collage of shortlisted entries

Weather Photographer of the Year 2020

Shortlist announced and public vote now open

21 August 2020

The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), in association with AccuWeather, has announced the 26 finalists for this year’s ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’, which will now be put to a public vote. To see the shortlisted images and vote for your favourite, visit photocrowd.com/wpotyvote. The vote is open from 21 August and closes 25 September at midnight (BST).

Now in its fifth year, this popular competition has attracted entries from around the world. This year’s competition is particularly special as the Society celebrates its 170th Anniversary.

The search for the 2020 Weather and Young 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 7,700 photographs were submitted by over 2,600 photographers, creating a challenging task for the judging panel to shortlist the best images for prizes and to become part of the Weather Photographer of the Year calendar. The judges were:

  • Liz Bentley; Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society
  • Gareth Mon Jones; winner of Weather Photographer of the Year 2019
  • Matt Clark; photo editor of RMetS Weather magazine
  • Mark Boardman; Owner of StormHour Ltd
  • Jesse Ferrell; Social Media Manager at AccuWeather

“I am thrilled to have the honor of serving as a judge for this year’s competition. As a meteorologist and photographer, myself, I am always impressed with the level of quality, detail and creativity entrants put on display with their submissions from around the world,” said Jesse Ferrell, AccuWeather expert meteorologist and Social Media Manager. “I have no doubt that this year’s entries will be made even more special due to the ongoing challenges presented by COVID-19, but the passion spent on this effort provides some respite from that storm and a reminder of the beauty that weather surrounds us with.”

Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, said “I look forward to being part of the judging panel for the Weather Photographer of the Year competition every year, but each year it gets tougher with more entries and a wider variety of images that celebrate weather and climate in its many different forms. I actually think the weather is a secret fascination most of us have and this is the perfect opportunity to share it with others and take people on a journey of discovery, at a time when travel is quite challenging."

The winners of ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’, ‘Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’, ‘Public Favourite’ and the runners up from each category will be announced at RMetS WeatherLive: Past, Present and Future - Celebrating 170 years of the Royal Meteorological Society. The event will be a virtual event this year providing the perfect opportunity for weather enthusiasts from around the world to learn more about the changes that have occurred in weather and climate over the last two centuries, before looking to the future and what we can expect from a changing climate. This unique event will also highlight how improvements in our ability to observe and forecast the weather has developed our meteorological understanding over time. It takes place on Saturday 17 October 2020. For more details and to register, please click here

The calendar featuring all the winners and finalists of Weather and Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2020 will go on sale via the RMetS online shop later this year.

Vote here

Please also check out our dedicated photography pages, where you can also see the full shortlist - rmets.org/photography