Voting for the People’s Choice Award for Wildlife Photographer of the Year is now open.
The 59th edition of the Natural History Museum’s renowned competition is on tour now at Coventry’s Herbert Art Gallery & Museum.
More than 50,000 images are entered into the competition every year but the panel of judges can only select 100 finalists.
A further 25 memorable images from this year’s entries have been shortlisted by the judges and the Natural History Museum, with the public invited to vote for their favourite. Voting closes at 2pm on 31 January 2024 and the winners will be announced the following week on 07 February.
See the shortlist and cast your vote here.
Visitors to the Herbert will be able to enjoy the lightbox version of the exhibition, which brings the images to life with incredible clarity. It features exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.
Using photography’s unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet.
Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum, said: “We are facing urgent biodiversity and climate crises, and photography is a powerful catalyst for change. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reveals some of nature’s most wondrous sights whilst offering hope and achievable actions visitors can take to help protect the natural world.”
Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran, said: ‘What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviours and species to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world. We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.”
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years.
Launched in 1965, today the competition receives entries from 95 countries all over the world, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year’s award-winning images will embark on an international tour that will allow them to be seen by well over a million people.
The lightbox version of Wildlife Photographer of the Year will be at the Herbert until 1 April 2024. Book tickets to see the exhibition here.
(Image: ©Deena Sveinsson, Wildlife Photographer of the Year)