A perfect shot
The winners of the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition are revealed
Francisco Negroni, from Chile, has won the main prize in this year’s Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition. His enchanting image captured two rings of clouds around the snow-covered summit of Chile’s Villarrica volcano.
The judges were impressed by the contrast of hot-lava glow and white snow in the photo, and by Negroni’s capture of lenticular clouds.
The smartphone prize winner is Les Irwig, from Australia, with an image of a surfer looking out to sea at an impending storm. The youth prize goes to 17-year-old Jamie McBean, from the UK, whose winning image depicts clouds at sunset over a row of beach huts, following a thunderstorm. The runners-up across the three categories submitted images of frightening forest fires in Vietnam and Bangladesh, intricate snowflakes in the UK and an ice and snow-covered landscape in Germany.
The public vote was won by Fernando Braga with an imaging capturing lightning that frames the world-famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer for Standard Chartered, said: “I’ve been so impressed by the entries to this year’s competition, which have captured remarkable moments of weather and in some cases, the devastating impact of our changing climate. These images provide further evidence that we are already living with the effects of global warming and illustrate the need to respond to climate change with a sense of urgency. I hope they inspire further action to protect our planet as I extend my congratulations to the winners and runners up of this year’s competition. Thank you to everyone who has taken part.”
The winners and runners-up in the main, smartphone and youth categories were chosen by a panel of independent judges from more than 3,700 images submitted by photographers in 94 markets around the world. The public vote winner and runner-up were chosen based on votes by the general public.
The 2023 Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition showcases some of the world’s most striking weather events and our changing climate. The annual competition, which is organised by the UK’s Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), was open to amateur and professional photographers between April and June.
The judging process for the competition is managed solely by RMetS and Standard Chartered is not represented on the judging panel.
Weather systems shape and impact the global economy, human health, our environment, and life choices. Today, climate change is altering our weather and triggering long-term changes to weather patterns, leading to increasingly frequent and unprecedented events, such as historic floods and droughts.
Raising awareness of these changes and their impact on society and the environment is critical to galvanising action to mitigate against and adapt to climate change globally.