A shark in its last throes as it’s hauled aboard a fishing boat, a manatee hanging out with her calf in the seagrass, and crabeater seals taking a nap in sea ice are just a few of the images from the Natural History Museum, London’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, now in its 60th year.
The upcoming Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will showcase 100 photographs from around the world from October 11th, 2024 in London. To mark the 60th anniversary, the Museum’s flagship exhibition will feature a timeline of key moments in the competition’s history.
The 60th competition attracted a record-breaking 59,228 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 117 countries and territories. Entries were judged anonymously on their creativity, originality and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.
The winners of each category, and the prestigious Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards, will be announced on October 8th, 2024 at a ceremony hosted by wildlife TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin.
This year, a new award has been introduced in both the young and adult competitions, the Impact Award, to recognize a conservation success, a story of hope and/or positive change. The special prize forms part of the Natural History Museum’s vision of a future where both people and planet thrive.
Judging panel Chair Kathy Moran said:
“In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behavior and conservation issues. These images represent the evolution of the competition through the years, from pure natural history to photography that fully embraces representation of the natural world – the beauty and the challenges. It is a powerful selection with which to kickstart a milestone anniversary.”
Museum Director Dr. Doug Gurr said:
“As we celebrate sixty years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, we also celebrate the generations of visitors who have been inspired by the beauty and majesty of its images, and the millions of connections made with nature.”
