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Fifty-ninth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries
For the fifty-ninth year, the Natural History Museum’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has opened for entries from photographers of all ages, nationalities, and levels.
Entry fees will be waived for 50 countries for the second year to further encourage submissions from global regions that are currently under-represented in the annual competition.
- The world’s oldest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition
- A global showcase for nature photography and environmental photojournalism
- The 2022 competition marks its fifty-ninth year
- Open to photographers of all ages, nationalities, and levels
- The prestigious international jury has been announced
- Opened for entries on Monday 17 October 2022
- Closing on Thursday 8 December 2022 at 11.30am GMT
The winners of the fifty-eighth competition were recently revealed during an Awards ceremony hosted by wildlife presenter Chris Packham in the Natural History Museum’s iconic Hintze Hall. The competition attracted nearly 40,000 entries from 93 countries.
American photographer Karine Aigner was announced as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year for her remarkable image of a buzzing ball of cactus bees spinning over the hot sand on a Texas ranch. Karine is the fifth woman in the competition’s fifty-eight-year history to be awarded the Grand Title award.
Sixteen-year-old Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn from Thailand was awarded the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 for his creative image of a surfacing Bryde’s whale, The beauty of baleen.
The competition’s nineteen categories appeal to a wide range of interests and levels, from animal portraiture and photojournalism to urban wildlife and underwater worlds.
The annual Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is free to enter for photographers aged 17 and under, and cash prizes will be awarded to each winner of the three categories in the young competition.
The newly announced judging panel of international experts will gather in London to select 100 of the most unique nature and wildlife images. Each entry will be judged anonymously on its originality, narrative, and ethical practice.
Kathy Moran, editor and newly announced Chair of the jury, says ‘Photographs are evidence of what is happening in the natural world, whether the delight of capturing a moment or the impact of documenting devastation and solutions. Sharing what you have experienced, whether in your own neighborhood or in the field, is a way to inform and impact the opinions of millions of people around the world.’
Gemma Ward, competition manager, says ‘I invite everyone and anyone to enter Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Let’s give the judges unforgettable images; lets pull at their heartstrings and have them leap off their seats with excitement in the judging room. I love it when they do this.’
The judges are eager to encourage more submissions from nationalities currently underrepresented in the competition as well as girls, women and nonbinary photographers.
The Natural History Museum’s annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition displays the spectacular work of the competition winners before touring internationally. Along with a substantial cash prize for the Grand Title award winners, the 100 selected photographs will also feature in a limited-edition hardcover book, on digital platforms and across global media.
To enter, and for full details on competition rules and prizes visit
Notes for editors
Fifty-ninth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition
- Opens for entries on Monday 17 October 2022.
- Closing for entries at 11.30am GMT on Thursday 8 December 2022.
- 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 1 December to 11.30am GMT 8 December.
- An entry fee waiver has been introduced for photographers entering the adult competition who live in these 50 countries.
- Rules and categories will be translated into 15 languages: Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, Arabic, Finnish, German, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Bengali, Hindi and Portuguese.
- Entrants aged 17 and under may enter up to 10 images for free.
- Find out how to enter: www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/competition
Media contact
For access to high-resolution images or to arrange interviews with jury members or spokespeople, please contact Josephine Higgins at the Natural History Museum Press Office.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5106
Mobile: +44 (0) 7799 690151
Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk
Hashtag for the 2023 competition: #WPY59