Cotton’ by Alan Cooper
Runner Up – ‘Treasure vault’ by Nataliia Kuzmina
Under 18 Natural Landscapes of Orkney
Prize sponsored by NorthLink
Winner – ‘Rounding the Red Head’ by Aiden Schinkel
Runner Up – ‘The Bu’ by Eliana Diamond
Under 18 Species of Orkney
Prize sponsored by The Orcadian Bookshop
Winner – ‘Daisy’ by Emma Barnes
Runner Up – ‘Connect Four’ by Aiden Schinkel
We hope that the Photography Competition will return next year.
