Enter the 2026 Habitat at Home Photo Contest!
Show us the wildness and wonder you are welcoming into the world.
How are you creating space for nature? We live in a time when so many wildlife populations are plummeting—birds, bees, butterflies, and larger animals along with them. Wild creatures desperately need more places to live. And you can give it to them. When you grow native plants and enhance the natural habitat around your home, you’ll see the difference almost right away.
And we want to see the beautiful, hopeful change that you are creating! So please share your photos in the seventh annual spring Habitat at Home photo contest. Not only are you creating a better world for wildlife and more delightful surroundings for your home, you are inspiring others to do the same.
Show us what you’re doing and what you’re seeing around your home. Share the native plants in your garden. Or bees bustling around in your flowers. In past contests, people have shared photos of bobcats, bear, deer, turkey, hawks, grasshoppers, butterflies, turtles, frog eggs, tadpoles and much more.
By popular request, we’ve expanded the window in which photos can be taken. Instead of just photos from this spring, you can submit images from any time so far in 2026 or any time in 2025. We’re still looking for relatively new photos, but you can share the wonder you’re seeing in all seasons of the year.
How to Enter the 2026 Habitat at Home Photo Contest
What photos are eligible?
To be eligible for prizes and shout-outs, your entry:
- Must be taken in 2025 or 2026
- Must be submitted between Apr. 17 – June 1, 2026
- Must feature one or more of these subjects:
- Wildlife that you see at your home or in your community. Wildlife includes both small and large animals, from bugs to bears.
- Projects to improve wildlife habitat
- Native plants (Why? Because insects need them and insects are the basis of our food web.)
- Must be taken at your home or your community. For example, photos may come from a school, workplace, community garden, or house of worship. We’re looking for photos that were NOT taken in parks, nature preserves, or protected areas.
- Must be taken in one of these counties:
- In NC: Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, McDowell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, or Yancey Counties
- In SC: Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, or Spartanburg Counties
How to Enter
You can enter the contest either by social media or by email.
SOCIAL MEDIA
- Post your image on Facebook, Instagram, or both.
- Make sure it is a PUBLIC post. Otherwise, we won’t be able to see it!
- Tag Conserving Carolina by adding @conservingcarolina to your post.
- State in the post when and where it was taken.
- Send your image to Kiko Salazar: kiko@conservingcarolina.org
- State in the email when and where it was taken.
Youth entries are encouraged! Photographers younger than 18 can compete in the youth category and will also be considered in the overall contest. Please let us know if your photo is a youth entry. New this year, we will be awarding a prize in the youth category.
Conserving Carolina’s staff, board, and AmeriCorps members and their immediate family may share photos in the contest but are not eligible to win prizes.
You may enter as many times as you like between April 17 and June 1, 2026.
Conserving Carolina may share your photo in connection with the contest, with credit to you as the creator.
A Hopeful and Empowering Way to Make a Difference
We’re inspired by local farmer and educator, Kim Bailey, who says, “Planting a seed is one of the most hopeful things you can do. And when you get the plant and the butterfly actually comes and lays her eggs on it or uses it for nectar, you see, ‘It worked!’ You’re asking people to do something that helps the environment but you’re also giving them a way to experience joy and beauty… Everyone wants to do something to help, but it’s a happy thing that you’re doing and it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice. It’s contagious. It’s an empowering thing and it’s a joyful thing.”
Bringing back natural habitat where you live is a hopeful, hand-on way to make a difference. And your photos can help inspire others, whether you’re a pro or just having fun.
Shout Outs and Prizes
Online Shout Outs
Conserving Carolina will be recognizing outstanding entries with online shout-outs throughout the contest period. You don’t have to be a world-class photographer to earn a shout-out. Our staff will be giving shout-outs to entries that impress us. For example:
- Great Habitat at Home projects: Show us what you’re doing to improve habitat where you live.
- Special Wildlife Encounters: Capture a visit from an animal that is rare, beautiful, unusual, or impressive.
- Outstanding Youth Entries: Remarkable photos by children or teenagers may earn a shout out. Please let us know if your photo or should be considered a youth entry.
- Photos We Love: For whatever reasons, this photo just really captured our hearts.
Shout-outs don’t come with prizes—just props. We’ll share your awesome photo on our social media channels, with credit to you as the photographer.
Judging and Prizes
After the contest deadline of June 1, a panel of judges will select five finalists. Finalists will be chosen based on these criteria:
- Striking subject matter in keeping with the theme of “Habitat at Home”
- Artistic merit
After the finalists are announced, there will be a week of online voting. The winner of the online voting will be the grand prize winner.
The grand prize is a professional landscape consultation. You can win a two-hour consultation donated by noted local landscape architect, Mark Byington of Byington Landscape Architects, known for his emphasis on sustainable landscapes. Mark will meet with you to discuss possible solutions for any site related issues at your home or another place that you are involved with, such as a school, church, community garden, or neighborhood green space.
The four runner-ups will each receive a $25 gift certificate to the business of their choice from this list of places to get native plants.
Youth Prize
The judges will also select one entry to win in the youth category of this contest. All photographers younger than 18 are eligible for the youth category. The winner of the youth prize will receive a $25 gift certificate to the business of their choice from this list of places to get native plants. All youth entries will also be considered in the overall competition and may be selected as finalists or grand prize winners.
Thank You for Celebrating Habitat at Home!
Thank you for improving wildlife habitat where you live and for inspiring others to do the same! We are so excited to see the beautiful and wondrous things happening at your place.
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