Wildlife, Captured in a Flash
Lovers of nature and fine photography are in for a treat, as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition 2011 exhibition is once again on display at Cape Town’s Iziko South African Museum.
Now in its 47th year, the competition is co-owned by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Museum of London and is brought to South Africa by NHU Africa in partnership with Iziko Museums. It is internationally recognised for taking a lead in the artistic representation of the natural world, and continues to be held in high esteem. The competition has a reputation for being the Oscars of the wildlife photographic calendar.
This year, the international judging panel of respected wildlife experts and nature photographers reviewed more than 40,000 entries from aspiring amateurs and established professional photographers from all corners of the globe. As a sign of the competition’s growing international reach, this year saw first-time submissions from countries as far afield as Cambodia, Moldova, Brunei and Kyrgyzstan. There was also a notable increase in photographs submitted from countries such as India, China and Russia. Local photographer Peter Chadwick from Bredasdorp was named the winner of the esteemed Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife, and another South African photographer, Thomas P Peschak, was named runner-up in the Urban Wildlife category.
Sophie Vartan, the CEO of the Natural History Unit of Africa (NHU Africa), commented: “We are thrilled to host the exhibition again with our partner Iziko Museums. This year’s collection is truly breathtaking and we congratulate all of the photographers. I believe this exhibition is an important account of the spectacular beauty of our natural world, and each year reminds us of the growing need for us to protect our natural habitats.”
The exhibition is being showcased in a display of light boxes in the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town until 7th March 2012. Contact +27 21 481 3800 for more information.
Pix © Bence Máté, Cyril Ruoso, Petr Simon, Joe Bunni, Klaus Echle, Ross Hoddinott, Stephane Vetter/ Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011
