The 
Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year award is one of the most prestigious photographic awards in the world. Every year thousands of wildlife photographers vie for top honours; an achievement which will secure their careers for the rest of their lives. Runners up positions are not to be sniffed at either, as those chosen few are considered the elite on the international photography scene. You can see 118 of the best wildlife photos in the world on display at the Iziko South African Museum in Cape Town.
Photos have been on display since 9 December 2010 and the exhibition will run until 13 March 2011.
Entry to the competition is open to amateur and professional photographers from around the world. The closing date for the next competition is 18 March 2011, so if you think you’ve got what it takes you need to get cracking (or snapping, as it were). The aim of the competition, which is run by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine, is to promote the discovery, understanding, responsibility and enjoyment of the natural world.
There are two major awards up for grabs: Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Veolia Environment Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Young awards are divided into three age-groups: 10 years and under, 11-14 years and 15-17 years.
Adult categories include: Behaviour: Birds; Behaviour: Mammals; Behaviour: All other animals; The Underwater World; Animal Portraits; In Praise of Plants and Fungi; Urban Wildlife; Wild Places; Animals in their Environment; Nature in Black and White; and Creative Visions of Nature.
The winner receives £10,000 and the runners up share £14,500. But more important than money is the recognition gained and the opportunity to demonstrate your talent to the more than 2.5 million people who troop through the National History Museum in London, as well as the other millions of people who attend the exhibition in over 70 other cities across the globe. Furthermore, the winning photos are published in BBC Wildlife Magazine, as well as in a commemorative hardback book. And then there is all the exposure in the press.
The competition has been running since 1964, when it started with three categories and 600 entries. Nowadays, entries exceed 40 000 and four special awards have been added, namely:
• Eric Hosking Award for young photographers between the ages of 18-26.
• Gerald Durrell Awards for Endangered Wildlife, which commemorates Gerald Durrell’s work with endangered species and his long-standing involvement with the competition. The species featured must be on the current IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as critically endangered or endangered, vulnerable or near threatened at an international or national level.
• One Earth Award for highlighting conservation issues or actions and the interaction between humans and the natural world.
• Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year, which is given to a sequence of six pictures that tells a memorable story about animal behaviour or environmental issues.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
