VICTORIA, BC — Wildlife Photographer of the Year officially opened today, Friday, December 16, 2022, at the Royal BC Museum.
Now in its 58th year, this family-friendly exhibition developed by the Natural History Museum in London features a series of stunning images captured by photographers from around the world. Each photograph is presented in a large backlit display and tells a compelling story advocating for the planet.
“In our highly visual age, the power of photography transcends words,” said India Rael Young, curator of arts and images, Royal BC Museum. “Whether a polar bear takes up residence in an otherwise uninhabited cabin or an Antarctic biologist behind the camera captures the image of deep-sea dragonfish, these photographs remind us of our integral and fragile relationship with the natural world.”
The featured images were selected by a panel of judges from over 38,000 entries across 93 countries around the world. The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition champions ethical photography; images are chosen for their artistic composition, technical innovation and truthful interpretation of the natural world.
Doug Gurr, director of Natural History Museum, applauded photographers in this year’s competition for offering "unforgettable glimpses into the lives of wild species, sharing unseen details, fascinating behaviours and frontline reporting on the climate and biodiversity crises.”
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is on now until April 16, 2023. Buy tickets here.
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About the Royal BC Museum: The Royal BC Museum explores the province’s human history and natural history, advances new knowledge and understanding of BC, and provides a dynamic forum for discussion and a place for reflection. The museum and archives celebrate culture and history, telling the stories of BC in ways that enlighten, stimulate, and inspire. Located in Victoria on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen (Songhees and Xwsepsum Nations), we are a hub of community connections in BC—on-site, offsite, and online—taking pride in our collective histories.
Exhibition information:
Dates and times: December 16, 2022–April 16, 2023
More information: https://royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-year-2022
Royal BC Museum Media Contact
Sam Rich
Corporate Communications Manager
250-208-9148
srich@royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographeroftheyear
Twitter: @NHM_WPY
Instagram: @nhm_wpy
Hashtag: #WPY58
To arrange interviews with photographers, judges or Wildlife Photographer of the Year spokespeople, please contact Josephine Higgins at the Natural History Museum Press Office.
Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5654
Mobile: +44 (0)7799 690151
Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk
Notes to editors
- The Natural History Museum’s acclaimed Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and exhibition ignites curiosity about the natural world by showcasing Earth's extraordinary diversity and highlighting the fragility of wildlife on our planet. Using the unique emotive power of photography, the competition inspires people to think differently about their relationship with nature and become advocates for the planet: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year.html
- 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 competition is now solely run and owned by the Natural History Museum.
- Open to photographers of all ages and abilities, the competition opens for entries every October. The 2023 competition opens on October 17, 2022.
The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited indoor attraction in the UK last year. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world. It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens accessed by researchers from all over the world both in person and via over 50 billion digital data downloads to date. The museum’s 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency from biodiversity loss through to the sustainable extraction of natural resources. The museum uses its global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet—to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome millions of visitors through our doors each year, our website has had 17 million visits in the last year and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 20 million people in the last 10 years.
