Many in the club submit images to competitions run by a variety of photographic groups. Recently, two of our members achieved success with their entries. Congratulations to Nadine Campbell ANPSNZ and Dawn Kirk ANPSNZ!
Nadine was awarded the Geoff Moon Nature Gold Medal in the Photographic Society of NZ National Exhibition for a digital image which Best Illustrates New Zealand nature.
Geoff Moon was an Honorary Fellow of PSNZ, a NZ naturalist, ornithologist, conservationist, vet, and photographer. This award is an annual event to honour his contributions.
Nadine provided this information about her image –
Coprinellus disseminatus, formerly known as Coprinus disseminatus and commonly known as the fairy inkcap, fairy bonnet, or trooping crumble cap, is a species in the family Psathyrellaceae. (Although named the same in the northern hemisphere, it’s our own distinct species). It grows to 4 centimetres tall. The 5-10 mm bell-shaped cap is tannish, becoming grey with age. The spore print is blackish-brown. It grows in groups and appears quickly on rotten wood after sufficient rains in autumn. I was fortunate to come across this newly emerged group in pristine condition which made photographing them a great pleasure. Found at the beginning of the Barnicoat Walkway in the Marsden Valley, Stoke. Near Nelson city in the first week of May.
Dawn submitted an image to the 2026 Tūhura Photography competition that achieve two placings – Category Winner in the section Wild Aotearoa, and overall Runner-up Photographer of the Year.
The Tūhura Photography Competition is an annual event organised by the Otago Museum nature photography competition that has been held for the past 27 years for amateur photographers in the Otago region. This year, they opened-up the competition to all New Zealanders by creating a new category, Wild Aotearoa, category in addition to existing categories of Wildlife, Botanical, and Landscapes.
The competition, which is free to enter, is a major event for the region. It has been developed with support from Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance (OPERA) with sponsorship from The Royal Albatross Centre and Wild Dunedin, in partnership with Jonathans Photo & Warehouse and Canon.
This year, the competition achieved a record 9,372 entries in 2026; 5,717 of which were in the Wild Aotearoa category. One can only feel sorry for the eight judges who examined all entries, and some admiration for their dedication.
Here is Dawn’s winning image of a Dotterel chick –
Winning and highly commended images from the competition are on display in an exhibition at the Otago Museum until July 19 (Tūhura Photography Exhibition | Tūhura Otago Museum). If you can’t get to Dunedin, it can be viewed online here – 2026 Tūhura Photography Exhibition by Tūhura Otago Museum.