Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards 2013

For the past two years, Jim has served as Chairman of the Judges for the acclaimed 'Wildlife Photographer of the Year' competition co-owned by Natural History Museum, London and BBC Worldwide*.  The award ceremony for this year's competition took place October 15th at the Natural History Museum, London. We thought we’d share some of the festivities, 
along with a fun Jim flash back.

Exclusive interview with Jim regarding the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 competition 
by What Digital Camera

Central Hall at Natural History Museum, London

Central Hall transformed for awards ceremony – Natural History Museum, London

Jim presents trophy to grand title winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013,  Greg du Toit from South Africa. Jim described Greg du Toit's winning portrait as capturing a "unique moment.  Greg's image immediately catapults us to African plains," Brandenburg said. "This image stood out for both its technical excellence and the unique moment it captures. It is truly a once-in-a-lifetime shot."

Jim having fun during the judging.

Pelican photograph 'Feeding of the five thousand' by Yossi Eshbol (Israel),  photo of Jim by 
Ruth Eichhorn, Director of Photography of German GEO magazine. 

Sophie Stafford (former Editor of BBC Wildlife magazine), Jim, and Kathy Moran (Senior Editor, Natural History at National Geographic magazine).  Photo by Neil Lucas.

In 1988, Jim won the grand title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year with his first and only competition entry.   Jim received the bronze Ibis award from Sir Peter Scott for his photograph 
'Oryx – Namib Desert' seen below.

Oryx - Namib Desert - Wildlife Photographer of the Year 1988 winner

If you would like to see all 100 prize-winning photographs from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 competition, please visit Natural History Museum website.  Plans are in the works for some exciting events at next year's 50th anniversary of the competition.

*Wildlife Photographer of the Year harnesses the power of photography to promote the discovery, understanding, and responsible enjoyment of the natural world. Now in its 49th year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition provides a global showcase of the very best nature photography. The competition is co-owned by two UK institutions that pride themselves on revealing and championing the diversity of life on Earth - the Natural History Museum and BBC Worldwide.
Being shortlisted in this competition is something to which photographers across the world aspire. Every year emerging talents compete with established names for a chance to be hailed Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Each of the thousands of annual entries is evaluated individually by an international jury of photography experts, before being awarded a place in the top 
100 images of the year.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition Now Open

Enter Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2013 now and take part in one of the world's most prestigious photography events. The competition is open to professional photographers, amateurs, young and old, worldwide until February 25, 2013.

We are delighted to announce that for the second year running, esteemed photographer, filmmaker and environmentalist Jim Brandenburg will be chairing the competition.

Joining Jim are the following judges:

Ingo Arndt, wildlife photographer (Germany)
Sophie Boulet-Gercourt, executive, Biosphoto (France)
Luciano Candisani, wildlife photojournalist (Brazil)
Tui De Roy, naturalist, wildlife photographer (New Zealand)
Richard Eccleston, Art Editor, BBC Wildlife magazine (UK)
Ruth Eichhorn, Director of Photography, GEO magazine (Germany)
Lisa Lytton, Director, Paraculture Books, Director of Digital Editions, National Geographic Magazine (US)
Koji Nakamura, underwater photographer, President, Japan Underwater Films (Japan)
Elio Lello Piazza, natural history picture editor (Italy)
Anna Sever, director, picture editor, ASA Agency (Spain)
Igor Shpilenok, wildlife photographer (Russia)
Hans Strand, landscape photographer (Sweden)
Jan Vermeer, wildlife photographer (The Netherlands)
Steve Winter, wildlife photojournalist and Director of Media, Panthera (US)

"This year will be my second time at the helm of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
As Chair of the 2012 competition, I found it fascinating to watch how the jury carried out their important task of evaluating and selecting submissions.

The stakes are high with such a prestigious competition, so we all knew it was important to get it right and the panel had to make some very difficult decisions. I am proud of the final selection of winning photographs from 2012’s competition and am quite sure that some are future classics.

But now my focus is on the 2013 competition. I call on you all to enter your finest, most compelling, courageous work. Then once again, my fellow judges and I will be transported to other worlds where we will discuss the techniques, artistry and ethics behind the array of compositions.

Wildlife photography is a universal language and an exciting yet powerful communications tool. Photographers carry a responsibility to their subjects, their audience and themselves. This simple mantra holds true – take only photographs, leave nothing but footprints. Every place, plant and animal, above or below water, is unique. Subtle impacts can accumulate over time to devastating effect. So we must encourage those who enjoy photographing nature to do so in a way that best promotes good stewardship of our natural resources.

Despite shifts in technology that enable us to get even closer to our subjects, we must remain true to our roots, focusing on in-camera excellence, skill, ingenuity, patience, dedication, passion and a simple narrative underpinning each and every image.

Now the time is right to edit your collection and submit the images that you believe will wow our loyal audience across the world, fueling understanding, promoting discussion, provoking reactions that cause change, and ensuring that there is a legacy … a very natural legacy."