Press release

Call of the wild: from the deepest ocean to the tallest mountain

An imaginative eye, a love for the natural world and a camera are all it takes to enter the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition, the world’s longest-running and most prestigious wildlife photographic competition. Open to both amateurs and professionals of all ages and nationalities, the competition last year attracted over 18,500 entries from more than 50 countries, including Poland, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, Finland and Brazil. This year a new category, Nature in Black and White, will offer an additional challenge to photographers. All entries must be submitted by 4 April 2005 to have a chance to win a share of the £16,500 prize pool.

Doug Perrine from the USA won the overall title Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2004 for his dramatic image of bronze whalers charging a baitball, and Gabby Salazar, also from the USA, became the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2004 with her image of a green anole lizard. Any category winner has the chance to carry off the grand title, with categories ranging from Animal Behaviour and Wild Places to the Underwater World and Urban and Garden Wildlife, and three age categories for photographers 17 and under.

Winning photographers not only receive a share of the £16,500 prize fund, they also see their images featured in a special supplement with BBC Wildlife Magazine. The winning images – those considered the most outstanding and memorable – together with at least 50 commended ones, will go on display at the Natural History Museum, London, from October 2005 before touring the UK and worldwide. They will also be published in a hardback commemorative portfolio book by the BBC.

Photographers have until 4 April 2005 to submit their entries. Entry forms are available in the February issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine, from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition office
(020 7942 5015) and on the competition’s website: www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto.

- Ends -

Notes for editors

• The Natural History Museum (co-organiser and exhibition venue) and BBC Wildlife Magazine
  (co-organiser) must be mentioned in all editorial pieces.
• An official entry form must accompany all entries. These are available from the competition website and in the February issue of BBC Wildlife Magazine or the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition Office: The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD
  Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7942 5015 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7942 5084
  Email: wildphoto@nhm.ac.uk
  Website: www.nhm.ac.uk/wildphoto
• The two overall winning titles, Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year, are selected from the category winners.
• The 12 adult entry categories are:
  Animals in Their Environment; Animal Behaviour: Birds; Animal Behaviour: Mammals; Animal Behaviour: All Other Animals; Animal Portraits; In Praise of Plants; Urban and Garden Wildlife; Composition and Form; Nature in Black and White; Wild Places; The World in Our Hands category is supported by WWF – for a living planet. The Underwater World category is supported by Project Aware.
• The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition is open to photographers aged 17 years and under, in three age categories: 10 years and under, 11–14 years old and 15–17 years old.
• The three special awards are:
  The Innovation Award given for the image that best illustrates originality of both composition and execution; the Eric Hosking Award given for the best portfolio of six images taken by a photographer in the age range 18–26; the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife given for the best image of a species officially listed in the 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

VISITOR INFORMATION

• The Natural History Museum is open Monday - Saturday 10.00-17.50, Sunday-11.00-17.50
• The Natural History Museum's public enquiries telephone number is 020 7942 5000
• The Museum is accessible to visitors in wheelchairs. For access details telephone 020 7942 5000
• Nearest tube: South Kensington
  Entry to the Museum: FREE

CONTACT INFORMATION

For further information, please contact: (not for publication)

Mairi Allan, Press Officer - Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Natural History Museum Press Office
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7942 5156 / 5654
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7942 5354
Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk

Issued December 2004