The winners of the Natural History Museum’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition were announced earlier this week at an awards ceremony in London.
At the event – held at the Museum on Wednesday 12 October – American photographer Karine Aigner was announced as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year for her remarkable image of a buzzing ball of cactus bees spinning over the hot sand on a Texas ranch.
In her bee-level close-up, all except one are males and they are intent on mating with the single female at the centre.
In addition, 16 year old Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn from Thailand was awarded the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 for his creative image, The beauty of baleen.
The two Grand Title winners were selected from 19 category winners that highlight the natural world in all its wonder and diversity. In an intensive process, 38,575 entries from 93 countries were judged anonymously by an international panel of experts on their originality, narrative, technical excellence, and ethical practice.
There are two Wildlife Photographer of the Year licensees currently, with Museums & Galleries creating greeting cards and Portico for calendars.
The redesigned flagship exhibition at the Natural History Museum – which opened today (14 October) and runs until Sunday 2 July, 2023 – positions the photographs among short videos, quotes from jury members and photographers, as well as insights from Museum scientists to invite visitors to explore how human actions continue to shape the natural world.
The exhibition will tour across the UK and internationally to venues in Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, New Zealand, Switzerland, the US and more.
“Wildlife photographers offer us unforgettable glimpses into the lives of wild species, sharing unseen details, fascinating behaviours and frontline reporting on the climate and biodiversity crises,” commented Dr Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum. “These images demonstrate their awe of and appreciation for the natural world and the urgent need to take action to protect it.”
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