Sustainability Photo Competition

Entries for the competition will open in July 2026

Competition brief

Ngā Mokopuna beautifully reflects the University’s commitment to manaakitanga (being welcoming) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship) for our people and places. This commitment extends beyond the building to the whole University. To celebrate this spirit, we’re inviting photo submissions that capture the essence of manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga in action — shown by our students and staff as they actively learn, teach, research, and engage across campus and the community. Your photo must be accompanied by a short description of no more than 100 words.

How to enter

1. Entries open in late July 2026 for our competition for 2026.
2. Email your image in high resolution mode, minimum 2MB, jpeg format as an attachment. Do not embed in Word or in the email, and do not provide a link to a website to be downloaded. The photos can be either landscape or portrait shape.
3. Email your entries to: sustainability@vuw.ac.nz with 'Sustainability Photo Competition' in the subject line.
4. Your image file must be named with your first and last name and student or staff ID number (e.g. joe_bloggs_1234578).
5. Include the name, phone number, and email address of the person who took the photo.
6. Give your image a title.
7. Write a short description that explains the connection between the photo, the University and sustainability (no more than 100 words).
8. Only one image per email entry. You can enter as many times as you like.

Judging

Entries will be shortlisted to the best 25 photographs.  Judges will consider impact, creative direction, composition, communication of the competition brief, and overall aesthetic appeal.

The best 25 photographs will be displayed in an e-exhibition at Kelburn, Pipitea and Te Aro campuses. The best 25 photos will also be posted on the Sustainability website. Students, staff, and visitors will be able to participate in the People’s Choice award by registering their favourite photo.

Formal judging will be conducted by a judging panel and the winner announced on the Sustainability website.

Judging panel

• Associate Professor Meegan Hall, Assistant Vice-Chancellor, Mātauranga Māori, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Māori and Kaitiakitanga) team
• Associate Professor Paul Wolffram, Film Programme, School of English, Film, Theatre, Media and Communication, and Art History
• Nicholas Ahu Gartner (Ngāti Tūwharetoa), a multimedia artist and photographer, who graduated from Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University of Wellington in 2023
• Charlotte Weston is Senior Communications Adviser, Communications, Marketing and Engagement
• Aisha Ajmal is a previous winner of the competition, and Tutor Coordinator at the School of Engineering and Computer Science

Prizes

First prize: $500 Prezzy Card.

Second prize: $300 Prezzy Card.

Third prize: $150 Prezzy Card.

People's Choice Award: $200 Prezzy Card.

Terms and conditions

By submitting a photograph you agree to the following terms and conditions:

1. The competition is open to staff and students of Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington ("the University”).
2. The competition runs in July and August of 2026.
3. You are the only author of your work and you have taken the photograph yourself and that the photograph is your original work.
4. You are the sole copyright holder for the photograph you have submitted.
5. You agree to not seek compensation from the University for its use of your photograph.
6. You agree that any images you submit may be used by the University for marketing and promotional purposes.
7. You have unlimited non-exclusive rights to the work and these will not conflict with the usage rights required by the University.
8. You agree not to submit any photographs that are pornographic, hateful, threatening, racist, sexist, discriminatory, or which otherwise violate any local or international laws.
9. You agree to obtain prior consent from all recognisable individuals or a group in a private setting featured in your photograph before submitting a photograph.
10. The winners will be announced in the week starting September 23 and notified via the email address provided at the time of submission as soon as practicable.
11. The University accepts no responsibility for any entries that are not received, incomplete, illegible, corrupted or which fail to be submitted by the closing date and time. Proof of submission is not proof of receipt.
12. Entries must comply with these terms and conditions and be received by the closing date and time. Failure to do so will disqualify the entry.
13. The University reserves the right to verify the validity of entries, to disqualify any entrant or to cancel or amend the competition or these terms and conditions at any time for any reason, without prior notice.
14. In the event of any dispute regarding these terms and conditions, conduct, results and all other matters relating to the survey (including the selection of the winner), the decision of the University is final and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into.
15. Failure to claim the prize within 14 days may result in disqualification and selection of an alternative winner.
16. The University will not be liable for any loss, damage, costs (for instance incurred in accepting or redeeming a prize) or any injury whatsoever suffered by an entrant as a result of or in connection with the competition, including any inability to enter, complete or continue the competition due to equipment or technical malfunction.
17. The Prizes are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative or any form of credit. The University reserves the right to substitute prizes of equal or greater value at any time.
18. You understand that the information you provide is being collected for the purposes described in, and will be used in accordance with, the University’s Privacy Notice (available at www.wgtn.ac.nz/privacy).
19. 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 the New Zealand Courts.

More information

For more information on the 2026 Sustainability Photo Competition, contact sustainability@vuw.ac.nz.