News

The world-renowned exhibition, on loan from the Natural History Museum in London, will open at Adelaide Botanic Garden on 14 April, featuring exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular flora and landscape images, and compelling photojournalism.

The exhibition represents a new opportunity for the Adelaide community to explore the breath-taking diversity of the natural world.

Using photography's unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases the natural world’s most astonishing and challenging sights for over 55 years.

Launching in 1965 and attracting 361 entries, today the competition receives over 50,000 entries from all over the world, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year’s award-winning images have embarked on an international tour that will allow them to be seen by well over a million people.
 

With a record-breaking number of entries from 95 countries, the judges of the fifty-seventh Wildlife Photographer of the Year have had the toughest job yet. Every entry was judged anonymously on its creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.

The winning images, including the prestigious Grand Title Award winners, were announced on 12 October 2021 during an online Awards show.

Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum said these extraordinary images showcase the rich diversity of life on Earth and spark curiosity and wonder.

“Telling the story of a planet under pressure, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition illuminates the urgent challenges we face and the collective action we need to take,” Dr Gurr said.

“This year’s inspiring exhibition will move and empower audiences to advocate for the natural world.”

"We are thrilled to see our prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reaching audiences in South Australia for the first time, and what could be more fitting than the stunning setting of Adelaide Botanic Garden.

"Their world-class research and conservation projects showcase the diversity, beauty and vital importance of plants, a message reflected in the exhibition’s awe-inspiring photography. We hope every visitor leaves the exhibition feeling inspired to protect and celebrate the natural world."

Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium Director, Mr Michael Harvey, said he was delighted to partner with the Natural History Museum in London to host the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in Adelaide.

“This is an exhibition I love, and I can’t wait for the people of South Australia to see this year’s collection of the most stunning natural imagery, captured by some of the world’s most talented wildlife photographers,” Mr Harvey said.

“The Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium’s focus is to develop our iconic sites as global destination gardens and facilitate meaningful opportunities for people to connect with and learn about nature.”

“This exhibition delivers on these aspirations and will combine with our beautiful Adelaide Botanic Garden to make a unique day out for new and regular visitors.”

Exhibition information:

Dates and times: 14 April – 24 July, 2022. 10am – 4pm Daily.

To book tickets: botanicgardens.sa.gov.au

Prices from: $10 General Admission, $8 Students and Concessions, Free entry for visitors aged 12 or younger.

Visitor Enquiries: 08 8222 9311

Facebook: www.facebook.com/wildlifephoto...

Twitter: @NHM_WPY

Instagram: @nhm_wpy

Hashtag: #WPY57
 

The Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium acknowledges the Kaurna people as the traditional custodians of the land that is known as the Adelaide Plains. We recognise their rich cultural heritage, spiritual beliefs and relationship with this land, which are of continuing importance to the Kaurna people living today. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Notes to editors

• With three botanic garden estates (Adelaide, Mount Lofty and Wittunga in Blackwood), as well as the State Herbarium and South Australian Seed Conservation Centre, the heritage landscape of Botanic Park and the Santos Museum of Economic Botany, the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium provides a diversity of experiences, expertise and services to a broad cross-section of the community: https://www.botanicgardens.sa....

• The Natural History Museum’s acclaimed Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and exhibition ignites curiosity about the natural world by showcasing Earth's extraordinary diversity and highlighting the fragility of wildlife on our planet. Using the unique emotive power of photography, the competition inspires people to think differently about their relationship with nature and become advocates for the planet: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibition...

• Wildlife Photographer of the Year was founded in 1965 by BBC Wildlife Magazine, then called Animals. The Natural History Museum joined forces in 1984 to create the competition as it is known today. The competition is now solely run and owned by the Natural History Museum.

• Open to photographers of all ages and abilities, the competition opens for entries every October. The 2022 competition opened on 18 October 2021.

• Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 31, edited by Rosamund Kidman-Cox and with a foreword by Chris Packham, is published by the Natural History Museum.

• The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity's needs with those of the natural world. The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet – to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature: www.nhm.ac.uk

Photograph: Ice bear as seabear by Martin Gregus, Canada/Slovakia