Certainly, the weather is one of the clearest and most extreme representations of the force of nature, capable of both saving and wiping out life on Earth. Celebrating this mighty force in an artistic and creative way is the yearly Weather Photographer of the Year competition organized by the Royal Meteorological Society.
Over 7,700 images were submitted to this year’s contest, and the winning image and title of the Weather Photographer of the Year belong to Rudolf Sulgan and his photo of people crossing the Brooklyn Bridge during a blizzard. As Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, who is also a judge in the competition, described the winning photograph, “The weather affects all of our lives and this picture captures that perfectly”.
Admire this year’s winners and some of the finalists of the competition below, and take a look at the full list on the Royal Meteorological Society's Website, Facebook Page, or Instagram.
1. Overall winner: “Blizzard” by Rudolf Sulgan
People crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, during a blizzard in 2018.
2. Public Favorite: “Baikal Treasure” by Alexey Trofimov
Thick sheets of ice peeking through the snow-covered landscape of Lake Baikal, at Cape Kotelnikovsky.
3. Finalist: “A Thirsty Earth” by Abdul Momin
People walking through dry fields as shortcuts from one village to another during the drought season.
4. Finalist: “Dam Wet” by Andrew McCaren
Rainwater pouring over the Wet Sleddale dam during a heavy rainstorm in March 2019, in Cumbria, England.
5. Young Weather Photographer of the Year Runner-up: “Surf's Up” by Emma Rose Karsten
A huge cloud looming over the Lafayette High School in Wildwood, Missouri.
6. Finalist: “Dream” by Sabrina Garofoli
Rays of light shining on the valley of the Adda river in North Italy in mid-autumn. The river looks as if it is flooded with fog.
7. Finalist: “Halo” by Mikhail Kapychka
A lunar halo over the night forest lake in Mogilev, Belarus.
8. Finalist: “Predawn Thunderstorm over El Paso, Texas” by Lori Grace Bailey
A lightning bolt striking the city of El Paso during a thunderstorm on November 6th.
9. Finalist: “Cell with Rainbow” by Šime Barešić
A sudden rainbow emerging in the midst of the heavy clouds at sunset.
10. Young Weather Photographer of the Year: “Frozen Life” by Kolesnik Stephanie Sergeevna
A green leaf is frozen in water.
11. Finalist: “Sa Foradada Storm” by Marc Marco Ripoll
A thunderstorm over the Sa Foradada rock in Mallorca.
12. Finalist: “Just Walking in the Rain” by Adrian Campfield
Woman running towards the platform at the Waterloo Station in London, England, during a sudden downpour.
13. Finalist: “Ridgeline Optics” by Richard Fox
A fog bow captured near Meall Nan Tarmachan (Hill of the Ptarmigans), Scotland, along the Tarmachan Ridge.
14. First runner-up: “Tea Hills” by Vu Trung Huan
The endless green early morning landscape at Long Coc tea hill in north Vietnam.
15. Second runner-up: “Monster” by Maja Kraljik
A humongous shelf cloud hovers over the bay.
16. Finalist: “El Chaltén” by Francisco Javier Negroni Rodriguez
A lenticular cloud hovering over El Chaltén, Patagonia, in Argentina.
Please share these fascinating photos with others!
