Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual international wildlife photography competition run by the Natural History Museum in London. It celebrates photographs of animals, plants, fungi, and the habitats they depend on, and it has become one of the most visible showcases for nature photography. The competition is also known through its changing sponsor names, including Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and earlier titles tied to BG, Shell, Kodak, and Prudential.
- Founded as a competition for wildlife images, not a broad general photography award.
- Owned and administered by the Natural History Museum, with a long association with BBC Wildlife.
- Known for changing sponsor names over time, which often appear in catalogues and exhibition branding.
- Recognises both technical craft and the ability to show animal behaviour, ecology, and conservation issues.
- Winning and shortlisted images are widely exhibited and published, making the contest influential far beyond the ceremony itself.
What the competition is for
The competition exists to judge and present wildlife photography at a high level. Entrants submit images of living subjects in natural settings, from dramatic predator encounters to quiet studies of breeding, migration, or camouflage. The strongest photographs do more than identify a species: they reveal behaviour, light, timing, and the conditions in which an organism survives.
Because the contest is juried, it functions as a filter for pictures that combine precision with visual force. A winning image often depends on patience, fieldcraft, and knowledge of animal habits as much as on camera technique. That makes the award a useful snapshot of how wildlife photography is made: long waits, difficult terrain, careful ethics, and the occasional exact second when animal movement and composition line up.
How did it begin?
Wildlife photography competitions grew out of a wider public appetite for natural history imagery in magazines, exhibitions, and museum programming. The Natural History Museum helped turn that appetite into an annual event with international reach. Over time, the competition expanded from a specialist prize into a public exhibition and publication platform, with shortlisted pictures touring and circulating widely.
The name changed with sponsorship, but the basic structure remained stable: categories for different kinds of wildlife work, expert judging, and a final set of images chosen for originality and technical quality. Those sponsor names matter because they appear in captions, archive records, and exhibition histories, but the central identity of the competition has stayed fixed around wildlife itself.
Why does it matter?
The competition matters because it sets a public standard for wildlife imagery. It rewards photographs that are not only beautiful but also informative: a fish in a light shaft, a bird frozen mid-dispute, a mammal framed by habitat loss, or a microscopic view of marine life. In practice, this has helped shape how audiences expect wildlife to be shown, often with a strong emphasis on narrative and environmental context.
It also gives visibility to conservation concerns. Many winning images carry an implicit argument about habitat destruction, climate change, poaching, pollution, or the pressures of human proximity. The images are not science illustrations in the strict sense, but they often sit close to natural history evidence, translating field observation into pictures that can travel through newspapers, galleries, books, and museum displays.
What does a winning image look like?
There is no single style, but certain traits recur. The best entries often use strong foreground-background separation, controlled color, and a clear sense of animal posture or movement. Some depend on intimacy: an eye reflected in water, fur caught in frost, scales rendered in exact detail. Others use scale and weather, placing a small animal against a large landscape or a harsh environment.
Technique varies widely. Some photographers work with long telephoto lenses from hides or boats; others use macro photography, underwater housings, remote triggers, or slow shutter speeds to capture motion. The contest has room for studio-like clarity and for rougher documentary scenes, but the subject must remain rooted in the field. That is part of the appeal: the image carries evidence of where it was made and how much effort it took to make it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Wildlife Photographer of the Year only for professional photographers?
No. The competition has categories that allow a range of experience levels, and many entrants are amateurs or part-time photographers with strong field experience. What matters is the quality and originality of the image, not job title. That openness has helped the contest remain broad and internationally competitive.
Why do the sponsor names keep changing?
The title has changed because the competition has long been supported by corporate sponsors. Those names are attached to the award in different periods, so the same competition can appear under different branding in archives and publications. The sponsor changes do not alter the core identity of the event, which remains the Natural History Museum’s wildlife photography competition.
What kinds of subjects are usually rewarded?
Animals are the most visible subjects, but judges also recognise images of plants, fungi, behaviour, and habitat. The strongest pictures often show a species in a revealing moment, or place it in relation to a larger ecological problem. Purely decorative nature images can do well, but the competition tends to favour work with clear observation and a strong sense of place.