Q A and
Space – Gold prize Adam Stunkel, from the United States, won the gold prize in the Space category for this stunning image of a barred owl, entitled Sleeping Forest. As well as earning £500, Adam progresses to the grand final Image © Adam Stunkel / WAPOTY
Nature for art’s sake The WildArt Photographer of the Year
How long has the contest been running?
on a regular basis, but I can’t hold a candle to many of the great images produced by our judges and competition entrants. After resigning my directorship with BPOTY last year, the time was right for a new competition, focusing more on the creative approach to wildlife photography – the direction my own work has been taking. There was space to develop something that better engaged its audience and entrants, a competition with regular monthly themes, avoiding all the peaks and troughs of the traditional annual competition cycle. The whole WildArt concept is entirely my own. It was developed frommy BPOTY experience, seeing what worked well and what could be improved. I was also keen to develop something that concentrated more on the creative side of wildlife photography as opposed to the literal; a competition that celebrated all of nature, not just the hero species, megafauna and rarities. I started with a wish list of judges. Some are professional wildlife photographers, while others are award winners. All are unbelievable nature photographers, pushing the boundaries of their craft – I greatly admire and respect their work. Everyone on my initial list agreed without hesitation – it’s a privilege having them join the judging team.
RR: It’s in its inaugural year. The first category opened for entries in January, while the final category closes at the end of October. What is it that makes WAPOTY so different fromall the other wildlife contests? RR: The competition is different in a number of ways, and I have already touched on a few. There were certain principles that formed the main drivers for the competition structure. The emphasis on the creative approach is key, as well as the focus on the image itself, not just the subject it features. A butterfly deserves every bit as much attention as a lion or tiger. In fact, our very first category prize was awarded to an image of marbled white butterflies. A judging panel comprised entirely of respected wildlife photographers was also important – these are the only people properly qualified to judge other photographers’ images. And the monthly category themes are a different approach, involving entrants throughout the year, one category at a time. There is no waiting around throughout months of silence from competition organisers. We open a category, judge it and announce the winners – while the other categories
Can you introduce yourself and WAPOTY? Are you a keen wildlife photographer? How didWAPOTY come about? Rob Read: After a career in the corporate world, I became a professional photographer more than 15 years ago. I fell into a role digitising and running a natural history photo library. While in this post, and developing my own wildlife photography, the opportunity to start Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) came about. With my fellow directors, I spent the next six years building that competition into one of the world’s most respected wildlife photography projects. It continues to be a passion, and my work is published
is a nature imaging contest with a difference, designed and judged by wildlife photographers, for wildlife photographers. It features ten monthly themed categories, with entrants vying for a £13,000 total prize fund – we get the lowdown from its creator, Rob Read
14 Photography News | Issue 89
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