| Wildlife Photographer of the Year | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Awarded for | Wildlife photography |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Presented by | The Natural History Museum |
| First awarded | 1964 |
| Currently held by |  Laurent Ballesta |
| Website | http://www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto |
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an annual international wildlife photography competition staged by the Natural History Museum in London, England. There is an exhibition of the winning and commended images each year at the museum, which later tours around the world. The event has been described as one of the most prestigious photography competitions in the world.[1][2]
It was known as BG Wildlife Photographer of the Year from 1990 to 2003, and briefly as Shell Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Kodak Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Prudential Wildlife Photographer of the Year. The first competition was held in 1964, with three categories and around 600 entries.[3] In 2008 the competition received over 32,000 entries from 3100 photographers in 82 countries.[3]
A book of winning entries and runners-up has been published each year since 1992,[4] with two books being published in 1994 (the first three volumes were published the year after the corresponding competitions were held). Early volumes have become quite collectable.
- ^ Amos, Jonathan (19 October 2005). "Peregrine swoops to photo prize". BBC News. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (17 September 2002). "Wildlife photographers feted for animal pageantry". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 April 2009.
- ^ a b "Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Competition". Natural History Museum. 2009. Retrieved 2 April 2009.
- ^ Wilkinson, Peter; Helen Gilks (1992). Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio One. Surbiton, Surrey: Fountain Press. ISBN 0-86343-395-2.