Global Fungi Photography Competition

Enter our photography competition and help share the fantastical world of fungi. We will be accepting photos between 1st April and 30th November 2026.

We will have two categories for you to compete in. Our winners from each category will be able to select one of two prizes: 1. the book Fungi of Temperate Europe (both volumes) or 2. a Rollei Compact Traveller Carbon tripod. We have explained how you can submit your photos below.

The photos of the fungi on this page are of our winner and runners up's photos. Robert Lee in the UK won our competition last year, shown in the heading.

How to submit photos

1. Photos must be of fungi and lichens. Please do not include identifiable persons in any photos.

2. The theme is capturing the fantastical and mysterious world of fungi.

3. There are two entry categories: 1. Camera and 2. Smart Phone. The Camera category is for those taking pictures with cameras who may choose to edit their photos. The Smart Phone category is for those taking photos on their smart phones. Photo editing is not allowed in this latter category.

4. All photos submitted must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have won a prize in any other photographic competition.

5. Each entrant can enter up to two photos.

6. Please label each photo with your first name, surname, the competition category, the first characters of your post code and the number 1 or 2, including a full stop between conventions. See the examples below:
John.Smith.SmartPhone.TW9.1
John.Smith.SmartPhoneTW9.2

7. All entries must be received by the closing date. Late, corrupt, zipped filed or poorly labelled entries will not be accepted. No responsibility can be accepted for lost entries and proof of transmission will not be accepted as proof of receipt.

8. Photos must not include signatures nor date nor time stamps.

9. Photos should be in JPEG or PNG format.

10. Photos should not exceed 10 MBs, nor be zip filed.

11. Photos should be sent to photocompetition@hiddenheroescampaign.com and the following email subject included: Hidden Heroes Photo Competition. You can also use https://www.swisstransfer.com/en-gb to send your photos to this email address.

12. By entering the competition, the entrant gives the Hidden Heroes Campaign permission to use their photos on the campaign’s website, social media pages and to develop a digital fungi walk with their photos.

Copyright
It is the responsibility of each entrant to ensure that any photos they submit do not infringe the copyright of any third party or any laws. Entrants must warrant that the photos they are submitting are their own work and that they own the copyright for them.
Copyright for all photos submitted for this competition remain with the respective entrants. In entering the competition, each entrant gives their permission to the Hidden Heroes Campaign to feature any or all of the submitted photos, with accreditation, on the Hidden Heroes Campaign website and social media channels connected to this competition.

Choosing our winners

The Hidden Heroes Campaign team will review all submitted photos and compile a shortlist of their favourite photos to share with our two judges. Our judges will select the winning entry, two runners up and may also provide some honourable mentions as well. Our judges will be looking for the most well composed and original photos which fit the theme.
The judges’ decision will be communicated the third week of December 2026. The winner and runners up will be contacted by email and the results published on the Hidden Heroes Campaign page. The judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

Our judges

We are delighted to be joined by two very experienced judges, who have an incredible portfolio of wildlife photography and film between them.

Casper Tybjerg

Casper is a Danish biologist, author, and photographer. He was hailed as Denmark's best nature photographer when he was just 24 years old, and at only 29, was appointed as an ambassador for the camera manufacturer, Nikon. As a young biology student, he became deeply fascinated by the accidental discovery of penicillin, which has saved millions of lives. This led him to reflect on the significance of nature and the importance of effective communication.

Oliver Clague

Oliver is a filmmaker and creative director with a background in wildlife filmmaking and expedition storytelling. He has filmed alongside David Attenborough and Bear Grylls, and now leads Purpose Built Films, crafting story-led content for ethical brands, NGOs and rewilding projects. His deep appreciation for the natural world, especially the overlooked and the wild, makes him especially drawn to fungi as a subject. With a keen eye for narrative and visual impact, Oliver brings both artistic and ecological sensitivity to the judging panel.

Our 2026 photo competition is sponsored by Richmond Borough Council. Richmond Council stewards the greenest borough in London, and as such is committed to protecting the natural environment. Our competition helps our residents not only enjoy the nature on their doorstep, but allows them to go on a journey around the world seeing all the wonderful fungi submitted in our competition.