The UK’s most prestigious mountain photography competition is back for 2025. Once again, we’re celebrating the drama, beauty and power of the mountains through your lens.
Whether it’s a colourful summit sunrise, a moment of quiet solitude in the hills, or the untamed forces of nature at work, our judges want to see images that capture the magic of the mountains.
This year, we’re asking that the photograph tells a story. While we do love stunning landscape shots, for 2025’s competition we’re after something which involves a human element; a picture that paints a thousand words, to borrow a well-worn cliche.
Whether that’s simply someone silhouetted against a stunning backdrop, your best pal on the crux of a challenging scramble, or perhaps even an evocative shot of an abandoned hat, we’re asking for a narrative arc to this year’s entries.
You don’t need to be a professional with high-end kit to claim the title either – photos taken on phones are just as welcome. All we ask is that entries are of high enough resolution to be reproduced at a good size in print (for full details around required image size and resolution, see the T&Cs below). Whatever tools you use, the key is to get out there, embrace the mountains, and frame a moment that tells a story.
This year’s winner will take home an incredible prize from Jack Wolfskin, plus the honour of having their image named Trail’s UK Mountain Photo of the Year 2025. Think you’ve got what it takes? Enter today and show us the mountains through your eyes.
How to enter UK Mountain Photo of the Year 2025
There are no faffy entry portals or online forms this year, you’ll be pleased to learn. Simply take a stunning photo anywhere in the UK mountains, and email up to three images to mountainphoto@bauermedia.co.uk
You may attach your images as singular files, but WeTransfer is also great. We’d like the photographs to be captioned appropriately with a location, and don’t forget to give us your full name in the email body. We cannot accept photographs of children, unless parental permission has been obtained. Entries close at 11.59pm on 31/08/25. Full T&Cs below.
Meet the judges
Nadir Khan
Adventure sports photographer and filmmaker who specialises in mountains, Nadir’s photography is widely published. He has published two photography books, Extreme Scotland and Extreme Lakeland, and you can follow him on Instagram at @nadirkhanphotography
Kat Lawman
Winner of our 2022 competition with her shot of stars aligning above Yr Wyddfa and owner of photography business Adventure Nightscapes, Kat is a qualified Mountain Leader and photographer. Follow her on Instagram @adventure.nightscapes
Tom Bailey
Trail magazine’s long-serving photographer has probably captured every mountain in Britain, and specialises in documenting people’s experiences in the outdoors.
Lena Drapella
Lena is a climber and outdoor photographer, specialising in adventure sports. She often focuses on the subject's emotions, showcasing not only the success but also the struggle, fear, determination and joy. Follow her on Instagram @lenadrapella
You!
We’ll be giving YOU the chance to vote for your favourite image once the final shortlist has been chosen, and the public vote will count as one of the five final votes alongside our four expert judges.
The prizes
This year we've teamed up with Jack Wolfskin to provide some fantastic prizes to our top three photographers.
The overall winner will receive a full hiking wardrobe worth more than £1000, including waterproof jacket, insulated jacket, base layer, hiking trousers, backpack and footwear.
The runner-up will receive a Jack Wolfskin waterproof jacket, and our third placed photographer will receive a hiking backpack.
UK Mountain Photo of the Year 2025 – Terms and Conditions
1. Entrants must upload at least one original image with a caption and register their name, email address and phone number to enter the competition. This information will only be used in relation to the competition. Entry is open from 1pm on Thursday 22nd May 2025 (the start date) to 11:59pm on Sunday 31st August 2025 (the End date) via email to mountainphoto@bauermedia.co.uk. Entries received before the Start Date or after the End Date will be invalid.
2. Entrants must be UK residents aged 18 and over.
3. Entrants may enter up to 3 images. If an entrant submits more than 3 images, only the first 3 images submitted will be considered valid entries.
4. Online entry is free. No purchase is necessary.
5. Copyright of all images is retained by the entrant, However, by entering this competition, entrants grant H Bauer Publishing a non-exclusive license to reproduce the images (whether in their original format or having been digitally manipulated) for uses which may include: reproduction on websites, marketing or promotional materials including displays, leaflets, brochures and catalogues. Such use will only be in relation to Mountain Photo of the Year and will credit the image owner. The person uploading must own all the rights to the image and have permission to upload/use the image.
6. Bauer Media (the Promoter) reserves the right to disqualify entrants if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that fraudulent entry has occurred.
7. Images entered in the competition must have a resolution of at least 72dpi when loading
8. Entrants will need to be able to send a high-resolution version of the image(s), which needs to be 300dpi, and may be contacted via email to supply the high-resolution image.
10. All entries will be reviewed and shortlisted to five finalists (the Finalists) by a panel of judges, which will include members of the Trail magazine team and some leading names in adventure photography (the Panel). The choice of Finalists by the Panel will be final and no correspondence will be entered into with entrants regarding unsuccessful entries. Judging by the Panel will take place in September and October 2025. The judging criteria includes but is not limited to: originality, contrast between light and dark, timeliness, dramatic effect, human appeal, composition, centre of interest, subject matter and story-telling.
11. The finalists will be formally notified within four days of the shortlist being decided. Only the Finalists will be contacted personally with the results of their entry.
12. The five Finalists will be featured in Trail Magazine and a public vote for the winner(s) of the competition will open online at 11am on 23rd October 2025.
13. Public online votes will be combined with the judges’ final votes to decide the top 3 entries and the three winners of the competition (the Winners). The three winners will be ranked in third place, second place and first place, which will determine which of three prizes they will win.
14. The promoter’s decisions in relation to the Finalists and winners are final, and no correspondence will be entered into about unsuccessful entries.
Voting
1. The voting for the winner(s) of the competition will open at www.livefortheoutdoors.com from 11am on 23rd October 2025 (Vote Opening Date) until 11.59pm on 20th November 2025 (Vote Closing Date).
2. Votes received before the Vote Opening Date or after the Vote Closing Date will be invalid.
3. Voters must be over 18 and must register their name and email in order to cast their vote.
4. Voting for the winner of the competition from the Five Finalists is restricted to a maximum of 1 vote per person.
5. The public Votes will be combined with the judges’ final votes to decide the Winners of the competition and their prizes.
6. The Promoter reserves the rights disqualify votes if they have reasonable grounds to suspect that fraudulent voting has occurred.
Prizes/Winners
1. The name and the image(s) of the three competition winners will be announced in Trail February issue on sale 18th December 2025 and online at www.livefortheoutdoors.com
2. The prizes for the three Winners are:
1st place: Full hiking wardrobe from Jack Wolfskin (Products TBC)
2nd place: Jack Wolfskin waterproof jacket (Product TBC)
3rd place: Jack Wolfskin hiking backpack (Product TBC)
3. The Prizes are provided by Jack Wolfskin (the Prize Provider). The Promoter is not responsible for any aspect of the Prizes, including unsatisfactory quality or late delivery or a Winner being unable to take up any aspect, or the entirety of the Prize, due to their own circumstances or restrictions. Prizes are non-transferable, non-refundable and no cash alternative will be offered.
4. The Promoter reserves the right, at its discretion, to exclude entrants, Finalists and/or winner(s) who have acted fraudulently in any way and who do not comply with any of these Photo entry Competition Terms and/or Prize Terms. No correspondence will be entered into about excluded entrants or unsuccessful entrants.
5. Winners will be notified by the Promoter by 1st December 2025 and delivery details for their Prizes will be requested. These details will be passed on to the Prize Provider(s) to arrange the prizes. The Promoter and Prize Providers shall not be held responsible for any inability of the Winners to take up the Prize.
6. It is entrants’ responsibility to inform the Promoter of any change to their contact address, telephone number or e-mail address.
7. The Prizes are non-exchangeable, and no cash alternative is available. The Winners agree and procure not to sell, offer to sell or use the Prizes for any commercial or promotional purpose (including placing the Prizes on an internet auction site).
8. To accept the Prizes, the Winners must respond to the email notification from the Promoter within 1 week.
9. If a Winner is not contactable by the Promoter or does not comply with the timescale and terms above, the Promoter reserves the right to deem the Winner’s Prize as unclaimed, forfeited or unaccepted and an alternative winner will be chosen.
10. The Promoter’s decision is final.
Full Bauer Media competition terms and conditions can be found at www.bauerlegal.co.uk/competition-terms.html