The world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will return to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) on Saturday, December 16, 2017. Featuring 100 original, awe-inspiring images, the exhibition showcases the world’s best nature photography – from fascinating animal behavior to breath-taking landscapes -- depicting the artistry and technical excellence of the craft. Representing its fifth consecutive presentation at the ROM, the exhibition reflects the Museum’s commitment to showcasing art, culture and nature through a contemporary lens and, by building on the Museum’s expertise, inspiring a deeper appreciation for the diversity of our natural world.
This year’s Grand Title Winner, Memorial to a Species by Brent Stirton of South Africa, has received international recognition for exposing the tragic consequences of the illegal international trade in rhino horns, and will be the centerpiece of the ROM’s presentation. Also included in this year’s exhibition is The Hairy Raincoat by Alberta’s Josiah Launstein. Josiah is a return WPY finalist whose photo appears in the impressive11 to14-year-old category.
Unique to the ROM’s presentation of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2017 is an original, interactive, monarch butterfly installation, created by ROM visitors. As the ROM is renowned for its monarch expertise dating back to pioneering entomologist Dr. Fred Urquart, the exhibition features an ever-growing butterfly swarm that explores the ROM's connection to the discovery of monarch butterfly migration patterns, and how photography is a form of citizen science that contributes to how we track species populations.
