Choose Your Theme
Your entry should reflect one (or more) of these four elements within the Wairau catchment:
Ngā Wairau, Through My Lens
Youth Photo Competition
Show us Wairau through your eyes. Are you a student in the Wairau catchment with a story to tell? We want to see how you experience the water, the land, and the people of our community. Capture a moment, highlight a challenge, or share your vision for the future of Wairau.
Your photos will help tell the story of our environment and contribute to the real-world planning of our climate-resilient future.
Wai – Water
Show how water moves through our catchment. Capture local streams, rainfall, or the power of flooding on our streets and people.
Taiao – Nature
Explore ecosystems that call Wairau home. Focus on native plants, local wildlife, and the unique biodiversity within our urban spaces.
Whenua – Land
Document our built environment and open spaces. From housing and infrastructure to the neighborhood parks and streets where we live.
Tāngata – People
Celebrate the community in action. Show the essence of the catchment through people living, working, playing, and learning together.
Competition Details & Guidelines
Key dates and exhibition
Mark your calendar for the 2026 competition and showcase.
Key dates and exhibition
Mark your calendar for the 2026 competition and showcase.
Key dates and exhibition
Mark your calendar for the 2026 competition and showcase.
- Entries Open: Wednesday 25 February 2026
- Entries Close: Thursday 30 April 2026
- Winners Notified: Friday 15 May 2026
- Exhibition: Winning and selected photographs will be exhibited at Lake House Arts Centre during the Auckland Festival of Photography, from 24 May to 11 June 2026.
A judging panel led by artist Sonja Drake and local art teachers will select the winning images, and a people’s choice award will be decided with input from community representatives.
Prizes
Recognition for top entries across all year levels and themes.
Prizes
Recognition for top entries across all year levels and themes.
Prizes
Recognition for top entries across all year levels and themes.
Gift card prizes will be awarded for the top three images in each theme for each year level group:
- Primary: Years 0–6
- Intermediate: Years 7–8
- Secondary: Years 9–13
Shortlisted and winning images will also be showcased online as part of telling Wairau’s regeneration story.
How to enter
Technical requirements and submission instructions.
How to enter
Technical requirements and submission instructions.
How to enter
Technical requirements and submission instructions.
- Limit: Submit up to 3 photos per person.
- File Format: JPEG/JPG, 3–15 MB (ideally around 5 MB).
- Style: No filters or editing; up to one panoramic image per entry.
- Required Info: For each photo, include a title, your name, school/year level, chosen theme, and a short description.
You can enter in two ways:
1. Online Upload (Preferred)
Use the image upload form located directly below this section to submit your files instantly.
2. Email Submission
If you have any issues with the uploader, email your entries and all required details to: wairauphotocompetition@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
Using your images
How your photos help tell the story of the Wairau catchment.
Using your images
How your photos help tell the story of the Wairau catchment.
Using your images
How your photos help tell the story of the Wairau catchment.
Images shared through Ngā Wairau, Through My Lens may be used to support storytelling for the Wairau blue‑green network, including exhibitions and project communications. Appropriate credit will always be given to the photographer.
By entering, you are helping document how climate, water, and land are shaping everyday life in Wairau, and contributing your voice to local decision‑making and regeneration.