Calling all travel photographers! We invite you to submit your best work and compete for the title of Penda’s Travel Photographer of the Year. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an enthusiastic amateur, this is your chance to showcase your most captivating travel images. You’ll have a chance to win the trip of a lifetime – a photo safari to Botswana. Entering is quick and easy – and your first entry is free!
Made with durable materials, these came straps offer flexibility, versatility, and a classic look. They’re adjustable and fit all cameras.
Combining a vintage look with modern camera bag features, the Lisboa Backpack allows you to carry all your camera gear in style and comfort.
This exclusive photo safari offers incredible wildlife photography opportunities, a stay in a private camp in the middle of a reserve, and tutoring by Alan Hewitt.
Whether you’re ready to enter or keen to get more info, fill out your details!Â
Step 1: Enter your images (or get reminded to do this later)
You can now enter directly via our website by completing the entry form above. If you’re not quite ready to submit, you can also subscribe to reminders so you don’t miss out.
Please make sure to submit your images in the right format, as per our Ts&Cs. Follow these guidelines for file naming, size, and format to ensure your photos are eligible. Entries close on the 10th of December, so don’t wait too long!
Step 2: Judging process
Our panel of expert judges, including award-winning photographers, will evaluate submissions based on composition, storytelling, creativity, and technical quality. Shortlisted entries will be reviewed in greater detail, and you may be contacted to provide RAW files or original JPEGs if required.
Step 3: Announcing the winners
After the judging rounds are complete, we’ll announce category winners, runners-up and the overall winner. Winners will be notified directly by email and celebrated on our website and social media. Prizes include exclusive photo safaris and other fantastic photography gear!
Keep an eye out for updates along the way, and good luck with your submission!
Out of the three category winners, we’ll pick one main winner. This person will get to join us for an exclusive photography safari in Botswana next year! Based in the Tuli Block region, which was described by the Lonely Planet as ‘Botswana’s best kept secret,’ this safari offers incredible wildlife encounters and photographic opportunities. You can expect to photograph lions, leopards, huge herds of elephants, and a wealth of smaller mammals. We’ll stay in a private safari camp in the middle of the game reserve, and you’ll be guided by Alan Hewitt, who will offer photographic tutoring throughout the trip.
Dates: July 17 – 23, 2026
Value: USD 4995
Details: You can find more detailed information about Botswana Photo Safari (itinerary, photographic opportunities, transport, accommodation, and what’s included).
The other two category winners will get a Lisboa Camera Backpack by VINCOV. With its vintage charm, this backpack seamlessly blends a classic look with modern camera backpack features. The removable spacious compartments are equipped with anti-shock interior pads, ensuring your camera stays safe, whether you’re navigating city streets or exploring nature. Pack all the accessories you need for your photography journey with ease.
The runners up in all three categories will get a Sabang leather camera strap by VINCOV. Crafted from premium genuine leather, this strap offers both fashion and function. Whether worn over the shoulder or around the neck, its thick padding effectively minimizes strain caused by your camera’s weight, ensuring comfort during extended use. Designed to handle heavy loads, the leather strap evenly distributes weight to prevent discomfort.
We’re proud to work with a panel of impressive judges; photographers with incredible bodies of work and hugely varied experience and expertise. You can find more comprehensive details about the judges’ profiles.Â
Charlotte Arthun is an American wildlife photographer and tour leader. With a background in wildlife biology and conservation, she started her career as a resident photographer in South Africa’s Sabi Sabi Game Reserve. Over the past decade, she has specialised in photographing wildlife in remote destinations across Africa, Asia, and North and South America.
Tyrone Turner is a photographer based in Washington, DC, who has traveled extensively to document social and environmental issues. His work has been featured in many international publications, including National Geographic Magazine. He has received awards and fellowships for his work from POY, the Soros Foundation and the Institute of Current World Affairs.
Alan Hewitt is a UK-based wildlife and conservation photographer and writer. Mainly driven by his appreciation for and fascination of wildlife, Alan’s aim with his photography is to document our natural world and use this as a tool for conservation. Alan is an experienced photo tour leader, and he is an official UK ambassador for FUJIFILM.
Susan is a photographer, photojournalist, and educator based in Washington, DC. She’s worked as a White House photographer and traveled nationally and internationally as a news photographer for the Associated Press. In 2011, Susan designed and launched a dynamic academic program at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design; the Master of Arts in New Media Photojournalism.
Mike Dexter is a South Africa based wildlife photographer and specialist photographic safari guide with over a decade of experience exploring Africa’s most remote and breathtaking wilderness areas. Mike has a degree and background in photojournalist, and is also a qualified field guide. His work has been featured in numerous international travel and wildlife publications.
Lucia Griggi is a multi-award-winning photographer based between the US and the UK. Her photography covers a broad range of areas, including travel, editorial, and lifestyle. Lucia’s work has been internationally recognized and awarded by, amongst others, National Geographic, PDN, Windland Smith Rice International Awards, Black and White photography and the Masters Cup.
Emil von Maltitz is a photographer and educator based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. While his commercial work is greatly varied, Emil is particularly specialised in landscape photography. Emil has taught photography classes at various South African universities, and also runs specialised photo tours. He’s a member of the International Environmental Photographers Association.
Chris Allan is an accomplished South African photographer with over 15 years of professional experience across travel, lifestyle, portraiture, and documentary photography. His work has been featured in leading publications and commissioned for projects that span from intimate human stories to expansive journeys across diverse cultures and landscapes.
The competition is open to both professional and amateur photographers from around the world. Whether you’re just starting or have years of experience, we welcome all levels of talent.
If you’re ready to enter, just fill out the form on this page and we’ll take you through the steps. If you’re not ready to enter just yet, you can also subscribe for reminders so you don’t miss the deadline. Don’t forget to check that your images meet the specifications before submitting.
No, your first entry into the competition is completely free (one image)! However, if you would like to enter more than one image, there is an option to submit 10 extra images for $10 with all profits going to our partner charities.
The competition closes on December 10th. We’ll announce our shortlist on January 15th, and the winners on January 20th. Keep an eye out on our Instagram account for updates!
Images must be in JPEG format, a maximum of 2MB, and in Adobe RGB (1998) color space.
Post-processing is allowed, but you must retain the original RAW files or untouched JPEGs as we may request them if your photograph is shortlisted.
Your images must ethically represent the natural world without manipulation or harm to animals, people or the environment. Any form of baiting or unethical practices will result in disqualification.
Yes, you can!
You can enter as many images as you want. The first image is free, and you pay $10 for any ten images after that. You can also enter images in all three categories.
Our panel of multi-award-winning judges, including photographers with experience at National Geographic and other prestigious publications, will review all entries. They will evaluate based on creativity, technical excellence, and how well the photo tells a story.
By entering the competition, you grant Penda permission to use your images for promotional and marketing purposes, related to the competition or relevant Penda photography tours, with full credit to the photographer.
We’re proud to have partnered with Wild Shots Outreach, and the proceeds of this competition will be donated to their projects.
Founded with the conviction that connection to nature can spark both personal growth and conservation commitment, Wild Shots Outreach is a photography-focused nonprofit based in South Africa. Its core work is teaching wildlife photography skills to young people from disadvantaged or marginalised communities, particularly unemployed youth and secondary school students who have had little exposure to wildlife or wilderness. By doing so, the charity offers more than just an artistic outlet: it gives young people a way to see, understand, and value the natural world they live in.
Beyond photography workshops, Wild Shots Outreach runs a bursary programme that invests in young people’s futures through supporting further training, study, and pathways to employment. It addresses a gap: many young people who live close to national parks or wildlife areas have never visited or experienced them first-hand, so the organisation seeks to strengthen both knowledge and belonging.
What makes Wild Shots Outreach powerful is how it bridges two urgent challenges: conservation and social inequality. On the one hand, it builds awareness of wildlife and helps nurture future conservationists; on the other, it builds confidence, skills, aspiration, and opportunity in young people who are otherwise overlooked. Its impact is about shifting horizons, for individuals and for communities.
Please read through all out competition t’s & c’s before entering!Â
We were treated to an incredible amount of amazing entries last year! Our judges took on the challenge of selecting the very best ones, and here is an overview of the winner and runner up in each category.
The overall winner was Pandora Maund, with her image ‘Taken by a Ghost,’ and she got to join us for free in Botswana last year. “It’s most definitely the best prize I’ve ever won,” she said, “and I was so excited to visit a new area that I was not familiar with but had been on my bucket list of places to visit.” Click below to find out more about her experience in Botswana.
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