We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2025 Whakatipu Wildlife Trust Wildlife Photography Competition, as judged by the wonderful Tracy Porteous, Dethmer Leemborg and Tony Paterson.
Our in-person prizegiving was held on the 10th of November at The Sherwood in Queenstown, featuring an inspiring talk by Samuel Purdie from Southern Lakes Sanctuary on photographing lizards and invertebrates.
A huge thank you to our generous sponsors: True South Flights, AJ Hackett Bungy, KJET, Skyline Queenstown, Mercure Queenstown Resort, Golden Fleece Arrowtown and The Sherwood.
We had 100 stunning images entered – double our entries from last year!
In particular, we were impressed by the number and quality of the entries in the youth category.
2026 Calendar: As we do every year, we’re producing a calendar featuring a selection of photos from this competition – not just the winners! The calendar will be available to purchase from our website (coming soon), in person from us in Queenstown and at the Remarkable Market on Saturdays leading up to Christmas.
Congratulations to all our winners!
Adults Over 17yo Category
First Place – Sponsored by True South Flights
FIRST PRIZE: Sponsored by True South Flights – Hunting New Zealand Falcon by Steve Couper
Second Place – Sponsored by Sponsored by AJ Hackett Bungy
Spot prizes, sponsored by Golden Fleece Arrowtown, were also awarded on the night to Youth entrants! Congratulations!
Evie Sutton (8yo)
Josie Lamb (9yo)
Eva Hoy (11yo)
Harry Whyte (7yo)
Lily Smith (13yo)
Tom Liddy (9yo)
A huge thank you to our generous prize sponsors: True South Flights, AJ Hackett Bungy Queenstown, Skyline Queenstown, KJET Queenstown, Mercure Queenstown Resort and Golden Fleece Arrowtown.
