Photo competition - Museum Koenig Bonn

Every year, the AKG organises a photography competition. The 40 best photographs are selected by a jury and exhibited at the Museum Koenig.

2026 Photography Competition

Topic: Animal communities

When animals interact with one another, this offers the observer fascinating insights into their behaviour. We are fascinated by the diversity of behaviours that nature has developed within animal communities: be it social insects (the honeybee is excluded, as it is classified as a domestic animal; please be sure to refer to the terms and conditions), birds or fish that organise themselves into shoals, rivals courting a mate of the same species, parents raising their young, predator–prey relationships, animals hunting together, or animals of different species forming symbiotic relationships for mutual benefit – to name but a few examples. And occasionally, the behaviour of animals in groups can also be instructive or symbolic for human societies.

We are inviting submissions of photographs showing animals either interacting with members of their own species or with members of other species. The examples listed above are not intended to limit the photographer’s imagination. Photos from local ecosystems are welcome, as are those from other regions of the world. Photos of all animal species, from insects to vertebrates, may be submitted. The photographs must have been taken in the wild and must not be more than 5 years old (please also note the terms and conditions of entry). Applicable nature conservation and animal welfare regulations must be observed. The animals must not be disturbed or harmed within their natural habitat.

Registration and Terms and Conditions of Participation

Any amateur photographer, regardless of age, is welcome to take part.

A maximum of three photos per entrant is permitted.
The photos submitted must not be more than 5 years old.
When submitting online, please initially submit only a preview file in JPG format for each image.
These JPGs should be of the highest possible quality; the longest side of the image must be 1920 pixels. This requirement must be met.
Photos of domestic and farm animals, as well as wild animals kept in human care, are excluded from the competition. This also includes parks and zoos.
The file name must include the name of the photographer and a descriptive image title:
Example: FirstName_Surname_ImageTitle.jpg
The EXIF data should be retained.

Please send your photos by email, including your first name, surname, postal address and email address, with the subject line ‘Photo Competition 2026’, to akg@leibniz-lib.de

Closing date for entries: 15 September 2026

View the leaflet

A look back: Previous competitions

2025 Photography Competition

Agnes Anna Sadowski, 3rd prize
The winners of the 2025 photo competition are:
1st prize: Reinhold Rieder, Welcoming the Black Woodpeckers
2nd prize: Leon Seydel, ‘Evening Stroll with the Badger’
3rd prize: Agnes Anna Sadowski, ‘Fireflies’
The Alexander Koenig Society would like to extend its warmest thanks to this year’s sponsor for the book prizes, dpunkt.verlag.

2024 Photography Competition

One of the winning photographs from 2024
This year, the theme ‘The Coast as a Habitat’ has once again inspired many photographers to take part. Over 380 photographs from more than 180 entrants from Germany and abroad were submitted. Of these, the jury selected forty photographs for the exhibition. The awards ceremony and exhibition opening took place on 4 December at the Museum Koenig.
The extraordinary photographs – ranging from puffins to Steller’s sea eagles, polar bears, otters, mussels, rays and marine iguanas – will be on display from 5 December until 16 February 2025 on the first floor of the Museum Koenig in Bonn.
The winners of this year’s photography competition are:
1st prize: Jörg Kienitz
2nd prize: Frank Friedrich
3rd prize: Henrike Kelsch
The Alexander Koenig Society would like to extend its sincere thanks to this year’s sponsors: dpunkt Verlag for the book prizes, CEWE for printing the photographs, and Andreas Domschke, the initiator of the photography competition, for his financial support.

2023 Photography Competition

The exhibition at the Museum Koenig in Bonn
Anniversary Competition – 10 Years of the Alexander Koenig Society’s Photography Competition
From a large number of exceptional photographs, the jury has selected 50 images, which will be on display in the Museum Koenig’s bistro from 7 December. The prize-winners were announced at the exhibition opening on 6 December:
1st prize: Lutz Klapp (starlings)
2nd prize: Dominik Cantaluppi (chamois)
3rd prize: Norbert Schirmer (seagull)
The prize-winners received a voucher from AC-Foto, whom we would like to take this opportunity to thank warmly for their contribution.
The photographs will be on display in the Museum Koenig bistro from 7 December 23 to 3 March 24.

Exhibition of the paintings at the Museum Koenig in Bonn
The exhibition opening and prize-giving ceremony for this year’s ‘Insects Worldwide’ photography competition, organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V., took place on 7 December at the Museum Koenig.
From 8 December 2022 to 29 January 2023, the exhibition of these impressive photographs can be admired in the museum’s bistro. We look forward to seeing you there.
Winners in the over-18s category:
1st place: Klaus M. Weber
2nd place: Bernd Giershausen
3rd place: Dr Wilfried Kaschube
Winners in the under-18s category:
1st place: Tristan Bohn
2nd place: Mariam Simmou
3rd place: Verena Zbikowski
1st prize in the competition
A jury comprising outstanding photographers and animal experts selected the photographs. As always, it was an intensive process of deliberation and decision-making. Many impressive, skilfully taken photographs were submitted. They are sure to delight viewers!
The plan had been to hold an in-person opening for the exhibition. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented this. The Alexander Koenig Society is now considering organising a Zoom event instead.
Nevertheless, all photography enthusiasts and visitors to the museum are invited to enjoy the photographs. This will be possible until 27 February next year.
Winners in the over-18s category:
1st place: Olena Pfister
2nd place: Stephan Wirwalski
3rd place: Klaus Weber
Winners in the under-18s category:
1st place: Hannes Bonzheim
2nd place: Hannes Bonzheim
3rd place: Lisa Welsandt
A winning entry from the competition
“… well, let’s just go online then”
Digital opening of the ‘Animals in Local Waters’ photography exhibition by the Alexander Koenig Society
It had been planned for this week – the exhibition opening featuring the best photographs at the Museum Koenig in Bonn. As it does every year, the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. had organised its 2020 photography competition. A good 200 photos were submitted – fewer than usual, but more than might have been expected given the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.
Once again, many of the photos are a real treat – such as the thirsty barn swallow reflected in the water, or a box snail ploughing through the water like a freighter, the kingfisher looking straight at the camera, or a surfing seal.
It would be unthinkable to withhold these wonderful images from the public. That is why the Alexander Koenig Society has simply … ‘gone online’ and commissioned a film about the exhibition.
Winners of the 2019 photography competition
The awards ceremony for the ‘Animal Diversity in Parks and Gardens’ photography competition organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG), as well as the opening of the exhibition, took place on 11 December at 5.00 pm in the lecture theatre of the Museum Koenig.
Following last year’s successful photography competition, over 170 amateur photographers took part again this year, submitting around 400 photographs. The photographers emailed their pictures from all over Germany, and this time there were also many entries from Austria and Switzerland.
Once again this year, there were some exceptionally beautiful photographs, from which the jury selected three prize-winners in each category (under and over 18 years of age). The jury made its decision and awarded prizes to 60 outstanding images.
Helmut Stahl, President of the Alexander Koenig Society, Prof. Bernhard Misof, Director of the Alexander Koenig Zoological Research Museum (ZFMK), and Andreas Domschke, initiator of the photography competition, welcomed the many guests. Prof. Wolfgang Böhme of the ZFMK provided the zoological commentary on the photographs. Professional photographers Holger Arndt and Paul Kornacker assessed the images according to their technical merits.
Winner in the over-18s category:
1st place: Kai Kolodziej
2nd place: Ralf Gohla
3rd place: Elena Meyer-Thamer

Winners in the under-18s category:
1st place: Marc Zaglmayr
2nd place: Hannes Bonzheim
3rd place: Frida Wiegard
The photographers are delighted with their prizes, which offer them some very special experiences at the Museum Koenig: behind-the-scenes tours of the museum, an animal sponsorship worth 200 euros, or a visit to Cologne Zoo with the family. All prize-winners also received a free annual membership of the Alexander Koenig Society, including free admission to all the Society’s lectures and exhibitions.
The photography competition will continue next year. Details on how to enter the competition will be published in the spring on the Alexander Koenig Society’s website (bonn.leibniz-lib.de/akg) and in the regional press.
Alongside the drawing competition for regional primary schools, the Society’s photography competition – open to all age groups – offers a wonderful opportunity to engage more deeply with the creatures in your local environment and with biodiversity. Animal photography, in particular, offers a unique way of connecting with animals and the chance to capture exciting moments forever.
Winning entry in the competition
“Amphibians and Reptiles in Their Natural Habitat” – 2018 Photography Competition
The prize-giving ceremony for the ‘Amphibians and Reptiles in Their Natural Habitats’ photography competition, organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG), as well as the opening of the exhibition, took place on 12 December at 5.00 pm in the lecture theatre of the Museum Koenig.
Following last year’s successful photography competition, over 100 amateur photographers took part again this year, submitting around 270 photographs. The photographers emailed their pictures from all over Germany; there were even two entrants from Austria.
Once again this year, there were some exceptionally beautiful photographs, from which the jury selected three prize-winners in each category (under and over 18 years of age).
The jury made its decision and awarded prizes to 60 outstanding photographs.
Helmut Stahl, President of the Alexander Koenig Society, welcomed the more than 90 guests in attendance.
Winners in the over-18s category:
1st place: Harald Haberscheidt: Green toad
2nd place: Tobias Helling: Wall lizards
3rd place: Herbert Bous: Green frog pair

Winners in the under-18s category:
1st place: Chiara Henn: Wall lizard
2nd place: Tristan Bohn: Common toad
3rd place: Janne Mischendahl: Young grass frog
The photographers are delighted with their prizes, which offer them some very special experiences at the Museum Koenig: behind-the-scenes tours of the museum, an animal sponsorship worth 200 euros, or a visit to Cologne Zoo with the family. All prize-winners also received a free annual membership of the Alexander Koenig Society, including free admission to all the Society’s lectures and exhibitions.
The photography competition will continue next year. The theme will be ‘Man-made habitats – animal diversity in parks and gardens’. Details on how to enter the competition will be published in the spring on the Alexander Koenig Society’s website (bonn.leibniz-lib.de/akg) and in the regional press.
Alongside the painting competition for local primary schools, the Society’s photography competition – open to all age groups – offers a wonderful opportunity to engage more deeply with the creatures in your local environment and with biodiversity. Wildlife photography, in particular, offers a unique way of connecting with animals and the chance to capture exciting moments forever.
Winning entry in the competition
The awards ceremony for the photography competition ‘Birds in the City – The Diversity of Bird Life in Urban Areas’
organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG), as well as the opening of the exhibition, took place on 13 December at 5.00 pm in the lecture theatre of the Museum Koenig.
“Birds in the City – The Diversity of Bird Life in Urban Areas” was the title of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft’s 2017 photography competition. The jury has made its decision and awarded prizes to 60 outstanding photographs.
Helmut Stahl, President of the Alexander Koenig Society, welcomed the more than 120 guests in attendance.
This year, over 100 entrants took part, submitting a total of 270 photographs. We even received photos from Belgium.
Winner in the over-18s category:
1st prize: Frank Friedrich, robin
2nd prize: Frank Kottisch, short-eared owls
3rd prize: Anne-Marie Kölbach, pair of tawny owls
Winners in the under-18s category:
1st prize: Tristan Bohn, aged 12, blue tit
2nd prize: Timo Rauw, aged 12, barn swallow
Alongside the drawing competition for regional primary schools, the Society’s photography competition for all age groups offers a wonderful opportunity to engage more closely with the creatures in your local area and to explore biodiversity. Wildlife photography, in particular, offers a unique insight into the animals and the chance to capture exciting moments for posterity.
The 60 selected photographs were displayed in an exhibition at the Museum Koenig from 14 December 2017 to 4 March 2018.
The photographers are delighted with their prizes, which offer some very special experiences at the Museum Koenig: behind-the-scenes guided tours of the museum, an animal sponsorship worth 200 euros, or a visit to Cologne Zoo with the family. All prize-winners also received a free annual membership of the Alexander Koenig Society, including free admission to all the society’s lectures and exhibitions.
Photo from the awards ceremony
Award ceremony for the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. photography competition and opening of the special exhibition “Tiny Creatures, Big Impact – Insects and Spiders of the Region”
The prize-giving ceremony for the “Small Creatures, Big Impact – Insects and Spiders of the Region” photography competition organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG) and the opening of the exhibition of the winning photographs took place on 14 December at 5.00 pm in the lecture theatre of the Alexander Koenig Zoological Research Museum – Leibniz Institute for Animal Biodiversity.
‘Tiny Creatures, Big Impact – Insects and Spiders of the Region’ – this was the title of the call for entries for the 2016 photography competition organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. The jury has made its decision and awarded prizes to 60 outstanding photographs.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Böhme, Vice-President of the Alexander Koenig Society, welcomed the more than 130 guests in attendance.
“I know from my own experience just how difficult it is to press the shutter at exactly the right moment when dealing with such tiny, lively and restless subjects,” said Andreas Domschke, a member of the AKG’s executive committee and the competition’s organiser, thereby highlighting the particular challenge involved. He thanked all the helpers without whom the exhibition would not have been possible, in particular Julia Herder, Manfred Tulke and the staff of the museum’s exhibitions department.
Professor Dr Wolfgang Boehme, Vice-President of the AKG, explained the significance of the AKG’s activities for the museum’s educational work, as the photography competition is just one of many initiatives made possible by the association. Boehme identified all the creatures in the winning photographs in a humorous yet scientifically accurate manner, highlighting their fascinating precision. “Sometimes the images show the veining of a butterfly of impressive beauty; at other times, the fan-like structures of a dung beetle’s antennae are depicted with remarkable precision,” he said, highlighting the exceptional quality of the photographs.
More than 170 entrants submitted over 400 photographs.
Winners in the over-18s category:
1st prize: Harald Haberscheidt, Mosel Apollo (Parnassius apollo vinningensis)
2nd prize: Frank Kietzer, Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi)
3rd prize: Johannes Dambach: Green weevils (weevil beetles)
Winner of the under-18s category:
1st prize: Lukas Kraus, aged 16, dung beetles (family Geotrupidae)
2nd prize: Johanna Ritzinger, aged 16, rust-coloured skipper (Ochlodes venatus)
3rd prize: Lucas Zander, aged 14, Blue-green Mosaic Dragonfly (Aeshna cyanea)
Alongside the drawing competition for regional primary schools, the Society’s photography competition, open to all age groups, offers a wonderful opportunity to engage more closely with the creatures in your local environment and to explore biodiversity. Wildlife photography, in particular, offers a unique way of connecting with animals and the chance to capture exciting moments for posterity.
The 60 selected photographs will be presented in an exhibition entitled ‘Tiny Creatures, Big Impact – Insects and Spiders of the Region’ from 15 December 2016 to 19 February 2017 in the café at the Museum Koenig.
The photographers were delighted with their prizes, as these offer some very special experiences at the Museum Koenig: behind-the-scenes guided tours of the museum, an animal sponsorship worth 200 euros, or a visit to Cologne Zoo with the family. All prize-winners also received a free annual membership of the Alexander Koenig Society, granting free entry to all the society’s lectures and exhibitions.
The photography competition will continue next year. The theme will then be ‘Birds in the City – The Diversity of Bird Life in Urban Areas’.
Details on how to enter the competition will be published in the spring on the Alexander Koenig Society’s website (bonn.leibniz-lib.de/akg) and in the regional press.
The winning photographs are on display until 19 February 2017 in the Bistro on the first floor of the Museum Koenig and can be viewed during normal opening hours. There is no additional charge.
The copyright for the winning photographs remains with the respective photographers. Use of the images for reporting on the exhibition at the Museum Koenig during the exhibition period is free of charge.
Awards ceremony for the competition
The prize-giving ceremony for the photography competition “Discovering Wild Animals in the Wild” organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG) and the opening exhibition of the winning photographs took place on 9 December at 5.00 pm in the lecture theatre of the Museum Koenig.
‘Discovering Wild Animals on the Move’ was the title of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft’s 2015 photography competition. The jury has made its decision and awarded prizes to 60 outstanding photographs.
Dr Uwe Schäkel, President of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft, welcomed the more than 130 guests in attendance. The President was fascinated by the diversity of the animal subjects submitted to the competition. Insects, butterflies, iguanas, as well as Africa’s Big Five and bird subjects, were among the photographs submitted and awarded prizes.
The more than 120 entrants submitted over 300 photographs; the youngest entrant is just four years old.
Professor Wolfgang Boehme identifies all the creatures with humour and scientific accuracy, even when a photographer has mistaken a cricket for an ant. The judges placed particular emphasis on the composition and quality of the photography, as well as the originality of the animal subject.
Holger Arndt, a photographer for the Generalanzeiger Bonn, offers interesting insights into photographic quality and the selection of images during the events.
Above all, the experienced professional photographer praises the young people who have already shown great patience and composure. “Animal photography isn’t easy at all,” says Holger Arndt, “because animals have a nasty habit of moving around. For the photographer, this means they must always have their camera ‘ready to shoot’ in order to capture the right moment.” He knows from his own experience just how quickly the photographer’s subject can slip out of focus.
Winners in the over-18s category:
1st prize: Heinrich Pützler, Hedgehog
2nd prize: Joachim Wiegers, Elephant
3rd prize: Helga Weickhardt: Caterpillar of the sorrel-bark moth
Winners in the under-18s category:
1st prize: Gila Gräbnitz, aged 17, Mallard
2nd prize: Lucas Zander, aged 13, Moorhen
3rd prize: Danielle Frommholz, aged 16, Wall lizard
Alongside the drawing competition for regional primary schools, the Society’s photography competition, open to all age groups, is a wonderful opportunity to engage more deeply with the creatures in your local environment and with biodiversity. Wildlife photography, in particular, offers a unique insight into the animals and the chance to capture exciting moments for posterity.
The 60 selected photographs will be displayed in an exhibition at the Museum Koenig from 10 December 2015 to 14 February 2016.
The photographers are delighted with their prizes, which offer them some very special experiences at the Museum Koenig: Behind-the-scenes guided tours of the museum, a visit to Cologne Zoo with the family, and an annual membership of the Alexander Koenig Society – which includes free admission to all the museum’s lectures and exhibitions – will allow for even closer engagement with this unique research museum in Bonn.
The photography competition will continue next year. The focus will once again be on the region; the 2016 competition will centre on the smallest creatures – the diversity of insects.
Awards ceremony for the competition
The awards ceremony for the ‘Native Wildlife of the Region’ photography competition organised by the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG) and the opening exhibition of the winning photographs took place in the lecture theatre at the Museum Koenig.
Dr Uwe Schäkel, President of the Alexander-Koenig-Gesellschaft e.V. (AKG), described Andreas Domschke’s idea to organise a photography competition on the theme of ‘Native Wildlife’. Following the hugely successful traditional painting competition, which encourages over 1,200 primary school pupils to engage in creative activities every year, the aim was now to inspire people of all ages to observe and document the local wildlife creatively through the lens of a camera.
Over 80 people of all ages submitted more than 300 photographs of the highest quality, making it very difficult for the jury to reach a decision. Three prizes were awarded in the ‘under-18’ age group, and four prizes were awarded in the ‘over-18’ age group.
Professor Böhme commented on the photos from a biologist’s perspective and provided vivid insights into the ‘small fox’, the cattle jumping spider, squirrels, the furrow bee, pygmy owls, the delicate grasshopper and the sparrowhawk, whilst Holger Arndt, picture editor at the Generalanzeiger, enthusiastically described the technical quality of the photographs.
Forty-three award-winning photos will be on display in the bistro on the first floor of the Museum Koenig until 15 February 2015.
Mayor Gabriele Klingmüller and the competition’s initiator, Andreas Domschke, were absolutely delighted with the participants’ creative commitment. “The photo competition will continue next year with the theme ‘Wild animals from foreign countries’,” promised Domschke.
We will announce details of the next photography competition in due course.