The 2013 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition will open for entries on 7 January 2013. Photographers can submit images for 18 categories, with three categories specifically for those aged 17 and under. The submission deadline is 25 February 2013. To enter the 2013 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, head to the website below.

Website: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013

Natural History Museum Press Release

Leader of the pack? The search for the next Wildlife Photographer of the Year begins

From the most extraordinary animal behaviour to the wildest landscapes, the hunt is on once again for the planet’s best photographs. Now in its 49th year, the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition has showcased some truly iconic photos and is regarded as the most prestigious wildlife photography contest in the world. To be in with a chance of seizing one of the coveted titles, photographers must produce breath-taking imagery that shows creativity, artistry and technical excellence.

From 7 January to 25 February 2013 amateur and professional photographers alike are able to submit images for 18 categories, with three categories specifically for those aged 17 and under. Last year, the competition received a record 48,000 entries from photographers across 98 countries, all vying for one of two coveted grand titles, together with a share of the £30,000 prize, critical acclaim in the international media and the opportunity for their image to be viewed by millions in an exhibition that debuts at London’s Natural History Museum before touring around the world.

Sifting through the entries this year is the task of an internationally renowned jury, among them Ruth Eichhorn, director of photography at GEO magazine in Germany, Steve Winter, previous overall winner and acclaimed photojournalist for National Geographic, and Luciano Candisani, the renowned wildlife and conservation photographer from Brazil. For the second year, the panel will be chaired by esteemed wildlife photographer and film-maker, Jim Brandenburg.

Brandenburg says: ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year has a heart and a soul that propels it constantly forwards.We are seeking out the most powerful images of the natural world, which stir within the viewer a sense of awe, wonder and emotion’.

The 2012 exhibition gives insight into how this sense of awe and wonder is translated in the imagery itself: Paul Nicklen’s Bubble-jetting emperors is a beautiful display of underwater chaos, as emperor penguins hurtle towards the surface. In sharp contrast, yet equally powerful, is Brent Stirton’s Deadly medicine, chilling in its vivid depiction of the cruel rhino horn trade.

Creativity is key to any successful entry, as depicted by photos such as David Maitland’s Sands of time, which uses modern technology with a Victorian sample to stunning 3D effect, and Pål Hermansen’s Bumper life, which shows how nature slowly reclaims a modern icon to story-book perfection. A cornerstone of the competition is that age and location are no barrier to achieving resounding success. Teenager Owen Hearn triumphed as overall young winner for his distinctive image Flight paths. Featuring a resplendent red kite against an oncoming plane, it was taken on his grandparents’ Bedfordshire farm. A keen photographer since the age of 11, Owen, now 15, says ‘It was amazing to win and totally unexpected. You’ve got to make the most of what you’ve got and when I saw the plane coming into the viewfinder, it was an opportunity I just couldn’t miss’.

To enter the 2013 Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition please go to www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto

Photograph: Paul Nicklen, Bubble–jetting emperors,
Winner: Underwater World, Veolia Environnement
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2012

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