Wildlife Photographer of the Year opens for entries

19 October 2021

Now in its fifty-eighth year, the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has opened for entries for 2021.

Creation by Laurent Ballesta, France, Winner, Underwater. Laurent Ballesta (France) peers into the depths as a trio of camouflage groupers exit their milky cloud of eggs and sperm. For five years Laurent and his team returned to this lagoon, diving day and night to see the annual spawning of camouflage groupers. They were joined after dark by reef sharks hunting the fish. Spawning happens around the full moon in July, when up to 20,000 fish gather in Fakarava in a narrow southern channel linking the lagoon with the ocean.
Overfishing threatens this species, but here the fish are protected within a biosphere reserve. Nikon D5 + 17–35mm f2.8 lens at 17mm 1/200 sec at f11 ISO 1600 Seacam housing Seacam strobes1/200 sec at f11 ISO 1600 Seacam housing Seacam strobes. — Creation by Laurent Ballesta, France, Winner, Underwater. Laurent Ballesta (France) peers into the depths as a trio of camouflage groupers exit their milky cloud of eggs and sperm. For five years Laurent and his team returned to this lagoon, diving day and night to see the annual spawning of camouflage groupers. They were joined after dark by reef sharks hunting the fish. Spawning happens around the full moon in July, when up to 20,000 fish gather in Fakarava in a narrow southern channel linking the lagoon with the ocean. Overfishing threatens this species, but here the fish are protected within a biosphere reserve. Nikon D5 + 17–35mm f2.8 lens at 17mm 1/200 sec at f11 ISO 1600 Seacam housing Seacam strobes1/200 sec at f11 ISO 1600 Seacam housing Seacam strobes.

Perhaps the most prestigious wildlife photography competition of them all, Wildlife Photographer of the Year stands as a global showcase for nature photography and environmental photojournalism.

For 2021, entry fees have been waived for 50 countries to further encourage submissions from global regions that are currently under-represented in the annual competition. Last year, the competition attracted over 50,000 entries from 95 countries. You can see all the winning images in our dedicated WPOTY post here.

Entries close on Thursday 9 December 2021 at 11.30am. You can enter here.

Cover image: Doug Gimesy/Wildlife Photographer of the Year