Bird Photographer of the Year 2018 winners announced
21 Aug 2018 | No. 2018-25
Having completed its third year, Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) is pleased to announce 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 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’.
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.
The 2019 competition is open for entries from 20 August 2018, closing on 30 November 2018. With 8 categories to enter, there are plenty of chances to win some great prizes including binoculars from Swarovski Optik, a camera system from Olympus, portfolio reviews and VIP sellers accounts from image library Alamy, Clothing Bundles from Country Innovation and a holiday voucher from Wildlife Worldwide. And who knows, you could be the next Bird Photographer of the Year and walk away with the title and £5,000. www.birdpoty.co.uk
BPOTY attracted thousands of entries from over 60 countries around the globe showcasing the very best in bird photography.
Contact Details
Rob Read
(Nature Photographers Ltd)
Mobile: 07768 121780
Email: rr [at] naturephotographers.co.uk
Paul Stancliffe
(BTO Media Manager)
Office: 01842 750050
(9am to 5:30pm Mon-Thurs), (9am to 5pm Friday)
Mobile: 07585 440910
Email: press [at] bto.org ()
Mike Toms
(Head of Communications)
Office: 01842 750050
(9am to 5:30pm Tues -Thurs), (9am to 5pm Friday)
Email: mike.toms [at] bto.org
Images for use alongside this press release can be accessed by using the link below, using the password punkrock2018
https://www.naturephotographers.co.uk/gallery-image/2018-Winning-Images/G00009NUI1rjWIHk/I0000bnuRiBvIK8I/C000067XJQG6KJDY
The BTO has an ISDN line available for radio interviews.
Please contact us to book an interview. Office:01842 750050
Notes to editors
1. All images must be used in association with the press release and feature the photo credit line ‘Bird Photographer of the Year/Photographer’s name’. Please include a link to the Bird Photographer of the Year website – www.birdpoty.co.uk.
2. Bird Photographer of the Year is a global photographic competition; a celebration of avian beauty and diversity, and a tribute to the flexibility and quality of today’s modern digital imaging systems. www.birdpoty.co.uk
3. BTO is the UK's leading bird research charity. A growing membership and up to 60,000 volunteer birdwatchers contribute to BTO's surveys, collecting information that underpins conservation action in the UK. BTO maintains a staff of 100 at its offices in Thetford, Stirling, Bangor (Wales) and Bangor (Northern Ireland), who analyse and publicise the results of surveys and projects. BTO's work is funded by BTO supporters, government, trusts, industry and conservation organisations. www.bto.org
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