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Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 winners announced
'Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 attracted an impressive standard of photography and it was going to take a truly impressive image to win. ‘Black Friday’ is an image which is nothing short of explosive.'
- Rob Reed, Competition organiser and judge
The winning image taken by Pedro Jarque Krebs
Having completed its third year, Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) has announced the 2018 winners of this prestigious global competition. The winning entry, an explosive image of American Flamingos titled ‘Black Friday’, taken by Pedro Jarque Krebs from Peru which scoops him the top prize of £5,000.
Pedro’s image was also the winning image in the Creative Imagery category of the competition, a category that encourages the digital manipulation of photographs.
Competition organiser and judge Rob Read comments, “Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 attracted an impressive standard of photography and it was going to take a truly impressive image to win. ‘Black Friday’ is an image which is nothing short of explosive; it made an instant and lasting impression on a panel of judges who are determined to push the boundaries of perceived convention. This is photographic punk rock."
Heading an experienced panel of judges, naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, comments on the competition “Here is evidence of our great love of birds. You can sense the ambition, see the dedication and feel the passion of the men, women and children who have striven to capture the unparalleled wonder of nature in these images.” He added, “Now in its third year, the Bird Photographer of the Year competition has grown again – not just in the number of entrants, but in the breadth and standard of photography.”
Receiving a cheque for £2,000 is the winner of the Best Portfolio Award Petr Bambousek from the Czech Republic. This prize rewards consistency of skill and photographic talent over a series of six or more images as scored by the judges.
The winner of the Young Bird Photographer of the Year competition is also announced. The first prize has been claimed by Johan Carlberg from Sweden with his bold composition of a Great Crested Grebe titled ‘Crested Grebe Morning’.
Crested Grebe Morning by Johan Carlberg
Rob Read comments further, “Year three of this competition proved to be a real treat for all the judges who struggled to make their way through thousands of fantastic images and whittle them down to the winners. As our winning images testify, the competition has become truly global with images entered from photographers from over 60 countries.”
Chris, Rob and the rest of the BPOTY team are really excited about what lies ahead of them in the 2019 competition, which opened for entries on Monday 20 August 2018. As well as promoting bird photography as an art form and the photographers themselves, Bird Photographer of the Year helps to raise funds for conservation. Previous years’ donations have been used by the British Trust for Ornithology to support their Bird Camp programme, run in association with the Cameron Bespolka Trust, aimed at encouraging the next generation of conservationists.
Director of Bird Photographer of the Year Andrew Cleave MBE comments, “BPOTY are delighted to have raised funds to help support such a worthwhile cause. Encouraging the next generation is vital to ensure the future custodianship of the environment is in safe hands.”
Dr Andy Clements, BTO CEO, thanked the many photographers who entered their work to this international competition. He commented "This competition, with its stunning images, really captures the joy and beauty of birds. The photographers, whose wonderful images feature in the book, engage with birds in ways that parallel those of BTO members and supporters. All of us are inspired by birds, and through doing so we are inspired to care about them and what happens to their populations. The money raised for BTO allows us to both inspire others, as we have done through BTO Bird Camp, and to collect the evidence that is needed to inform conservation action."
The competition book, published by William Collins, is now available. This lavish 256 page volume showcases the very best imagery from the competition and features the stories behind the images as told by the photographers themselves, plus all the technical camera information. RRP £25.
Chris, Rob and the rest of the BPOTY team are really excited about what lies ahead of them in the 2019 competition, which opened for entries on Monday 20 August 2018. As well as promoting bird photography as an art form and the photographers themselves, Bird Photographer of the Year helps to raise funds for conservation. Previous years’ donations have been used by the British Trust for Ornithology to support their Bird Camp programme, run in association with the Cameron Bespolka Trust, aimed at encouraging the next generation of conservationists.
Director of Bird Photographer of the Year Andrew Cleave MBE comments, “BPOTY are delighted to have raised funds to help support such a worthwhile cause. Encouraging the next generation is vital to ensure the future custodianship of the environment is in safe hands.”
Dr Andy Clements, BTO CEO, thanked the many photographers who entered their work to this international competition. He commented "This competition, with its stunning images, really captures the joy and beauty of birds. The photographers, whose wonderful images feature in the book, engage with birds in ways that parallel those of BTO members and supporters. All of us are inspired by birds, and through doing so we are inspired to care about them and what happens to their populations. The money raised for BTO allows us to both inspire others, as we have done through BTO Bird Camp, and to collect the evidence that is needed to inform conservation action."
The competition book, published by William Collins, is now available. This lavish 256 page volume showcases the very best imagery from the competition and features the stories behind the images as told by the photographers themselves, plus all the technical camera information. RRP £25.
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