2018 winner - Stephen Cheatley

Weather Photographer of the Year 2019

Winners have been announced. Find out now

The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) was looking for the best photographs from around the world that depict weather in its widest sense.

From weather phenomena to the impact of weather, we are looking for stunning images that showcase the sometimes dramatic, often fascinating impact and story of weather. Please note that this competition will not consider images showing the longer-term impact of weather on the environment, landscapes or people, such as climate change Please do check out our explanation on 'What is weather?' below for more information.

The selectors will include a mix of meteorologists, photographers and photo editors who will look for work that combines photographic skill with meteorological observation. There are no individual categories and the competition is free to enter.

The Royal Meteorological Society Young Weather Photographer of the Year Award (for photographers 17 and under only) aims to encourage and recognise the younger generation of weather photographers and is an important element of the competition's ethos.

There are no individual subject categories to worry about; the judges will choose the image that impresses them most. And there is nothing preventing you from entering the main Weather Photographer of the Year competition too, as this competition has no age restriction.

Congratulations to the winners of 2019

Weather Photographer of the Year 2019

Gareth Mon Jones

Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2019

HugoBegg

Prizing

Prize winners will be announced on October 19th at WeatherLive.

1st Place
Weather Photographer of the Year 2019
£500 cash and HERO7 Go Pro
+ one year membership with RMetS

2nd place
£250 cash
+ one year membership with RMetS

3rd place
£100 cash
+ one year membership with RMetS

Publics Winner
One year membership with RMetS

Young winner
Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2019
HERO7 Go Pro

Young runner up
One year membership with RMetS

What is weather?

The World Meteorological Organization:

‘The state of the atmosphere at a specific time. It is the short term or instantaneous variations of the atmosphere, as opposed to the long term, or climatic changes.’

Dictionary definition:

‘The state of the atmosphere at a particular place and time as regards heat, cloudiness, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.’

For the Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather Photographer of the Year we are looking for images that capture the beauty, power, occasional absurdity and fragility in the face of human activity. This could include:

  • clouds
  • precipitation such as rain, snow or hail
  • frost or ice
  • fog
  • optical phenomena such as rainbows, fogbows, halos, sundogs etc
  • lightning
  • tornadoes

Images can also capture the impact of weather on people and our surroundings, such as:

  • wind
  • floods
  • heatwaves
  • droughts

We would encourage entries which show the milky way and the Aurora Borealis to also include some weather phenomena as on their own they are not weather related and there are other competitions which deal with astronomical subjects.

The Royal Meteorological Society is the Professional and Learned Society for Weather and Climate. Our mission statement is ‘to promote meteorology as a science, profession and interest.’

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