Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018: Instagram competition

by Karen MacDonald, Engagement Officer – Exhibitions

Are you an aspiring wildlife photographer in the Bristol area? To celebrate the opening of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 at M Shed, we’re running our own mini competition.

Send us your best wildlife photos on Instagram and you could win some fantastic prizes!

You may have exotic photos from far-flung holidays but there’s plenty of time to get creative in the local park, in your own garden, or even from your kitchen window. It’s all about your vision and pressing the shutter at just the right moment.

Remember though – your pets are not, strictly speaking, wildlife, so whilst everyone loves a cat pic, they are unlikely to win…

You’ll find plenty of inspiration in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition and on the Natural History Museum website. If you don’t know where to start, keep an eye on our Instagram account to see how other people approach it – or come into M Shed and browse the other entries on our interactive desktop in the foyer.

Your photos might tell a story with an environmental conscience, capture a rare moment of animal behaviour, demonstrate your technical flair, or simply highlight the beauty of the natural world.

Categories

• 10 years old and under
• 11-14 years old
• 15-17 years old
• Adults

There will be one winner from each age group. The young people categories will be judged by wildlife photographer, Iain Green from Wildlife Wonder.

To enter

• Post your photos on Instagram, using #WPYBristol and tagging @bristolmuseums.
• Please indicate your age category by adding one of these hashtags to your caption:
  #10under #1214 #1517 #adult
• You will need to create your own Instagram account if you don’t already have one. Parents can submit entries on behalf of their children where appropriate.
• The images you upload must be your own photos. They must feature the natural world – this includes animal life, plant life, and landscapes.
• Entrants must be UK residents and winners will need to be able to get to Bristol to collect their prizes.

Prizes

One lucky winner in each category will receive a fantastic package of Wildlife Photographer of the Year merchandise, and two runners-up in the adult category will receive a copy of the 2018 Portfolio book.

Good luck and happy snapping!

Terms and conditions

• The competition is open now and closes on 24 February 2019 at 5pm.
• The winner and runners-up will be selected and informed by 31 March 2019.
• The competition is not open to employees of Bristol City Council or their families.
• The competition is open to UK residents only.
• By entering the competition, you give Bristol City Council permission to show your images on screens in the museum.