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Two wildlife photography exhibitions open at Guernsey Museum today - with both local and internationally acclaimed images on show.
The 2024 Bailiwick Wildlife Photography Exhibition and the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition 2024 run alongside each other at the museum in Candie Gardens.
The return of the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition continues a tradition spanning nearly 30 years.
The photographs are all on loan from the Natural History Museum in London and will be on display at Guernsey Museum at Candie until 7 April.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is considered to be among the most prestigious photography events of its kind, "providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years".
It launched in 1965 under the BBC as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year before 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, and receives entries from 95 countries all over the world.
Pictured: Snow bison by Max Waugh, (USA)
Dr Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum said: “We are facing urgent biodiversity and climate crises, and photography is a powerful catalyst for change. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reveals some of nature’s most wondrous sights whilst offering hope and achievable actions visitors can take to help protect the natural world.”
This year’s award-winning images will - like others before them - go an international tour that will allow them to be seen by well over a million people, including museum guests in Guernsey. The exhibition started visiting Guernsey as part of its tour in the 1990s.
The exhibition, which focuses on "fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world", attracted nearly 50,000 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries.
The judging took place last autumn with the winners chosen by a panel of industry experts who had assessed the creativity, originality, and technical excellence of each picture.
Chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran said: “What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviors and species to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world. We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.”
The competition opens for entries every October with the 2024 competition opening on 16 October 2023.
Pictured: The two exhibitions open today.
The 2024 Bailiwick Wildlife Photography Exhibition also opens today, supported by Guernsey Electricity’s Power to the People Fund.
This exhibition is in its third year with "a display of extraordinary snapshots of wildlife found in the Bailiwick", hosted in the Guernsey Arts Greenhouse Gallery within Candie Museum.
The local exhibition features the work of over 60 wildlife photographers, "giving viewers a unique insight into the vibrant world usually missed by the naked eye".
This year's guest judge is Barry Wells, who also features with his intricate insect macro photography.
Pictured top: (inset) Mason bee at work by Solvin Zankl, (Germany).
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