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Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People's Choice Award winner revealed
A heart-warming image depicting a unique moment between a pair of male lions is the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year LUMIX People's Choice Award. 16,000 nature fans voted, and London-based photographer David Lloyd’s picture, Bond of Brothers, emerged as the favourite.
David’s image was chosen from a shortlist of 25, selected by the Natural History Museum from over 45,000 photographs submitted for the 2018 competition. The picture will be showcased in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum until it closes on 30 June.
The two adult males, likely to be brothers, greeted and rubbed faces for around 30 seconds before settling down. It is unusual for lions to nuzzle for so long, and David was honoured to have experienced and captured such a moment.
David says, ‘I’m so pleased that this image did well because it illustrates the emotion and feeling of animals and emphasises that this is not limited to humans. It is something I think more people need to be aware of for the sake of all animals.’
Director of the Natural History Museum, Sir Michael Dixon, says, ‘Lions are individuals with complex social bonds, and David’s winning picture provides a glimpse into their inner world. A truly stunning photograph, this intimate portrait reminds us that humans aren’t the only sentient beings on this planet. I hope the empathy and wonder garnered by this image will inspire more people to become advocates for nature.’
Mike Owen, Professional Imaging Marketing Manager from Panasonic UK, adds, ‘It is a great honour to be involved in the LUMIX People’s Choice awards and to be able to champion the image that resonates most with the public. David’s image does just that and shows a heart-warming connection between two animals that are usually perceived as hunters and fighters. So much of wildlife photography is being in the right place at the right time, but capturing that split second is often a result of planning, patience and understanding the subject. Congratulations to David for capturing this striking image.’
Four ‘Highly Commended’ images won over the hearts of the public, making it into the top five. These include Matthew Maran’s timely shot of a fox walking towards graffiti art in London, and Justin Hofman’s heart-breaking image of a famished polar bear in the Canadian Arctic. Hungarian photographer Bence Máté also features with a picture of three painted wolves playing with the leg of an impala, and Wim Van Den Heever with a sublime shot of three king penguins on a beach in the Falkland Islands.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the Natural History Museum’s annual showcase of the world's best nature photography and photojournalism. Seen by millions of people all over the world, the images celebrate the astonishing diversity of life on earth, whilst challenging us to address the big questions facing our planet. The fifty-fifth competition is currently being judged by an esteemed panel of experts, and the winners will be revealed in October 2019.
The LUMIX People’s Choice award is newly named from 2018 to reflect LUMIX’s recent Associate Partnership with the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in London. Renewable energy company Ørsted is also an Associate Sponsor for the exhibition, open until 30 June.
Notes to editors
Media contact
For images and press material please contact Zoë Summers at the Natural History Museum press office.
Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0) 20 7942 5654 Mobile: +44 (0) 7799 690151
Wildlife Photographer of the Year channels
Website: www.wildlifephotographeroftheyear.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildlifephotographeroftheyear
Twitter: @NHM_WPY
Instagram: nhm_wpy
LUMIX UK
Website: https://www.panasonic.com/global/consumer/lumix/index.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LumixUK/
Twitter: @LumixUK
Instagram: lumixuk
#WPYPeoplesChoice
Sponsors
About Panasonic and LUMIX
Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development of diverse electronics technologies and solutions for customers in the consumer electronics, housing, automotive, and B2B businesses. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2018, the company has expanded globally and now operates 591 subsidiaries and 88 associated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of Euro 61.4 billion for the year ended March 31, 2018. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company uses its technologies to create a better life and a better world for its customers. To learn more about Panasonic:
http://www.panasonic.com/global
Since the first LUMIX digital single lens mirrorless camera, the LUMIX G1, was launched in 2008, Panasonic is the only manufacturer to have devoted 10 years to the development of this innovative camera system. Panasonic will continue to focus on developing high-end digital cameras that meet the stringent standards of professional photographers and video creators. To find out more about Panasonic’s line-up of cutting-edge digital cameras: www.panasonic.co.uk/lumix
About Ørsted
The Ørsted vision is a world that runs entirely on green energy. Ørsted develops, constructs and operates offshore wind farms, bioenergy plants and innovative waste-to-energy solutions and provides smart energy products to its customers. Headquartered in Denmark, Ørsted employs 5,600 people, including over 900 in the UK. Ørsted's shares are listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen (Orsted). In 2017, the group's revenue was DKK 59.5 billion (EUR 8.0 billion) https://orsted.co.uk/en/About-us
Notes to editors
· Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the Natural History Museum’s annual showcase of the world's best nature photography and wildlife photojournalism on one global platform. Seen by millions of people all over the world, the awarded images shine a spotlight on nature photography as an art form, whilst challenging us to address the big questions facing our planet. www.wildlifephotographeroftheyear.com
· Wildlife Photographer of the Year gifts featuring images from the LUMIX People’s Choice shortlist are available now from the Natural History Museum online shop: http://www.nhmshop.co.uk/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year.html
- David Lloyd is a professional fine art wildlife photographer from New Zealand, living in London. Some of his favourite places to shoot are Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Botswana and Richmond Park. He has a preference towards black and white photography and animal portraits. https://davidlloyd.net/
- The Natural History Museum exists to inspire a love of the natural world and unlock answers to the big issues facing humanity and the planet. It is a world-leading science research centre, and through its unique collection and unrivalled expertise it is tackling issues such as food security, eradicating diseases and managing resource scarcity. It is the most visited natural history museum in Europe and the top science attraction in the UK - we welcome more than 4.5 million visitors each year and our website receives over 500,000 unique visitors a month. People come from around the world to enjoy our galleries and events and engage both in person and online with our science and learning activities and through innovative programmes such as citizen science and family festivals. www.nhm.ac.uk