2024 Wildland Photo Contest

A woman stands with her back to the camera, watching a colorful sunset over an alpine lake in Rocky Mountain National Park

2024 Photo Contest

Enter for a chance to win a free trip!

We are on the hunt for the best Wildland tour photos. Whether you caught a stellar sunset, planned a creative group photo, had an up-close (but safe!) animal encounter, or got some freaky weather, we want to see your best shots!

A backpacker descends into the Grand Canyon on a hike of the hermit loop

2023: Grand Prize, Grand Canyon: Hermit Loop

Wildland’s first ever trips were through the Grand Canyon. Our judges couldn’t resist this epic sunset backpacking shot through the canyon. Jonah O. won $2,500 that he put toward an epic Spring Trekking Adventure in Yellowstone earlier this year.

Check out Hermit Loop
Sunrise on the Presidential Ridge of the White Mountains, as seen from Lake of the Clouds hut

2023: Facebook's Choice Winner

Our Facebook audience loved this epic hut shot from the Presidential Peaks. Kim C. won $750 toward her next Wildland trip: she hiked through the Dolomites this past July!

Explore the Presidential Peaks
Three backpackers explore the sunbathed floor of the Grand Canyon

2023: Instagram's Choice Winner

Another amazing shot from the Wonders of the Grand Canyon won over our Instagram audience last year. Mary G. won $750 toward her next Wildland trip.

Experience the Wonders of the Grand Canyon

How it works

Past Wildland guests who traveled with us between September 15, 2023 and September 23, 2024 are encouraged to submit up to five of their best photos from their tour. Been on more than one tour in that timeframe? No problem! You can submit separate entries for each tour. Tours can have taken place anywhere in the world; our last winning photo was captured in the Grand Canyon.

If you have any questions on the submission process, please email [email protected].

What You could win

Our Grand Prize winner will receive $3,000 trip credit towards the Wildland Trekking tour of their choice, anywhere in the USA.

Our Facebook and Instagram’s Choice winners will each receive $750 toward their next Wildland Trekking adventure vacation.

Enter the contest

Please title your file names with your name, and the trip name/trail, and year.

For example: john-smith-shiningrock-2024.jpg 

You file size is limited to 15MB per photo; please ensure all photo submissions are at least 1500 pixels wide. 

2024 Photo Contest

Terms and conditions

Term:

Wildland Trekking’s 2024 Photo Contest begins September 12, 2024, and ends September 23, 2024, at 11:59 PM Mountain Time. By submitting an entry, each contestant agrees to the rules of the contest and states that he or she is 18 years old or older.

Who may enter:

The Grand Prize, Facebook’s Choice prize, and Instagram’s Choice prize are open to adventurers who are 18 years old or older and traveled with us between September 15, 2023 and September 23, 2024. Individuals affiliated with the Wildland Trekking Company, including employees and their immediate families (children, parents, siblings, and spouses) and others living in their households are not eligible for any prize. The Wildland Trekking Company will determine winners’ eligibility at its sole discretion.

What to enter:

We’re looking for the best tour photos–what that means is up to you! Photos of happy campers, epic campsites, wildlife, flora and fauna, or landscapes are all great starting points.

To be eligible, a photograph must have been shot by the entrant on a Wildland tour since September 15, 2023. The contestant certifies that he/she is the sole creator and copyright owner of the submitted photograph.

Cropped photos are eligible. Minor adjustments, including the removal of sensor dust or scratches on scans of negatives, dodging and burning, sharpening, contrast, toning, slight color adjustment and conversion to grayscale are acceptable. The addition and subtraction of objects is not permitted. If the judges determine that a photographer has altered his or her photo, they reserve the right to disqualify it.

For a photo in which a person is recognizable, you must be prepared to provide a model release from the subject or, in the case of a minor, the subject’s parent or guardian, to the Wildland Trekking Company upon request. Wildland Trekking Company may heretofore be referenced as “WTC.”

If the entrant is unable to provide all required releases, WTC in its sole discretion reserves the right to disqualify the submission, seek to secure the required releases, or permit the submission to remain in the contest.

Photos that violate or infringe upon another person’s rights, including but not limited to copyright, are not eligible.

Photos that contain sexually explicit, nude, obscene, violent or other objectionable or inappropriate content, as determined by Wildland in its sole discretion, are ineligible for this contest.

Ethics

The welfare of a subject and its environment must be placed ahead of the desire to capture a photograph. Upon entering the contest, entrants certify that subjects were treated with respect and dignity, and that no people, wildlife or the environment were harmed in creating a photograph.

If baiting was used to attract wildlife, or special equipment such as camera traps and drones used to capture the photograph, this must be disclosed. Baiting of wildlife is prohibited.

How to Enter:

Please submit photographs and requested information online through our website at https://wildlandtrekking.com/2024-wildland-photo-contest/ . You may submit up to 5 photographs per tour. In order to be displayed in our online gallery without being stretched or distorted, photographs must be submitted in .jpeg, .jpg or .pdf format, edited for web in sRGB color space, at least 1,500 pixels wide and no larger than 15 MB. You must complete a separate form for each tour date submitted.

We do not accept photographs submitted through the mail and do not accept more than one contestant per e-mail address. High-quality scans of non-digital photographs are acceptable. Digital photographs should be taken at the highest resolution possible.

Wildland Trekking Company may collect a photograph’s metadata upon entry.

You retain your rights to your photograph; however, by entering the contest, you grant the Wildland Trekking Company (and those authorized by WTC) a royalty-free, world-wide, perpetual, non-exclusive license to publicly display, distribute, reproduce and create derivative works of the entries, in whole or in part, in any media now existing or later developed, for any purpose, including, but not limited to, advertising and promotion of its website and products. Any photograph reproduced will include a photographer credit as feasible. Wildland Trekking will not be required to pay any additional consideration or seek any additional approval in connection with such uses.

Entry deadline:

The contest begins on September 12, 2024. All entries must be received through wildlandtrekking.com submission page by 11:59 PM Mountain Standard Time on September 23, 2024.

Judging

Photo entries will be judged based on creativity, quality, originality, and overall impact.

Wildland will select 10 finalists for Facebook, 12 for Instagram, and a Grand Prize winner. The 22 social finalists will appear on our social pages in October 2024. At that time, the public can vote on our Facebook and Instagram pages for the respective Facebook’s Choice and Instagram’s Choice winners. The Grand Prize winner and category winners will be revealed online by October 2024.

Wildland Trekking will notify winners via the contact information provided at the time of entry; Wildland may disqualify anyone who fails to respond to the notification within five business days.

Please do not contact us about the status of entries or judging.

Prizes:

Three prizes will be awarded, as follows:

Grand Prize: $3,000 value toward any USA-based Wildland Trekking tour.

Social Winners: The winners of each of the Facebook’s Choice and Instagram’s Choice categories will receive $750 toward any Wildland Trekking tour.

Winners must sign a release and license, as well as a declaration of eligibility, and will be responsible for paying any fees or taxes associated with the prize. All prizes are awarded “as is” and non-transferable.

Online Features:

Wildland may select photos for highlight on its website or social media. Such selections will be made in Wildland’s sole discretion.

Conditions of Entry:

All entrants hold the Sponsors and their respective regents, directors, officers, employees, and interns (the “Indemnified Parties”) harmless from and against all claims of any nature arising in connection with entrant’s participation in the contest and acceptance or use of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not liable for any costs, damages, injuries, or other claims incurred as a result of entrants’ participation in the contest or winner’s acceptance and usage of a prize. The Indemnified Parties are not responsible for incomplete or misdirected entries, technical or network malfunctions or failures, or causes beyond their control. Entrants are solely responsible for their entries. Entrants may not submit materials that introduce any software viruses, worms or other programs designed to damage software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or are off-topic, partisan-political, contain advertising, nudity, personal attacks or expletives, or is otherwise abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, discriminatory, libelous, obscene, false, sexually explicit, or that infringes on the rights of any third party.

The contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law. Wildland Trekking Company reserves the right to cancel the contest or modify these rules at its discretion. In the event of a dispute regarding the winners, Wildland reserves the right to award or not award the prizes in its sole discretion. Wildland reserves the right to disqualify any entrant whose entry or conduct appears in any way to: inhibit the enjoyment of others; tamper with the competition; violate these rules or other applicable law or regulation; infringe on the rights of third parties; or act in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner. Decisions of Wildland Trekking are final and binding.