Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition 2024 launches today

The Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition 2024 launches today, seeking to showcase the world’s most striking weather and climate photography.

Now in its ninth year, the competition is run by the UK’s Royal Meteorological Society and provides an international platform to raise awareness of environmental issues putting our planet at risk - including heatwaves, cyclones and extreme flooding - while depicting the awe-inspiring beauty and power of our weather.

The competition is open for entries from 15 April to 18 June 2024, and is free to enter for professional and amateur photographers of all ages.

New for 2024:  

• Introduced this year, a new Standard Chartered Climate Award offers £1,000 for the photograph that best tells a compelling story about the impact of climate change.    
• New additions to the judging panel bring together judges from Kenya, Bangladesh, the USA and the UK, with expertise in photography, photojournalism, weather and climate science. 
• The Royal Meteorological Society will host a Weather Photography 101 webinar on Tuesday 16 April from 7-8.30pm (BST). This will provide tips on photographing extreme weather from storm chaser Paul Knightley; learn about the science behind the weather from broadcast meteorologist Laura Tobin; and find out what makes a truly impactful climate change photograph. Register for Weather Photographer 101.  

The competition is open to all ages and photographic abilities, attracting novices through to some of the best professional photographers. In addition to the main prize of £5,000, there are additional prizes of £2,500 for the Smartphone category and £750 for the under-18 category.  

The diversity of the prize encourages people of all ages and abilities to participate in the competition and photograph natural and extreme weather, highlighting our varied global climate.

ITV Weather is welcomed as a valued media partner of the competition again this year, along with The Week Junior Science+Nature, which continues its support of the youth category.  

Shortlisted entries from the main and smartphone categories will be announced in mid-September. The public will then have the chance to vote for their favourite, and all the winners will be announced on 30 October 2024.  

Prof Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said:  

“The Royal Meteorological Society is delighted to have the support of Standard Chartered’s commitment to raising global awareness about climate change and its impact. We hope that the new Climate Award will highlight the effects that global warming is having on weather patterns around the world, and the urgent need for swift action. The award will raise the profile of our photographers’ ability to tell powerful stories through images – the new judges this year come from backgrounds in photojournalism and picture editing, which will help us to pull out these strengths.”  

Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered, said:

“Standard Chartered is proud to support the Weather Photographer competition for a second year, showcasing natural weather events and the impacts of our changing climate. In 2024, we’re pleased to introduce a new award to recognise powerful depictions of climate change – including intensifying extreme weather and climate-related natural hazards such as heatwaves, floods, cyclones, and wildfires – to bring greater awareness to the importance of climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

Embedding sustainability across its business is a strategic priority for Standard Chartered. The bank is committed to reaching net zero carbon in its own operations by 2025 and in financing by 2050, and seeks to support an inclusive transition that brings with it the opportunity for growth and prosperity.

Enter now at zealous.co/rmets