WPOTY2019

Weather Photographer of the Year 2019: Shortlisted images announced and public vote opened

15 August 2019

Image: Stephen Cheatley ‘Electric Blackpool’, Overall Winner of Weather Photographer of the Year 2018

The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), in association with WeatherPro, have selected 24 finalists for this year’s Weather Photographer of the Year competition. To view of the short-listed images and cast your vote visit www.photocrowd.com/wpoty-2019-voting/ and follow the instructions.

The search for the 2019 Weather Photographer of the Year began earlier this year with a call for the best photographs depicting weather from around the world. Entries ranged from weather phenomena such as clouds, lightning, rain, fog or snow through to the impact of weather on humans, cities and the natural landscape.

More than 5,700 photographs were submitted from nearly 2,000 photographers, creating a challenging task for the selectors to narrow down the best images to be awarded prizes and become part of the Weather Photographer of the Year exhibition. The selectors were:

  • Liz Bentley; Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society
  • Dennis Schulze; Chief Meteorology Officer at MeteoGroup
  • Evelyn Müller, Verification Manager at MeteoGroup
  • Stephen Cheatley; winner of WPOTY 2017
  • Matt Clark; photo editor of RMetS Weather magazine

Commenting on the short-listed images Dennis Schulze, Chief Meteorology Officer at MeteoGroup, said With so many high-quality and exciting photos submitted it was a tough choice we had to make. The shortlisted images show the passion with which the photographers captured both rare and pretty common weather events. And many do not just show the weather event itself, but you can also feel the impact on our lives."

Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said “The Royal Meteorological Society was overwhelmed by the quality and quantity of outstanding images submitted to the Weather Photographer of the Year competition this year, celebrating weather and climate in its many different forms. The photographs speak volumes about our obsession in the weather - capturing its beauty, its power and its fragility in the face of human activity.”

The winners of ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2019’, ‘Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2019’, ‘Public Favourite’ and the runners up from each category will be announced at RMetS WeatherLive. The event, entitled ‘On Cloud 9: Reading the Sky’, will celebrate clouds and is the perfect opportunity for weather enthusiasts to learn more about our skies. It takes place on Saturday 19th October 2019 at the Royal Statistical Society, London. It will explore the beauty and importance of clouds, look at the history behind their naming, how artists grapple with capturing their grandeur and what clouds can tell us about future weather conditions. For more details and to register, please visit our WeatherLive event page.

The shortlist video can be viewed here >>

The Weather Photographer of the Year exhibition will go on tour around the UK later this year and in 2020. Exhibitions currently scheduled include:

Location

Event

Date

London

Weather Live

19th October 2019

Exeter

Understanding the Weather of 2019 (detail tbc)

14th March 2020

 

Other venues and dates will be added as they are confirmed. If you are interested in showing the exhibition or want to find out more contact comms@rmets.org  

Image use

Using any of the images can only be done so in conjunction with publicising and promoting the competition. If you would like to feature a gallery of the photographs on a website or within a publication, please ensure full credit is provided to the photographer. For any additional enquiries regarding hi-res copies and reproducing the images, please contact comms@rmets.org  

For further information about the competition and press images please contact: Catherine Muller (RMetS) on 0118 956 8500 or comms@rmets.org 

Notes:

  • Votes for public favourite cast on competition website (click on 'vote' tab): www.photocrowd.com/WPOTY2019
  • Voting closes at 12:00 GMT (13:00 UTC + 1) on 25th September 2019
  • There is a limit to one vote per person
  • Announcement of the winners at RMetS WeatherLive event on 19th October 2019
  • Hashtag for social media: #WPOTY2019

Categories/Prizes:

  • 18 Years and above:
    • Weather Photographer of the Year 2019, Overall Winner - £500 cash plus GoPro HERO7 plus RMetS membership for the year
    • First Runner Up - £250 cash plus RMetS membership for the year
    • Second Runner Up - £100 cash plus RMetS membership for the year
  • 17 Years and under:
    • Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2019 – Go Pro HERO7 camera + RMetS membership for the year
    • Runner up – RMetS membership for the year
  • Public Favourite (from WPotY shortlist) - RMetS membership for the year

About RMetS

The Royal Meteorological Society is the Professional and Learned Society for Weather and Climate. The Society serves not only those in academia and professional meteorologists, but also those whose work is affected in some way or other by the weather or climate, or simply have a general interest in the weather. The membership includes scientists, practitioners and a broad range of weather enthusiasts. The RMetS mission statement is ‘to promote the understanding and application of meteorology for the benefit of all.’

The Society was established on 3 April 1850 as 'The British Meteorological Society', and was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1866, when its name was changed to "The Meteorological Society". The privilege of adding 'Royal' to the title was granted by Her Majesty Queen Victoria in 1883. Amalgamation with the Scottish Meteorological Society took place in 1921. The Patron of the Society is HRH The Prince of Wales.

RMetS administers the national qualifications of the profession and under our Royal Charter pursue our purpose of the advancement of meteorological science. As meteorological science has developed it has come to include not just the science of weather and climate itself, but the application of this to disciplines such as agriculture, aviation, hydrology, marine transport and oceanography, as well as the impacts of climate change and the interaction between the atmosphere and the oceans.

The programmes of the Society are broad and diverse. The Society publishes seven international science journals offering a range of subscription and Open Access journals. Our programme of conferences and meetings bring together scientists and students, operational and amateur meteorologists, and industry from across the international community. We have an active education programme for teachers and children at both primary and secondary schools and promote continuing professional development from those in their first job to the most senior professionals. The Society also provides support to the media and is actively involved in the Government policy development on areas around weather and climate change.

For more information about RMetS please visit www.rmets.org  

About WeatherPro

WeatherPro is the every-day weather platform and beloved mobile app from MeteoGroup, the global weather authority. WeatherPro strives to provide the most accurate and accessible weather information available so our users can live fulfilling lives outdoors.

Meteogroup builds solutions and services around weather data that enable organizations to save lives, money and the environment. Founded in 1986, the company has an unrivalled reputation for quality and innovation in weather forecasting. Our expert meteorologists provide forecasts, support, monitoring and consultancy services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

MeteoGroup is owned by TBG AG. Offices are located in Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.