World Water Day Photo Competition 2026

Calling all keen photographers!

Enter our Photo Competition in celebration of World Water Day 2026. This year Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust’s theme is WATER = LIFE.

Water = Life

Water shapes everything — our rivers, our streams, our ecosystems, and our communities. Safeguarding the Whau and its waterways means protecting life itself, now and for the future. Te Whau Pathway is becoming a living example of this care in action — a place where people can see, experience, and connect with our body of water every day.

World Water Day is a reminder not to take water for granted. It’s a chance to celebrate it, value it, and feel inspired to do something — big or small — to protect it.

Snap a photo that celebrates the beauty of the Whau environment and helps raise awareness of water quality in our awa. Together, we can spotlight what we care about, build community pride, and back the protection of this special place.

Grab your phone or camera, hit the pathway, and show some love for Te Whau 💙🌿

Entries close Sunday 26th April.

Who can enter?

  • anyone living in New Zealand
  • anyone younger than 18 must have guardian permission as we’ll use your name next to your photo on our website

What are the prizes?

Ten lucky photographers will be shortlisted by Whau the People and have their photos exhibited in the Off Track Exhibition space, at Avondale Train Station, over winter 2026.

Three winners will be selected from the shortlisted photos by Te Whau Pathway Environment Trust. Cash prizes are

  • First place $300
  • Second place $100
  • Third place $50

How can I enter?

  1. Use a camera or camera phone, to take a photo of water in the Whau River Catchment Area.
  2. Upload your photo through our Photo Competition Entry form below by 11.59pm, Sunday 26th April 2026.
  3. This competition is free to enter but is limited to three photos per participant.

Your work will be judged anonymously. We’ll use your name on our website along with your photo.

If you’re unable to use the upload form, please email your file with your first and last name, location in photo and contact details to tewhaupathway.auckland@gmail.com.

Participants younger than 18 years: you must include your age at 26th April 2026. Please also provide your guardian’s contact details and have their consent to enter.

Entry form

← Back

Your photo has been submitted

Thank you for your photo! Winners will be announced on Sunday 10th June.

Drag and drop or click to select a file.

Where should I take my photo?

Don’t forget that a rich and diverse network of streams flow to the Whau River. This map shows some of the waterways in the Whau River Catchment Area. If we’ve missed one, let us know! And of course there’s always the Whau River itself.

You may find that exploring the network of streams flowing to the Whau River can be an interesting experience. We hope that as you wander you stumble upon hidden gems that will inspire tranquility and harmony. Think water babbling or lush greenery – there’s no shortage of opportunities to capture the Water = Life near or on the Whau!

Inspire me

This is our fifth year running the Whau River Photo Competition. For inspiration, see photos from previous years. We think our online collection of previous Whau photos is whaubulous but you can judge for yourself!

Our 2023 Photo Competition winner, George Willans, talks about finding the perfect photo.

Terms and Conditions

Te Whau Pathway Environmental Trust (TWPET) welcomes entries to Te Whau Pathway’s Photo Competition for World Water Day 2026 (“Competition”). By entering this Competition, entrants are deemed to have read, understood and accepted the following terms and conditions:

A. Entry conditions
  1. The Competition is open to any member of the public, residing in New Zealand.
  2. Entrants under 18 years of age must check that they have the permission of their parent/guardian to enter.
  3. A person may enter only three photos. More than three photos may result in an entrant being disqualified. No group entries will be accepted.
  4. Photo must be taken in the Whau Catchment Area.
  5. Photo must capture or represent the theme of “Water is Life”.
  6. Photo must be less than 20MB each.
  7. Photo file names must contain the photographer’s full name.
  8. Photo must include location details.
  9. Photo must be the entrant’s own work.
  10. Entrants must get specific consent of any identifiable faces/persons in their photo to include them.
  11. Entries must be submitted via email to tewhaupathway.auckland@gmail.com before 11:59pm Sunday 26th April or use our online form. Entries received outside this time will not be accepted.
  12. If the TWPET cannot open or upload the entries submitted because of technical errors caused by file quality or if the file is damaged, the TWPET reserves the right not to include the entries in the competition. However the TWPET will work with you to ensure all entries are given the opportunity to be submitted.
B. Judging, Announcement of Winners and Prizes
  1. Ten entries will be shortlisted by Whau the People.
  2. Winning entries will be selected by TWPET.
  3. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
  4. The Competition Winners will be announced on the Te Whau Pathway Project website, the Te Whau Pathway Facebook page and the Te Whau Pathway Instagram account on Sunday 10th June.
  5. The Competition Winners will be contacted by email before the announcement. If entrants were under 18 at the time of entry, we will ask to contact a parent/guardian.
  6. If a shortlisted entrants cannot be reached by Sunday , a runner-up will be awarded as the winner.
  7. The Prizes will be as follows:
    – First place $300
    – Second place $100
    – Third place $50
  8. If the Prize or part of the Prize becomes unavailable (for any reason), TWPET reserves the right to cancel or amend the Prize at its own and sole discretion.
C. Copyright
  1. The copyright for each photo remains with the photographer.
  2. The winning entrants will have their winning photos used on Te Whau Pathway Project and Auckland Council promotional materials, including, but not limited to, posters, bookmarks, promotional materials, articles, forms and fliers and websites. Credit will be given to the photographer where possible.
  3. A selection of photos will be printed and displayed in the Off Track Exhibition space at the Avondale Train Station in 2026.
  4. All photos and entrants’ names will be displayed on the website and used in social media channels for the purpose of showing competition entries to the public. They will also appear in print format in the Off Track Exhibition space.
D. Privacy
  1. All entrants consent to TWPET using their full names and their submitted photograph for general publicity purposes in connection with the Competition, including displaying their names and photo entries on the Te Whau Pathway Project website and Te Whau Pathway Project Social Media channels.
  2. The Competition Winners also consent to participate and cooperate as required in promotional activities relating to the Competition. Typically this involves a photo with the Chair of the Trust congratulating the winner and a short video interview (less than 30 minutes).
  3. All information provided by the entrants will be collected, used, stored, disclosed and corrected in accordance with the Privacy Act 1993. All entrants have the right to access their information and request for any personal information to be corrected.
E. Exclusions
  1. TWPET reserves the right to exclude any entrant from participating in the Competition at its sole discretion. TWPET also reserves the right to refuse to award the Prize to an entrant who is in breach of these Terms and Conditions, gained an unfair advantage in participating in the Competition or won the Prize by using fraudulent means.
  2. TWPET will not be liable for any claims for loss, damage or injury whatsoever or for any physical or mental injury suffered by any entrant or the Competition Winner as a result of or in connection with the Competition or due to the Prize won in the Competition.
  3. TWPET reserves the right to amend or change these Terms and Conditions at any time at their sole discretion, including extending, postponing or canceling the Competition.
  4. These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of New Zealand and shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of New Zealand courts.

 

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