What is the Penda Travel Photography Competition?
The Penda Photo Tours Travel Photography Competition is a global contest inviting photographers — from seasoned professionals to passionate amateurs — to submit their finest travel-themed images for a chance to win an extraordinary prize: a fully guided photo safari in Botswana.
Through this competition, Penda opens a platform for photographers worldwide to showcase their vision of travel, whether it be human cultures, breathtaking landscapes, or the raw beauty of wildlife. With a straightforward submission process and a free first entry, the contest encourages participation from all corners of the globe.
Categories & What They Look For
The competition is divided into three distinct but equally compelling categories, each designed to highlight a different facet of travel photography. Photographers can choose to enter one or multiple categories — and there is no limit to the number of images, though additional entries beyond the free first submission incur a fee.
• People & Cultures
Here, the aim is to capture human stories — the traditions, rituals, faces, and cultural moments that define communities around the world. Perfect for documentary-style travel photos, portraiture, street photography, or cultural festivals.
• Landscape & Flora
This category welcomes sweeping vistas, dramatic natural scenes, intimate details of flora, and the subtle beauty of environments the photographer explores while travelling. Ideal for travel photographers who seek to evoke atmosphere, mood, or a sense of place.
• Wildlife
For those drawn to the wild, this category is about capturing animals in their natural habitats — from majestic big cats to delicate birds or mammals roaming free. Whether intimate portraits or wide-angle scenes of wildlife within ecosystems, judges are looking for character, authenticity, and connection to nature.
How to Enter: Simple, Flexible, Global
Participating in the contest is easy and open to photographers everywhere:
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Prepare your image — files must be JPEG, in Adobe RGB (1998) colour space, and under 2 MB.
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Name your file following the required format:
FirstName_LastName_Category_ImageTitle.jpeg(e.g.Jane_Doe_Wildlife_ElephantSunset.jpeg). -
Submit via the entry form on Penda’s website. Your first image is free. If you’d like to enter more, you can submit additional batches (e.g. 10 extra images for a small fee).
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Judging and selection: Expert judges — a panel of award-winning photographers with backgrounds in wildlife, editorial, documentary, and travel photography — will evaluate entries based on creativity, technical quality, storytelling, and suitability to the theme.
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Shortlist & final selection: If your image is shortlisted, you may be asked to provide the original RAW file (or original JPEG) for verification. Winners will be announced publicly online and notified directly.
Prizes – What’s Up for Grabs
This competition isn’t just about prestige — the rewards are very real:
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Grand Prize (Overall Winner): A fully guided photo safari in Botswana’s legendary wilderness (Tuli Block), with accommodation in a private camp, expert photographic tutoring, and an immersive safari experience capturing lions, elephants, and other African wildlife.
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Category Winners: Winners of the individual categories (People & Cultures, Landscape & Flora, Wildlife) receive a stylish camera backpack — the vintage-chic VINCOV Lisboa — perfect for carrying gear on future travels.
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Runners-Up: All other top-scoring entries not selected as category winners (or grand prize winners) will receive a VINCOV Sabang leather camera strap — a quality, practical award for keen photographers.
Beyond the prizes, being recognised by an international panel and having your work published on Penda’s website can significantly raise your profile as a travel photographer.
Why You Should Enter — Even If You’re Just Starting Out
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First entry is free. No risk, no commitment — submit your strongest shot and see where it goes.
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Open to all levels. Whether you shoot for a living or carry a camera as a travel hobbyist, this competition values vision and emotion over credentials.
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Global exposure. Your image could be seen by thousands of travel and photography enthusiasts around the world — a nice boost for your portfolio.
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Real, dream-worthy prize. A guided photo safari in Botswana is more than a holiday; it’s a chance to shoot once-in-a-lifetime wildlife moments under expert guidance, and to bring home images and experiences you’ll treasure forever.
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Support a good cause. Through this competition, a portion of the proceeds supports Wild Shots Outreach — a nonprofit using photography to empower disadvantaged youth in South Africa through training, mentoring, and artistic opportunities.
Tips to Increase Your Chances
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Focus on storytelling — whether it’s a portrait in “People & Cultures,” a dramatic landscape, or a candid wildlife moment, aim for emotion and narrative.
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Stick to the technical requirements: proper file format, colour space, photo size and filename convention. Failure to comply will invalidate your submission.
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Stay ethical — no baiting wildlife, no misleading manipulation, no harm to nature or people. Authenticity matters.
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Consider entering multiple categories if your work spans different types — more entries = more chances.
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If shortlisted, be ready to share your RAW files — preserving authenticity and transparency.
How to Join?
For anyone interested, please visit the official Penda Travel Photography Contest website.
Conclusion
If you’re a travel photographer chasing cityscapes in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok or capturing street culture in Tokyo, or wandering wild landscapes in rural Asia, the Penda Travel Photography Competition offers a unique opportunity to share your vision with the world.
With its low barrier to entry, inclusive ethos, and a dream safari in Botswana as the grand prize, it’s a contest built for passionate storytellers. Don’t miss out: submit your best travel image today — this could be the year you become Penda’s Travel Photographer of the Year.