Robert Irwin Says the Wildlife Photography Competition He's Judging Takes Him Back to His 'Roots' (Exclusive)
Robert Irwin Says the Wildlife Photography Competition He's Judging Takes Him Back to His 'Roots' (Exclusive)
Gillian TellingTue, June 23, 2026 at 2:14 PM UTC
0
Robert Irwin visits SiriusXM on Radio Row at Super Bowl LX on February 06, 2026 in San Francisco, CaliforniaCredit: Cindy Ord/Getty -
Robert Irwin announced the 10th annual Crikey! Magazine wildlife photography competition to inspire conservation through storytelling
The contest is open to all ages and skill levels, with a new category celebrating Australian wildlife
Irwin says photography is his personal way of continuing his family's legacy and connecting with young environmentalists
The world knows that Dancing with the Stars winner Robert Irwin can certainly shake a leg. But Irwin — the 22-year-old son of the late Steve Irwin, a.k.a. the Crocodile Hunter — is a conservationist at heart.
Which is why his latest project, the 10th annual Crikey! Magazine wildlife photography competition, is so dear to him.
"A lot of people might not know, but my core passion within conservation is photography," the Australia native tells PEOPLE.
"I spend so much time in front of the camera, but really my core and what I grew up doing was things behind the camera — it was photography and cinematography of wildlife and wild places. I grew up sort of finding photography as my kind of individual way of continuing my family's legacy, you know?"
Irwin says he eventually realized the best way for amateur photographers like himself to grow and advance was through competitions.
"Same as filmmaking," he says. "It's that same sort of thing, where if you're recognized at Cannes, you're gonna be the next big filmmaker. But as a kid, there weren't a lot of avenues to share my photography."
He continues, "I wanted to create something that was for everyone, particularly for youth who have a passion for conservation and for wildlife and for capturing the beauty of the natural world with a camera. ... It's a contest, and it's about seeing the best of the best, but it's also about trying to tell stories of conservation through images, and awarding those that are really fighting the good fight and doing something for our planet."
Irwin of course grew up around incredible wildlife at the Australia Zoo, the 700-acre wildlife park and animal rehabilitation center in Queensland, which his dad and mom Terri operated. But he says the photography submitted to Crikey! — the official publication of the Australia Zoo — doesn't necessarily have to be of something exotic. It can be the birds in your own trees.
"We just wanna see originality, you know? We wanna see wherever you are in your own backyard," he says.
Irwin says he's excited about the Crikey!Magazine competition because it's bringing him back to his conservation roots after a whirlwind year, in which he won Dancing With the Stars and will soon be hosting the DWTS: The Next Pro competition, airing July 13.
Advertisement
"I really dipped my toe into this world of dancing and that whole Hollywood vibe, which was cool to approach a different audience with a conservation story," he says. "But I feel like this year, right now, it's time for me to kind of go back to my roots. This has been sort of my personal passion project for a decade now and I'm just really excited about it."
He also says he wants to make sure that the term "conservation" doesn't scare people.
"The word conservation is like this big giant mountain that's like, how do you even climb that mountain?" he says.
"But there are a lot of passionate people around the world who have an interest in [the environment], particularly young people, and this is giving them a community where their passion for the environment is accepted, it's recognized and it's celebrated."
Irwin notes that anyone can submit their work, which he'll be judging with a panel of experts, regardless of age or whether they're a professional or amateur, or where they live in the world.
"We do have a new category this year, where we partnered with Tourism Australia to create a category that is just celebrating Australian wildlife. But otherwise it is very much open to everyone."
As for his wildest moment caught on camera? He says it was when he was photographing a carpet python.
"They're one of the biggest snakes in Australia, and this one had been hit by a car and we had rehabilitated it and I was releasing it back into the wild," he says. "And I'm taking pictures and just, like, 'Wow, isn't this snake beautiful?' and he turned around, looked me right in the eye, and bit my on the eyeball! I was just like, 'Mate, I just spent months saving your life, you ... lovely little creature!"
For more info on submitting photography to the Crikey! Magazine 2026 competition, visit the Australia Zoo's official website.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
