A highlights exhibition of the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, now in its sixtieth year and on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, will be on display at the British Council libraries in Karachi in Lahore.
This version will feature the 18 winning images across categories including underwater, photojournalism, mammal behavior and urban wildlife, plus the resulting Grand Title winners. 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.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious wildlife photography competition of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world. Launching in 1965, today the competition receives entries from 117 countries and territories all over the world, highlighting its enduring appeal.
This year’s award-winning images are on an international tour through a partnership between the Museum, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and other partners that will allow them to be seen by over a million people. With Pakistan facing significant climate challenges, the British High Commission is hosting the exhibition to encourage dialogue on protecting the environment and inspire individuals and communities to take action.
Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran said:
“In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behaviour 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.”
Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Museum 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.”
Jane Marriott CMG OBE, British High Commissioner to Pakistan, said:
“These photographs serve as a powerful reminder of the beauty of our natural world and the responsibility we all share to protect it. Pakistan is home to some of the most diverse wildlife on the planet, and we are truly lucky to have this extraordinary set of images here. I hope this exhibition will inspire Pakistani photographers to take part in future competitions and make their mark on the global stage.”
This year’s competition attracted an astounding 59,228 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 117 countries and territories. During an intense week at the Natural History Museum in London, entries were judged anonymously on their creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.
Notes to editors
- The Exhibition will be available to view at the British Council Library Karachi from 27 January to 31 January. It will be available to view at the British Council Library Lahore from 11 February to 21 February.
- Entry is free, but pre-registration is required to view the Exhibition at both libraries. This can be done at www.britishcouncil.pk/library/events
- 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.
The Category Winners for this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year are:
- Alberto Román Gómez (Spain), Winner of the 10 and Under Category
- Parham Pourahmad (USA), Winner of the 11-14 Category
- Alexis Tinker Tsavalas (Germany), Winner of the 15-17 Category
- Igor Metelskiy (Russia), Winner of Animals in Their Environment
- John E Marriott (Canada), Winner of Animal Portraits
- Jack Zhi (USA), Winner of Behaviour: Birds
- Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod (Sri Lanka), Winner of Behaviour: Mammals
- Karine Aigner (USA), Winner of Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles
- Ingo Arndt (Germany), Winner of Behaviour: Invertebrates
- Justin Gilligan (Australia), Winner of Oceans: The Bigger Picture
- Fortunato Gatto (Italy), Winner of Plants and Fungi
- Jiří Hřebíček (Czech Republic), Winner of Natural Artistry
- Matthew Smith (UK / Australia), Winner of Underwater
- Robin Darius Conz (Germany), Winner of Urban Wildlife
- Shane Gross (Canada), Winner of Wetlands: The Bigger Picture
- Britta Jaschinski (UK / Germany), Winner of Photojournalism
- Thomas Peschak (South Africa / Germany), Winner of the Photojournalist Story Award
- Sage Ono (USA), Winner of the Rising Star Portfolio Award
