Manifold Valley Photo Calendar Competition

Celebrating the Manifold Valley through the seasons

ManifoldCAN would like to invite you to take part in a friendly, community photo competition, open to photographers of all ages and abilities. Thirteen winning photographs will be included in a 2027 Manifold Valley calendar showcasing the valley through the seasons and all winners and shortlisted photographs will be exhibited at a community event in the Manifold Valley in Autumn 2026. The 13 winners will also receive a free copy of the calendar, while all profits from sales of the calendar will help raise funds for ManifoldCAN's ongoing activities.

Black DSLR camera on a rock
Photo by Yomi Ikuru on Unsplash

Submissions will be open from July 24th-August 24th, but we wanted to let you know as soon as possible so you can start getting out and about to explore and enjoy nature in the local area and take lots of photos! And please also look through photos you have taken in the last year or so, as we would love to receive submissions of photos that show the Manifold Valley throughout the seasons.

Details of how and where to submit your photos will be provided in July, but see below for entry criteria.

Who Can Enter

  • Open to everyone, whether you live, work in or are visiting the area

  • Entries are welcome from all ages and abilities

Photos should be focused on nature within the Manifold Valley area, for example:

  • Landscapes and views

  • Wild animals, birds, insects

  • Plants, flowers and trees

  • Farm animals

Please don’t include Identifiable people

Photographs may be taken using:

  • Any type of camera, including mobile phones or tablets, as long as you can submit a digital file for entry

  • Colour or black & white

black canon dslr camera with three smartphones
Photo by Hamdan Ahli Khoiri on Unsplash

Competition rules

  • All photos must be landscape in orientation

  • Submissions should be high-resolution images suitable for printing (8MP / 4K / 3,840 pixels or higher)

  • Photos must be an original work taken by the entrant

  • Images must not have won previous competitions

  • As this is the first time we have held this competition, there is no historical time frame – you can submit photos taken in previous years as well as the current year.

  • Seasonal entries are encouraged (we really want photos to suit all the months of the year!)

  • Light editing allowed (cropping, exposure, colour correction)

  • Heavy manipulation or AI-generated content is not permitted

  • No people should be recognisable (people may appear in the distance, back turned etc)

  • Maximum of 5 entries per person (a maximum of 1 photo per person will be included in the calendar)

Submission:

  • Submissions will be open from 24th July-24th August 2026

  • Digital submission only

  • How to submit: details will be shared in July, in advance of the submission opening date

  • Each photo to include:

    • Photographer's name

    • Location (it would be great if you can give a grid reference or what3words, but otherwise the name of the area is fine)

    • Month (or season) and the year taken

a camera is set up in the grass
Photo by Nikola Tomašić on Unsplash

Judging and Selection

Photos will be shortlisted and winners selected by a small panel of judges (number and people tbc)

Selection for the calendar will be based on:

  • Quality and clarity

  • Composition

  • Representation of the area

  • Seasonal balance across the calendar

Use of Images

  • Copyright remains with the photographer

  • By entering, photographers grant ManifoldCAN a non-exclusive license to:

    • Use selected images in the ManifoldCAN calendar

    • Promote the calendar and competition

    • Use images on the ManifoldCAN website, social media, newsletters and publication

  • Photographers will always be credited

Prizes

  • Shortlisted and winning photos will be exhibited at a local community event

  • 13 winning photos will be featured in the ManifoldCAN 2027 calendar

  • 13 winning photographers will receive a complimentary copy of the finished calendar

If you have any questions about the competition, please get in touch.