Entrants aged 18-26 to enter Wildlife Photographer of the Year for free

Wildlife Photographer of the Year has opened its sixty-first competition, calling for entries from photographers across the globe of all nationalities, backgrounds and experience levels.

New for this year’s competition, all entrants under 26 years old will receive free entry in line with Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s commitment to increasing accessibility. The competition will also continue its waived fee for 107 countries that have historically been underrepresented.

The Sixty-First Competition

For the world’s oldest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition, this year’s esteemed international jury comprises seven experts across a range of wildlife and conservation topics. They will select the top 100 images, including the competition's 16 winners in categories ranging from mammal behaviour and urban wildlife to underwater and photojournalism. There are also 3 categories in the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for photographers 17 years old and under.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year will also continue its brand-new Impact Award which was launched for the sixtieth anniversary of the competition to recognise a conservation success, a story of hope and/or positive change.

New for this year’s competition, entrants between 18 and 26 years old can enter up to 25 images free of charge. This is in addition to the competition’s long-standing regulation that photographers aged 17 and under can enter up to 10 images free of charge in the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. As per last year, the entry fee waiver is extended to photographers who live in Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America. These are three regions that have previously been underrepresented in the competition.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is passionate about increasing female and non-binary representation in the competition and wider wildlife photography. Following last year’s record number of female and non-binary entrants to the competition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is continuing to offer discounted entry to members of organisations that support diversity in wildlife photography.

Kathy Moran, Chair of the Jury, says some words of encouragement to all photographers: “Be original. Trust in your work. All species and landscapes, great and small, have the potential to captivate and motivate. Surprise us with what has delighted you this year and we can’t wait to once again be amazed.”

Gemma Ward, Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition Manager, says: “We’re very excited to welcome such an esteemed and insightful jury to select the next Wildlife Photographer of the Year. With our new entry fee waiver for photographers between 18 and 26 years old, we hope for the sixty-first competition to be our biggest and widest reaching yet.  Diversifying the medium is a core driver of our work, so we are also delighted to continue free entry to the competition for countries that have so far been underrepresented in wildlife photography.”

For full details about the jury, competition rules, prizes and important dates, please visit nhm.ac.uk/wpy

The Sixtieth Competition and Winners

The winners of the sixtieth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition were recently revealed at an awards ceremony hosted by renowned wildlife presenters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin in the Natural History Museum’s iconic Hintze Hall. The competition attracted nearly 60,000 entries from 117 countries and territories.

Canadian photographer Shane Gross was announced as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his breathtaking photograph ‘The Swarm of Life’ which shines a light on the magical underwater world of western toad tadpoles.

Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany was awarded Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 for his up-close image ‘Life Under Dead Wood’, depicting the fruiting bodies of slime mould and a tiny springtail.

Please find full information on the sixtieth competition and its winners here.

NOTES TO EDITORS

Sixty-First Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition

·       Opens for entries on Monday 14 October 2024.

·       Closes for entries at 11.30am GMT on Thursday 5 December 2024.

·       Entrants to the adult competition may enter up to 25 images for a £30 fee, which increases to £35 in the final week of the entry period from 11.30am GMT 28 November 2023 to 11.30am GMT 5 December 2024.

·       An entry fee waiver continues for photographers entering the adult competition from countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America.

·       Rules and categories will be translated into 15 languages: Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, Arabic, Finnish, German, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Swahili, Italian, Bengali, Hindi and Portuguese.

·       Entrants aged between 18 and 26 may enter up to 25 images free of charge. Entrants 17 and under may enter up to 10 images for free.

·       Find out how to enter: www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/competition  

Sixtieth Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards and Exhibition

The winners of the sixtieth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition will be announced at an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum, London, on Tuesday 8 October 2024.

Tickets are now on sale for the upcoming exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, which opens to the public on Friday 11 October 2024. Tickets and more information: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year.html

Media Contact

For access to high-resolution images or to arrange interviews with photographers, jury members or Museum spokespeople, please contact Laura Gosney, Communications Manager for Wildlife Photographer of the Year, at the Natural History Museum Press Office.

·       Mobile: +44 (0)7957 650 531

·       Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk

About Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Wildlife Photographer of the Year was founded in 1965 by BBC Wildlife Magazine, then called Animals. The Natural History Museum joined forces in 1984 to create the competition as it is known today. The annual competition and touring exhibition are now run and owned by the Natural History Museum, London.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 34, edited by Keith Wilson and with a foreword by Kathy Moran, is now available on pre-sale and will be published on 9 October 2024, RRP £28.

Touring venues in the UK currently include Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery; Bristol Museum & Art Gallery; Chester Zoo; The Base, Greenham; The Beacon, Whitehaven.

International touring venues currently include the Australian National Maritime Museum and Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery in Australia; Royal BC Museum and Royal Ontario Museum in Canada; Statens Naturhistoriske Museum (Danish Natural History Museum) in Denmark; Montier Photo Festival in France; Hessisches Landesmuseum Darmstadt, Westfälisches Pferdemuseum Münster and Naturkunde Museum Reutlingen in Germany; Palazzo della Permanente in Italy; Naturhistorisches Museum Basel (Natural History Museum Basel) in Switzerland.

About the Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum is a world-leading science centre and one of the most visited attractions in the UK. A global source of curiosity, inspiration and joy, our vision is to build a future in which both people and the planet thrive. We aim to be a catalyst for change, engaging advocates for the planet in everything that we do. Our 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency in all aspects of life.

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