Terms and Conditions for the 2026 Countryfile Photo Competition

The title for the BBC Countryfile Photographic Competition 2026 is “Signs of the Seasons”. Photographs taken in previous years can be submitted, but you must indicate when the photograph was taken.

A panel of judges will select twelve (12) photographs to appear in the Countryfile Calendar for 2027 (the “Calendar”). A minimum of £5.50 (five pounds and fifty pence sterling) from the sale of each Calendar will benefit BBC Children in Need (charity number 802052 in England and Wales and SC039557 in Scotland). Since its launch in 1998, the calendar has raised more than £35 million for BBC Children in Need.

Terms and Conditions

Entrants (“You / “Your”) agree to abide by these rules, regulations and terms and conditions (the “Rules”) which may be varied from time to time by BBC Studios Productions Limited (“BBC Studios”/”We”) at its sole discretion. Any decision made by BBC Studios is final and it reserves the right to cancel this competition at any stage if deemed necessary, in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its control.

Please ensure You note the following:

a. You can enter up to three (3) photographs in total.

b. The closing date for entries is 10.00am on Monday 27th July 2026.

c. 12 photographs will be selected by the judges for inclusion in the Calendar.

d. The winning photograph will be voted for by Countryfile viewers (the “Overall Winner”) and the judges will also choose their favourite entry (“Judges’ Favourite”).

e. The Overall Winner will receive a gift card to the value of £1,000 (one thousand pounds sterling), which can be spent on photographic equipment of their choice, at a number of outlets.

f. The Judges’ Favourite will receive a gift card to the value of £500 (five hundred pounds sterling), which can also be spent on photographic equipment at a number of outlets.

g. The Overall Winner and the Judges’ Favourite can be the same photograph or two photographs from the same entrant, in which case the entrant will receive both prizes.

You agree to adhere to the following Rules:

Photographic Images

1. The theme is open to Your personal interpretation, but we are looking for stunning photographs of the UK’s landscape, its wildlife, weather, or our human interaction with the environment around us. It is up to You how you interpret “Signs of the Seasons”.

2. Photographs of pets and zoo animals are not permitted. Images of UK wildlife in captivity are also ineligible. That includes photographs of wildlife in cages, aquariums, tanks, enclosures, pens or in any situation where the animal has been captured or restrained. Any photographs of animals in the wild that have been attracted using bird seed, fruit, nuts, bait or any other means of attraction must be declared as such at the time of entry. BBC Studios’ decision as to the eligibility of individual photographs will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.

3. You must not cause injury or do anything to distress any animal or damage its habitat, either deliberately or inadvertently, whilst trying to take a photograph. This includes the flying of drones, which should not be flown in a way that disturbs wildlife, their habitats or their nest sites by, for example, flying too close or causing too much noise. Please click on the links below for guidance about filming and photographing wildlife.

4. You must have the necessary permits and licences (including for the use of drones) for photographing wildlife, and should, where necessary, have permission from the landowners to be on their land. You should be ready to provide evidence of this if asked to do so by BBC Studios.

5. Photographs entered must be taken in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

6. You can submit up to three (3) photographs in total (in landscape orientation and as JPEGs) to the competition website. To upload Your photographs, You will need to log into Your BBC account, which You can do here. If You do not have a BBC account, You can register for one for free here. If You have any trouble registering or signing in, You can visit the help pages.

7. We are aware that digital photography does allow for some image enhancement. You can enter images that have had spots, scratches or other blemishes removed. You can have worked on the colour or enhanced the image for the sake of the composition. You can also crop the image to improve composition.

8. We will not accept composite images - entries that stitch two or more separate photographs together to make one image, or entries that superimpose elements photographed separately onto an image. We will not accept the use of AI during the creation, design or development of the images.

9. We want You to stay faithful to the spirit of the competition and never deceive the viewer or misrepresent the aspect of nature being portrayed. BBC Studios and the judges reserve the right to exclude any image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.

10. All entries must be Your original work and must not infringe the rights of any other party. You must be the sole owner of copyright in all photographs entered and must have obtained permission of any people featured in the entries or their parents/guardians if children under 18 are featured. Where an individual or a residential or commercial property, belonging to someone other than the photographer, is featured - or it has been taken on private land - the photographer must seek permission and be prepared to provide evidence of written consent to the BBC and/or BBC Studios when requested. Further, You must not have breached any laws when taking photographs.

11. We are looking for original photographs, so entries must not have won any national or international competition prize previously. For the purposes of this competition, ‘national’ refers to the whole of the UK – or to individual national competitions in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.12. You will retain copyright in the photographs that You submit to the BBC. By entering the competition, you grant to the BBC the non-exclusive right to publish and exhibit Your photographs on television, on social media, in the Calendar and on the BBC’s websites in perpetuity. If Your photograph is selected as one of the final 12 You must remove it from any platform on which it is currently exhibited and withdraw it from any other competition. You also agree to take part in post-competition publicity.

13. You must not, or allow anyone else to, arrange or encourage any paid or professional publicity relating to Your entry or the public vote until voting has closed. Your involvement in independent, unpaid media coverage and activity on Your personal social media channels in relation to Your involvement in the competition are all permitted.

Professional Guidelines

13. Please take Your photographs responsibly and always follow the Countryside Code. You can find more information here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code and http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140605090108/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/images/photography-guidance_tcm6-35807.pdf

14. For information about licences for photographing wildlife please follow the guidance here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/protected-species-when-to-apply-for-a-licence-to-survey-film-or-photograph-them.

15. Photographs must be taken responsibly, adhering to all government guidelines across the British Isles. Respect must be given for local habitats, communities and businesses, such as farmland and nature reserves where there may be local instructions in place for visitors, walkers and others enjoying the countryside.

Eligibility

16. The competition is open to UK residents only (including residents of the Channel Islands and Isle of Man). You are not eligible to enter if:
i) You are currently engaged or have been employed within the last 12 months by the BBC Group, BBC Children in Need, or Art of Design;
ii) You are a live-in partner or immediate relative of an employee of the BBC Group, BBC Children in Need, or Art of Design; or
iii) If You were a Finalist in last year’s competition.

17. You must not be a professional photographer. For the purposes of this competition, a professional photographer will be considered to be someone who makes more than half their annual income from the sale of their photographs.

18. You must complete all sections of the online form. If You are under the age of 18 You will need the verifiable permission of a parent or guardian to enter. Parents or guardians must fill out the sections asking for their name, phone number and email address, and must tick the box giving permission to their child’s participation. If You are under 18, all contact from BBC Studios will be made through Your parent/guardian.

20. Unsuccessful entrants may not be contacted and no feedback on any entry will be provided.

21. BBC Studios or the BBC reserves the right to amend the competition Rules or cancel the competition at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion or if circumstances arise outside of its control. By entering, You will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these Rules and BBC Studios reserves the right to exclude any entry from the competition at any time and in its absolute discretion if BBC Studios or the BBC has reason to believe that You have breached these Rules, acted fraudulently in any way, or brought BBC Studios or the BBC into disrepute. BBC Studios’ decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into. When an entry is submitted by a parent or guardian on behalf of a child, the parent and/or guardian shall be responsible for the compliance with these Rules.

22. If You are shortlisted and/or featured in Countryfile, including content related to Countryfile, BBC Studios may undertake reasonable background research about You. This may include searches of publicly available records such as participation in previous television productions or information from social media profiles, including Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Such personal data will generally be restricted to relevant members of BBC Studios’ production team and crew, as well as Countryfile’s third-party experts (where relevant). You warrant that You have not acted or omitted to act in a manner that will bring BBC Studios or the BBC into disrepute. Where it deems appropriate, BBC Studios may require You to disclose any unspent criminal convictions and/or any current court proceedings, specifics of which will be agreed between BBC Studios and You if required. Information discovered or that may have been disclosed by You will inform the decision as to the selection of the finalists. Disqualification will not be automatic, but the decision is in the sole discretion of BBC Studios and the BBC. Information will be shared with the BBC’s editorial policy advisor for Countryfile and be handled in the strictest confidence and as with all personal data, in accordance with the Privacy Notice for the 2026 Countryfile Photographic Competition: BBC One - Countryfile Photographic Competition 2026 Privacy Notice

23 . If the Overall Winner and/or the Judges’ Favourite are unable to be contacted by BBC Studios after reasonable attempts have been made, BBC Studios and/or the BBC reserves the right to either offer the prize(s) to a runner up, or to re-offer the prize(s) in any future competition.

Online Submission(s)

24. The BBC, BBC Studios or their subsidiaries cannot accept any responsibility for any problem with the internet service provider, network or other system which may result in any entry being delayed or not properly registered.

26. We will only accept photographs in landscape composition in JPEG, PNG, or GIFF format uploaded to the BBC Countryfile Photographic Competition website. We will not accept photographs in any other format including hard copies sent through the post.

The Judging Criteria

27. All photographs will be judged on the following criteria (the “Criteria”):
 Composition
 Technical ability
 Originality
 Public appeal
 Is it on theme?
 Suitability for inclusion in a BBC Children in Need calendar

The Assessment Stage

1. Stage One
Your entry will be verified and assessed by members of the BBC Countryfile team and an independent contractor Art of Design – the company that produces the Calendar for the BBC/BBC Studios. From this initial process a maximum of 240 of the best photographs will be chosen to go forward for the final judging (the “Shortlist”).

2. Stage Two
A panel of judges will then review the Shortlist and select the 12 best entries (the “Finalists”), based on the Criteria. The panel of judges will also select the Judges’ Favourite’. The judging will take place within four weeks of the competition closing date.
If Your entry is selected as one of the Finalists You will be contacted by BBC Studios within a week of judging. If after reasonable attempts You cannot be contacted, the BBC/BBC Studios reserves the right to select the next best entrant.

3. Stage Three
All 12 Finalists will be featured on BBC Countryfile, and the Countryfile audience will be asked to vote for their favourite photograph. The Overall Winner will be the entry which receives the most public votes. Details of how the public can vote, and the rules of the voting, will be published on the BBC Countryfile website and on the programme. In the event of a technical problem or evidence of impropriety regarding the viewers’ vote, the judges shall have the final decision. If the viewers' vote results in a tie, the judges shall have the casting vote. The judges' decisions will be final, and no correspondence can be entered into.

4. Stage Four
The prize for the Overall Winner will be a gift card to the value of £1,000 (one thousand pounds sterling) which can be spent on photographic equipment at a number of outlets. The entry selected as the Judges’ Favourite will receive a gift card to the value of £500 (five hundred pounds sterling), which can also be spent on photographic equipment at a number of outlets.
The prizes are as stated and cannot be deferred or transferred. There will be no cash alternatives. The Overall Winner and the Judges’ Favourite can be the same photograph or two photographs from the same entrant, in which case the entrant will receive both prizes.

28. The Calendar
The 12 Finalists’ entries shall appear in the Calendar, to be sold in aid of the BBC Children in Need Appeal. The Finalists’ entries may also be published in the BBC Countryfile magazine and used in other promotions of the competition.

29. General

a. If Your entry is one of the Finalists or selected to appear in the Calendar pursuant to clause 28 above, You grant to the BBC (including the BBC’s subsidiaries and other publishers authorised by the BBC) the further rights to publish and exhibit Your entry in print, on its websites or in any other media known now or in the future in perpetuity.

b. No fees will be payable for any of the above uses. If You are one of the Finalists You also agree to take part in post-competition publicity. While We make every effort to credit photographers, including in printed reproductions of their work, We cannot guarantee that every use of the photographs will include the photographers' names and therefore You waive any moral rights that may exist in Your entry.

(c) The BBC’s code of conduct for competitions applies to this competition. You can read more about it here https://www.bbc.com/editorialguidelines/guidance/code-of-conduct.

(d) So far as is within Your control You must ensure that Your entry is not used to publicise or promote any companies, individuals, organisations or causes other than BBC Children in Need and BBC Countryfile (including the photographic competition, the Calendar and any associated BBC promotions) until 31st January 2028.

30. The laws of England and Wales govern this agreement.

31. BBC Terms of Use (found at https://www.bbc.co.uk/usingthebbc/terms/) apply to this competition. For the avoidance of doubt, for the purposes of the Terms of Use entries to the competition are not considered a creation.

For information about how we handle your personal information and your rights, see: BBC One - Countryfile Photographic Competition 2026 Privacy Notice