Wildlife Photographer of the Year Closes March 18, 2018

The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, on now at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), will close March 18, 2018. Featuring 100 original, awe-inspiring images, the exhibition showcases the world’s best nature photography – from fascinating animal behavior to breath-taking landscapes -- depicting the artistry and technical excellence of the craft. Representing its fifth consecutive presentation at the ROM, Wildlife Photographer of the Year reflects the Museum’s commitment to showcasing art, culture and nature through a contemporary lens and, by building on the Museum’s expertise, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the diversity of our natural world.

This year’s Grand Title Winner, Memorial to a Species by Brent Stirton of South Africa, has received international recognition for exposing the tragic consequences of the illegal international trade in rhino horns, and is the centerpiece of the ROM’s display. Also included in this year’s exhibition is The Hairy Raincoat by Alberta’s Josiah Launstein. Josiah is a return WPY finalist whose photo appears in the impressive11 to14-year-old category.

A must-see feature of the exhibition and unique to the ROM’s presentation is an original, interactive, monarch butterfly installation, created by ROM visitors. Currently, the installation includes approximately 35 thousand paper monarch butterflies, thoughtfully placed by ROM visitors, creating an immersive environment that is both breathtaking and enlightening. The ROM is renowned for its monarch expertise dating back to the 1930s thanks to the efforts of the Museum’s pioneering entomologist Dr. Fred Urquart. With a voluminous, tactile 3-D butterfly swarm, ROM visitors learn about the Museum’s historic contribution to the discovery of monarch butterfly migration patterns, and how photography is a form of citizen science that contributes to surveying the species.

This installation and exhibition will come to life during ROM March Break. Milkweed to Monarchs will include lessons about how to support the great Monarch migration from your own backyard.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is on display in the Museum’s Roloff Beny Gallery and further information about this specially-priced, time ticketed exhibition is available here.

More About Wildlife Photographer of the Year

On loan from the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind. Now in its 53^rdyear, the exhibition is based on an international competition that includes 48,000 entries from 92 countries.