“My Happy Place” 2026 Photo Calendar Competition
General information
The theme for the 2026 Photo Calendar Competition is “My Happy Place”. The theme is open to your personal interpretation but we’re looking for inspiring photographs of the Welsh landscape, its wildlife, weather, or our human interaction with the environment around us. It’s really up to you how you interpret the theme.
You can submit 1 x photograph taken anywhere in Wales, using our online entry form. Please give your photo a title and write a description. These will be used to help the judges understand the story behind your photo. Please also tell us when and where the photograph was taken when you submit your entry. Photos must have been taken within the past two years (so since April 2023).
The 12 photographs selected by the judges will appear in the 2026 Photo Calendar. The overall winner selected by the judges will feature on the cover of the calendar as well as inside. The closing date for entries is 6pm on Friday 15 August 2025. All 12 winners will receive a copy of the 2026 calendar.
Please read the full Terms and Conditions below before entering.
Terms and conditions
1. The theme for the Photo Calendar Competition is “My Happy Place”. The theme is open to your personal interpretation but we’re looking for inspiring photographs that show off the natural beauty of Wales (whether found in the countryside or in a more urban setting).
Photos of people are not permitted unless they are incidental to the main image and the person or people cannot be clearly identified. The judges’ decision as to the eligibility of individual photographs will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
Entrants must not cause injury or do anything to distress any animal or damage its habitat, either deliberately or inadvertently, while trying to take a photograph. This includes the flying of drones. Please click on the links below for guidance about filming and photographing wildlife. Entrants – including those using drones – must have the necessary permits and licences for photographing wildlife, and should, where necessary, have permission from private landowners to be on their land. They should be ready to provide proof if asked to do so by the competition organisers.
2. Photographs entered must be in digital JPEG format and uploaded via the entry form on our website. If your phone or camera saves photos in a different format, you can convert them to JPEG using one of the free online converter tools, such as cloud convert or zamzar.
3. Entrants can submit 1 x image only (maximum file size 10MB). Make sure your image is in landscape (not portrait) orientation and suitable for enlarging to A4 size (no smaller than 3508 x 2480 pixels. This will allow us to print the winning images professionally at 300dpi. Remember that if you crop your photo, it will still need to have sufficient resolution to be printed for the calendar if your photograph is successful.
4. We understand that digital photography allows for some image enhancement. You can enter images that have had spots, scratches or other blemishes removed. You can also work on the colour or enhance/crop the image to improve the composition.
We will not accept entries that combine two or more separate photographs to make one image, or entries that superimpose elements photographed separately on to an image. We will also not accept the use of AI during the creation, design or development of the images. The judges reserve the right to exclude any image they believe may have been excessively treated so as to alter its authenticity.
5. The competition is open only to people living in Wales. Entrants under the age of 18 need the verifiable permission of a parent or guardian to enter.
6. Entrants must not be professional photographers. For the purposes of this competition, a professional photographer will be considered to be anyone who makes more than half their annual income from the sale of their photographs.
7. Entrants must complete all sections of the online entry form. Entrants aged under 18 will need a parent or guardian to complete the form and give their consent to the entrant’s participation. Any contact with child entrants will be made through the nominated parent/guardian.
8. The competition closes at 6pm on Friday 15 August 2025. Entries received after this time will not be considered.We cannot accept any responsibility for any problem with the internet service provider, network or other system that may result in any entry being delayed or not properly registered.Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted and no feedback on any entry will be provided.
9. Accepted entries will be judged on the following criteria:
- Composition
- Technical ability
- Originality
- Public appeal
- Is it on theme
- Suitability for inclusion in our calendar
10. All accepted entries will be assessed by the judging panel, with the 12 best photographs selected using the above criteria. The panel will also select their overall favourite to appear on the cover. Winners will be notified by the charity within 1 week of judging. The judging will take place within 2 weeks of the competition closing date. If, after reasonable attempts, a winning entrant cannot be contacted, we reserve the right to choose the next best entry for inclusion in the calendar.
11. All 12 winning photos will appear in the “My Happy Place” Photo Calendar 2026, to be sold in aid of the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity. All 12 winners will receive a copy of the calendar once it is printed. The prizes are as stated and cannot be deferred or transferred. There is no cash alternatives. The judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence can be entered into.
12. The judges will also choose 6 runners-up photos to appear on the inside back cover of the calendar. These will be chosen by the judges using the same criteria. The 12 winning photos and 6 runners-up photos may also be published in the charity’s quarterly newsletter, Ticker News, and used on our website, social media and in other publicity.
13. Photos must be the original work of the entrant and must not infringe the rights of any other party. The entrant must be the sole owner of copyright of the photograph. If a residential or commercial property belonging to someone other than the photographer is featured, or the photo has been taken on private land that does not belong to the photographer, they must seek permission from the owner and be prepared to provide written consent if requested by the Charity. Entrants must not have breached any laws when taking their photographs.
14. We are looking for original photographs, so entries must not have won any local, 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.
15. Entrants will retain copyright for their photographs, but by entering the competition all entrants grant to the charity the right to publish and exhibit their photographs in the Calendar and on the charity’s website and social media in perpetuity. Winning entrants also agree to take part in post-competition publicity.
Entrants whose photographs are selected to appear in the Photo Calendar 2026 pursuant to paragraphs 11 and 12 above, grant to the charity the further rights to publish and exhibit their photographs in print or in any other media in perpetuity. No fees will be payable for any of the above uses.
While we will 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.In addition, winners must not use their photos to publicise or promote themselves or other companies, individuals, organisations or causes until 31 January 2027.
16. Prior to announcing the winners, the charity may undertake reasonable background research including searches of publicly available records or information from social media profiles, including Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn. Entrants warrant they have not acted or omitted to act in a manner that will bring the charity into disrepute. Where it deems appropriate, the charity may require winning entrants to disclose any unspent criminal convictions and/or any current court proceedings, specifics of which will be agreed between the charity and the entrant if required. Information discovered or that is disclosed by the entrants will inform the decision as to the selection of the winners. Disqualification will not be automatic, but the decision is in the sole discretion of the charity. Information will be handled in the strictest confidence and as with all personal data, in accordance with the charity’s Privacy Policy.
17. By entering, entrants will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and the charity reserves the right to exclude any entry from the competition at any time and in its absolute discretion if it has reason to believe that an entrant has breached any of these Terms and Conditions, acted fraudulently in any way, or acted in such a way as to bring the charity into disrepute. When an entry is submitted by a parent or guardian on behalf of an entrant, the parent or guardian shall be responsible for the entrant’s compliance with these Terms and Conditions.
18. The charity reserves the right to cancel this competition or alter any of the Terms and conditions at any stage, if deemed necessary in its opinion, and if circumstances arise outside of its control.
19. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales. This competition is administered by the North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity, Reg Charity no.1056887
Please take your photos responsibly and always follow the Countryside Code. You can find more information here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-countryside-code
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140605090108/http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/images/photography-guidance_tcm6-35807.pdf
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
Photographs must be taken responsibly, adhering to all government guidelines across Wales. Respect must be given for local habitats, communities and business such as farmland and nature reserves where there may be local instructions in place for visitors, walkers and others enjoying the countryside.
We will only accept JPEG files uploaded using our online entry form. We will not accept printed copies or digital files sent through the post.
The North Gwent Cardiac Rehabilitation and Aftercare Charity is responsible for handling personal data you provide, in accordance with UK Data Protection Law. The Charity has a legitimate interest in using your personal data for journalistic, artistic and literary purposes for the performance of Your Agreement with the charity and fulfilling the charity’s legal obligations. For more information about how we handle personal data and your rights, please read our Privacy Policy.
