Your Photo Could Be Put On Display at the ROM!

by guest blogger Filip Szafirowski, 2016 Environmental Visual Communication Program graduate

Ever think you’d see a photo of yours on display in the same building that holds 68 million year old Tyrannosaurus rex bones?  Well, now’s your chance!

Coinciding with the opening of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) exhibition, the ROM is presenting its very own wildlife photographer contest: ROM Photographer of the Year 2016. It’s open to Ontario residents and features both adult and youth categories. The grand prize for both age groups includes the winning photograph from each category being put on display inside the walls of the Royal Ontario Museum.

The longest-running and most distinguished wildlife photography competition in the world returns to the ROM for its fourth consecutive year. The prestigious WPY draws entries from professional and amateur photographers alike across all age groups – including children, with a category for ages 10 and under! Featuring 100 all new photographs from the 2016 competition, WPY continues to astonish and touch viewers with the marvelous beauty of the natural world.

Now in its fifty-second installment, the WPY competition showcases the very best nature photography in the world. The competition calls on photographers worldwide to frame nature in such a way that will raise awareness of the charm and fragility of our natural world. The diversity of our planet is captured through equally varied categories such as urban landscapes, underwater, plants and fungi, invertebrates, and many others. These shots not only allow viewers to get a rare glimpse of our incredible planet, but they also highlight our crucial role in protecting it.

Last year’s winner of the ROM Photographer of the Year contest was Steven Rose from Scarborough. He was able to capture a coyote taking a drink from a pond during the morning hours in a downtown Toronto park. The photograph is a perfect example of how you don’t have to travel far from the city to view wildlife and capture the perfect moment.

Now is your opportunity to photograph a moment and inspire change. In addition to the winning photograph being put up on display, the grand prize for the adult category includes a trip for two to eastern Quebec to see and photograph whales with the world’s top blue whale scientists for seven days. The youth grand prize consists of a birding and photography workshop with ROM Ornithologist Mark Peck as well as a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum.

Submitting your photos couldn’t be easier! Simply share your best wildlife image via Twitter or Instagram, tag @ROMtoronto and use the hashtag #ROMWPY or #ROMWPYjr for the youth category. The contest runs from November 12, 2016 to January 31, 2017, with the winners being announced on February 25, 2017.

Whether you’re a nature lover, aspiring photographer, or simply love a perfectly captured moment, come explore the natural world, wildlife and the very best in nature photography at the ROM. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition is open from November 12, 2016 until March 19, 2017.