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The Natural History Museum’s sixtieth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries
For the sixtieth year, the Natural History Museum’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has opened for entries from photographers of all ages, nationalities, and experience levels.
To celebrate the momentous anniversary, Wildlife Photographer of the Year has also announced an entry fee waiver for over 100 countries, changes to the competition’s rules, and a new special prize to encourage hopeful stories of the natural world.
The world’s oldest and most prestigious wildlife photography competition
The 2024 competition marks its sixtieth year
A global showcase for nature photography and environmental photojournalism
Open to photographers of all ages, nationalities, and levels
The prestigious international jury has been announced
Opened for entries on Monday 16 October 2023
Closing on Thursday 7 December 2023 at 11.30am GMT
The winners of the fifty-ninth competition were recently revealed during an Awards ceremony hosted by wildlife presenters Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin in the Natural History Museum’s iconic Hintze Hall. The competition attracted nearly 50,000 entries from 95 countries.
For the second time, French photographer Laurent Ballesta was announced as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his otherworldly image of a tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by a trio of golden trevallies.
Seventeen-year-old Carmel Bechler from Israel was awarded the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 for his dynamic frame of barn owls in an abandoned roadside building.
Sixtieth anniversary
The competition’s nineteen categories will appeal to a wide range of interests and experience levels, from animal portraiture and photojournalism to urban wildlife and underwater worlds.
The newly announced judging panel of international experts will gather in London in February 2024 to select 100 of the most unique nature and wildlife images. Each entry will be judged anonymously on its originality, narrative, and ethical practice.
To celebrate the 60th anniversary the jury will award a special prize, within the 100 winning images, in any category, to recognise a conservation success, a story of hope and/or positive change. Further updates to the competition rules stipulate that photographs must have been taken within the last five years, and that all entries must be the result of a photographic process using a camera.
Gemma Ward, competition manager, says ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year is a celebration of the incredible photographers drawing our attention to the natural world. Whether conservation storytelling, nature-based solutions or sharing the adaptions and comeback of species, we also want to encourage and reward wildlife photography that inspires hope.’
To all entrants, Kathy Moran, editor and Chair of the jury, says ‘Be original. Trust in your work. All species and landscapes, great and small, have the potential to captivate and motivate. Highlighting solutions is just as valuable as documenting challenges. It is your vision that will shine.’
The annual Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is free to enter for photographers aged 17 and under, and cash prizes will be awarded to each winner of the three categories in the young competition. To further inspire and support the next generation of wildlife photographers, the young Grand Title winner will also receive a two-day masterclass with a professional photographer.
Encouraging entries from around the world for the sixtieth edition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year will extend the entry fee waiver to photographers who live in Africa, Southeast Asia and Central and South America. These are three regions the competition has historically received less entries from.
Following last year’s record number of women entering the competition, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is again particularly calling for more entries from women and nonbinary photographers.
The Natural History Museum’s touring Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition displays the spectacular work of the competition winners before touring internationally. Along with a substantial cash prize for the Grand Title award winners, the 100 selected photographs will also feature in a limited-edition hardcover book, on digital platforms and across global media.
To enter, and for full details on competition rules and prizes visit
Notes for editors
Sixtieth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition
Opens for entries on Monday 16 October 2023.
Closing for entries at 11.30am GMT on Thursday 7 December 2023.
Entrants to the adult competition may enter up to 25 images for a £30 fee, which increases to £35 in the final week of the entry period from 11.30am GMT 30 November 2022 to 11.30am GMT 7 December.
An entry fee waiver has been introduced for photographers entering the adult competition from countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America.
Rules and categories will be translated into 15 languages: Chinese, Japanese, Russian, French, Arabic, Finnish, German, Korean, Polish, Spanish, Swahili, Italian, Bengali, Hindi and Portuguese.
Entrants aged 17 and under may enter up to 10 images for free.
Find out how to enter: www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy/competition
The fifty-ninth exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London opened to the public on Friday 13 October 2023.
About Wildlife Photographer of the Year:
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 33, edited by Rosamund Kidman Cox and with a foreword by Kathy Moran, is now available on pre-sale and will be published on 11 October 2023, RRP £28.
About the Natural History Museum:
The Natural History Museum is a world-leading science centre and one of the most visited attractions in the UK. A global source of curiosity, inspiration and joy.
Our vision is to build a future in which both people and the planet thrive.
We aim to be a catalyst for change, engaging advocates for the planet in everything that we do. Our 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency in all aspects of life.
Visit, join and support the Natural History Museum today. Protecting the planet. It's in our nature.
Media contact
For access to high-resolution images or to arrange interviews with jury members or spokespeople, please contact Josephine Higgins at the Natural History Museum Press Office.
Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk
Hashtag for the 2024 competition: #WPY60