The Right Look (Photo by Richard Robinson, Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Award-winning New Zealand photographer Richard Robinson will be the Guest of Honour at the opening of the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year Exhibition at Hamilton’s Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato.
On tour from the Natural History Museum in London, Wildlife Photographer of the Year will open on Friday, 9 December.
The event will be the first to be held in Hamilton.
A global platform for talent
Liz Cotton, Director of Museum and Arts at the Waikato Museum said, “Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography award of its kind, and the competition has provided a global platform to showcase the best of photography talent for more than 55 years.”
She said that it is an honour to be the first New Zealand host for this year’s exhibition, particularly as the award-winners include stunning images of New Zealander photographer Richard Robinson highlighting the work being done to protect our population of Tohora (Southern right whales].”
“We look forward to welcoming visitors from around the country to Waikato Museum to see these incredible images over Summer, including those with a passion for photography, the environment, and our natural world,” she said.
Speaking from London, Director of the Natural History Museum Doug Gurr said, “We are thrilled to see our prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reaching audiences in this part of New Zealand for the first time. What could be more fitting than the setting of the Waikato Museum, on the banks of the biodiverse Waikato River? We hope every visitor leaves the exhibition feeling inspired to protect and celebrate our natural world.”
Polar Frame (Photo by Dmitry Kokh, Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
About the Competition
Launched in 1965, the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition receives entries from more than 90 different countries every year, highlighting its enduring appeal. This year’s award-winning images are on an international tour that will allow them to be seen by millions of people all over the world, including Hamilton.
An international panel of industry experts selected underwater photojournalist Richard Robertson as the winner of the category, Oceans – The Bigger Picture.
His award-winning image ’New life for the Tohorā’ captures a hopeful moment for a population of New Zealand native whales that has survived against all odds. Another of his photographs, ’The Right Look’ was ‘Highly Commended ’ in the Animal Portraits category.
New Zealand saw representation with D’Artagnan Sprengel’s photograph ’Frost daisy’ which received a ‘Highly Commended Award’ in the 11-14 Years Old category for Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
The winner of the Grand Title Award was ’The big buzz’ by Karine Aigner, shot with a macro lens to show the frenzy of Texan cactus bees competing to mate.
This captivating image, and those of all other prize-winning entries, will be among the 100 photographs on display at Waikato Museum.
The Exhibition will be open from 9 December 2022 to 23 April 2023.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink correspondent based in Hamilton.
