11 March - 5 April 2016
vernissage: 11 March, Friday, 2 pm

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The exhibition features works from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015, held annually since 1965. The competition was initially organized by the BBC Worldwide, then between 1986 and 2014 it was run in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, until this role was entrusted exclusively to the Museum in 2015. Today this is the world's largest and most prestigious competition in wildlife photography for both professionals and amateurs of all age groups, including young adults and children.

Most wildlife photographers aspire to win awards. And they do if the photograph combines originality, sheer luck and natural knowledge of the person behind the camera. All these do not necessarily require cutting-edge equipment or travelling around the world. The latest, 51st competition featured more than 42 thousand photographs by over 4 thousand photographers from 96 countries. The new categories encouraged participants to try out the latest technologies of shooting, which allowed them to demonstrate the diversity of wildlife in more interesting and versatile ways.

The exhibition shows 100 award-winning photographs by 76 photographers from 23 countries. The competition included 16 categories and four special prizes. Whether you look at the very personal, single shots, or series of photos, you can see that all of the photographers exhibit striking images, excellent narrative and a common goal, i.e. the love of nature and a desire to instill this attitude into the viewers of their work.

 

 

 

 

 

This year the Grand Title of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year was awarded to the Canadian Don Gutoski for the photograph titled A Tale of Two Foxes, which he had taken from a distance in Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada. Don spotted a red fox hunting in the snow. As he got closer, he realized that the prey, now dead, was an Arctic fox. For three hours in temperatures of -30 degrees Centigrade Don stayed at the scene, until the red fox, finally sated, picked up the eviscerated carcass and dragged it away to store for later. The photograph stimulates reflections about the coexistence of species and leads to the question whether red foxes pose a threat to their smaller Arctic cousins.

The Grand Title of the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015 went to Ondřej Pelánek from Brno in the Czech Republic who travelled to Norway and observed the "warlike behaviour" of male ruffs. His photograph called Ruffs on Display captures a unique and truly expressive moment of avian courtship.

The exhibition which always premieres in London's Natural History Museum in autumn is then visited by millions of viewers in a few dozen countries all over the world. It will be shown for the thirteenth time in Galeria Bielska BWA in Bielsko-Biała, out of the fourteen times in Poland so far. Then the exhibition will travel to Bytom, Tricity (Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia) and Szklarska Poręba.

The Polish tour of the exhibition is organized by Agencja Zegart.

More information about the exhibition in Poland at FotografiaDzikiejPrzyrody.pl

Important! The exhibition in Galeria Bielska BWA is free, courtesy of the Oil and Fat Production Plant Bielmar - official sponsor of the exhibition in Bielsko-Biała since 2009. The Gallery will be open longer to attract more viewers - 8 am to 6 pm Monday to Friday and the usual 10am to 6 pm Sunday.

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year is owned and disseminated by the Natural History Museum in London.

 

 
Main sponsor of the exhibition in Bielsko-Biała:

Media patrons: 

        

 

Organization of the exhibition in Poland