Photographs of flooding, hurricane-damaged houses and wildfires are all too common in the news these days, as climate change brings with it extreme weather and natural hazards.
The Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition aims to raise awareness about the impact of climate change and extreme weather, and is organized by the UK’s Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS).
Whether you're using your camera phone or one of the best mirrorless cameras on the market, you can submit your entries to this year’s competition until June 18 by entering here.
The competition is open to amateur and professional photographers from around the world, and there are three categories:
- The main Weather Photographer of the Year will win a cash prize of $6,400 / £5,000 / AU$9,500
- The Smartphone Weather Photographer of the Year is open for images taken on phones or tablets, with a $3,200 / £2,500 / $4,800 cash prize
- The Young Weather Photographer of the Year is open to anyone aged 17 and under (submissions by entrants under 13 must be entered by an adult) with a $950 / £750 / AU$1,400 cash prize
The Young Weather Photographer of the Year Award and RMetS have partnered with The Week Junior Science+Nature, and both the editor and the photo editor of the publication will be helping to judge the category.
"We are proud that The Week Junior Science+Nature will continue supporting the youth category as a media partner this year," said Standard Chartered, noting that the publication "takes 8-15 year-olds on amazing voyages of discovery around the world."
Offering advice on how to capture the best cloud photos, Standard Chartered suggests the following:
"Find an open area with a clear view of the sky. Avoid areas with tall buildings or trees that get in the way. Early morning and late afternoon are great times to capture beautiful colours and soft light. Clouds come in all shapes and sizes, so keep your eyes peeled for interesting formations and be ready to snap before they pass by."
New to the Weather Photographer of the Year award in 2024 is the Standard Chartered Climate Award. This will be awarded to the picture that tells the most compelling story about the impact of climate change, with a cash prize of $1,280 / £1,000 / AU$1,900.
The public can also vote for their favorite images after the shortlist has been announced in September.
The competition is free to enter and open to people of all abilities. Entrants are allowed to submit a maximum of five images per category, and photographs must have been taken between June 18 2019 and June 18 2024.
For more information and to enter your photographs, visit the RMets website.
Photographing interesting weather might mean getting wet, so make sure to check out the best waterproof cameras!
