Weather Photographer of the Year 2021 - Open for Entries
The Royal Meteorological Society's 'Weather Photographer of the Year 2021' competition launches today (29 April 2021). It is free to enter and open to everyone. Whether you climb mountains, chase storms, scour coastlines or sit in your back garden capturing the beauty of the weather around you, the judges want to see your pictures.
The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) is once again calling on photographers of all ages and abilities to enter its annual photography competition, ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2021’ and ‘Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2021’, in association with AccuWeather. Last year this popular competition attracted over 7,700 photos, seen by millions of people across the world.
New for this year, the sixth year of the competition, there is also a mobile phone category. The judges want to encourage entries from anyone with a passion for the environment and photography to enter on a level playing field. 'Weather Photographer of the Year' remains one of the few prestigious photography competitions that people can enter for FREE, regardless of the technology they have to hand. Capturing that perfect shot can be as simple as being in the right place at the right time and with most people carrying a mobile phone, it means we can all enjoy witnessing the weather they are experiencing, without the need for travel.
Visit photocrowd.com/wpoty to enter.
It's a cliché that everyone enjoys a chat about the weather, but it's true, the weather affects so much of our daily lives. It also lends itself to some spectacular photography. And, as we notice more of the effects of climate change, photography is a great way to document what is happening in the world around us.
In keeping with government and public health authority guidance, all local instructions on travel must be followed while taking part in the competition.
This year's line-up of judges includes experienced meteorologists, photographers and photo editors. Together they will look for images that combine photographic skill with meteorological observation. Shortlisted entries in the main category will also be put to a public vote in August and September to discover the popular favourite.
One of this year's judges, Rudolf Sulgan said: “I’m forever grateful to the Royal Meteorological Society for organizing such an interesting and meaningful photography contest. I was extremely humbled just to be among the very talented finalists and becoming the RMetS Weather Photographer of the Year (2020) was a great honor for me.
Documenting climate change is a critical commitment of mine for raising awareness of this stark reality.”
AccuWeather, one of the world’s most known and trusted weather brands worldwide and the most accurate source of weather forecasts and warnings globally, is supporting the competition for the third time. Said AccuWeather Senior Weather Editor and content judge Jesse Ferrell, “We are delighted to partner once more with the RMetS for this competition, which captures and celebrates the beauty and awe of weather. Just as we check our watches, we check the weather multiple times daily on our app, planning our day and our lives around the weather forecast. In addition, expanding consideration to include a mobile camera category will surely add an exciting new dimension to this year’s competition.”
The winners of ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2021’ and 'Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2021’ will be announced on Saturday 16 October 2021. The winner of the mobile phone category and the public vote, and runners up from each category, will also be revealed.
The closing date for entries is Tuesday, 29 June 2021.