Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winners Announced, with exhibition set to open at ROM December 21

Shane Gross from Canada wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year for The Swarm of Life.

TORONTO, October 9, 2024 – The 2024 edition of the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) exhibition makes its North American debut at ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) on December 21 and runs until May 4, 2025. The exhibition features the mesmerising image The Swarm of Life by Shane Gross from Canada who was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 on October 8 at the Natural History Museum, London (NHM).

Shining a light on the magical underwater world of western toad tadpoles, Shane’s breathtaking photograph was captured while snorkelling for several hours through carpets of lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, making sure not to disturb the fine layers of silt and algae covering the bottom of the lake. A near-threatened species due to habitat destruction and predators, these tadpoles start their transition into toads between four and 12 weeks after hatching, but an estimated 99 percent of them will not survive to adulthood.

Among the 100 backlit images to be displayed at ROM are seven more by photographers from Canada. Each photo is a visual achievement for visitors to linger over these mesmerizing shots of the natural world with descriptions recounting the creation of these compelling shots of the natural world.

	On Watch by John E Marriott, Winner, Animal Portraits. John had been tracking this lynx family group in the Yukon for almost a week, wearing snowshoes and carrying light camera gear to make his way through snowy forests. © John E Marriott.
	When Worlds Collide by Patricia Seaton Homonylo, Highly Commended, Photojournalism Patricia captured this display of 3,900 birds from 103 species that died after flying into windows in the GTA in 2022. These birds were collected by volunteers from the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP). © Patricia Seaton Homonylo.
	The Disappearing Ice Cap by Thomas Vijayan, Highly Commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture With meticulous planning and favourable weather conditions, Thomas’s image – a stitched panorama of 26 individual frames of the Austfonna ice cap – provides a spectacular summer view of meltwater plunging over the edge of the Bråsvellbreen glacier. © Thomas Vijayan.
	Late Night Fishing by Geoffrey Reynaud, Highly Commended, Animal Portraits Geoffrey recorded a grizzly bear with camera traps as it hunted for salmon in the freezing Yukon night and he slept in his car while the temperatures plummeted to -10°C. © Geoffrey Reynaud.
	Food Fight by Vince Maidens, Highly Commended, Behaviour: Birds Vince spent hundreds of hours over the course of three months watching this growing barn owl family in Yorkshire Dales National Park, England. © Vince Maidens.
	Midnight Ramblers by Andrew Interisano, Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife Andrew got to know these coyotes in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, during the Covid-19 pandemic. © Andrew Interisano.