ROM welcomes 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition for its third consecutive engagement

WPY features 100 new and awe-inspiring images of our natural world

World-renowned exhibition opens at the ROM on November 21, 2015

Full calendar of ROM events and programs complements exhibition

©Andrey Gudkov (Russia), Komodo Dragon (TORONTO, September 2, 2015) — The most prestigious Nature Photography exhibition in the world, Wildlife Photographer of the Year  returns to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) for its third annual stop. The exhibition organized by the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London, makes its Canadian debut at the ROM beginning Saturday, November 21, 2015. The exhibition features the 100 stunning nature photographs by the finalists in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest, the largest such competition in the world,  attracting 42,000 entries from professional and amateur photographers in 96 different countries.  See everything from wrestling komodo dragons, to ethereal egrets to thirsty squirrels!

Wildlife Photographer of the Year will be in the ROM’s Level 3, Centre Block. Each image is installed with a custom LED light box frame, creating a dramatic effect, providing visitors with a glimpse of the natural world as they have never seen it. Images cover 11 adult categories, including Black and White, Photojournalism, and Urban Wildlife, four special award categories, and three childrens categories, including 10 Years and Under.  

“The ROM has had a tremendous summer with more visitors than ever enjoying Pompeii and ¡Viva México! In November, we’re excited to add Wildlife Photographer of Year to this spectacular exhibition line-up. WPY shows the stunning beauty of nature and we hope it inspires visitors to learn more about the organisms with whom we share this planet and the fragile nature of the environments we all inhabit,” said Mark Engstrom, ROM Interim Director and CEO.

ROM Members enjoy WPY for free throughout its engagement, and also enjoy exclusive previews on Friday, November 20, 2015 (10:00 am - 6:00 pm) and Saturday, November 21, 2015 (10:00 am - 12:00 pm). ROM Memberships are available at www.rom.on.ca/members, or by calling 416.586.5700.

WPY opens to the public on November 21, 2015 at 12:00 pm, and is displayed until March 20, 2016. Ticket information is available at www.rom.on.ca.

WPY tickets are available for $7.00 plus the price of ROM General Admission. Student and Senior WPY tickets are $5.00, and tickets for children aged four to 14 years are $3.00 (children under 3 years of age are free).

ROM Wildlife Photographer of the Year Programming

NOVEMBER 20, 2015
ROM Friday Night Live, Lights!

7:00 - 11:00 pm 

Eat, drink, snap, and dance the night away. Be among the first to enjoy #ROMWPY, as well as musical performances and conversations with expert photographers.   \

NOVEMBER 21, 2015
2015 Annual Quimby F. Hess Lecture
Rap Battles and Pop: Discovering the Secret Sounds of Insects
1:30 - 2:30 pm 
Free with ROM Admission; Eaton Theatre  

Join Dr. Jayne Yack, Associate Professor and Graduate Chair at Carleton University for a talk on the complex and fascinating acoustic landscape of insects and other invertebrates.  Presented in partnership with the Toronto Entomological Association.

NOVEMBER 22, 2015       
Interactive Workshop: Telling Environmental Stories with YOUR Pictures
10:30 am - 3:30 pm
$80 public/$72 members

Explore the power of nature photography and how images can influence policy and people. Lead by professional photographers Vincent Luk and Deirdre Leowinata who have recently returned from a ROM expedition to Sri Lanka with Assistant Curator Burton Lim, this adult course takes your backyard nature pics to the next level. Includes guided visit to WPY exhibit and lunch.

JANUARY 26, 2016           
ROM Speaks: Under the Sea: Celebrating Photography Beneath the Waves
Eaton Theatre, 7:00 pm
$20 public /$18 members

Join acclaimed National Geographic photographer David Doubilet, and marine biologist Jennifer Hayes for an experiential evening of story-telling and phenomenal underwater marine photography. Doubilet has published over 70 articles in National Geographic and Hayes is a marine biologist with expertise in sharks and seals.

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ABOUT THE ROM

Opened in 1914, Canada’s largest museum of natural history and world cultures has six million objects in its collections and galleries showcasing art, archaeology and natural science. The ROM is the largest field research institution in the country, and a world leader in research areas from biodiversity, palaeontology, and earth sciences to archaeology, ethnology and visual culture - originating new information towards a global understanding of historical and modern change in culture and environment. For 24-hour information in English and French and tickets, call 416.586.8000 or visit www.rom.on.ca

 

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Media Contact

Wendy Vincent, Publicist
wendyv@rom.on.ca
416.586.5547