WildArt POTY: Monochrome Category Winners Announced

Csaba Daróczi, Hungary / WildArt POTY

Discover the stand-out images of this unique wildlife photography competition

The WildArt Photographer of the Year puts wildlife photographers at the heart of everything it does. The competition has been designed by wildlife photographers with wildlife photographers in mind – and of course all the judges are wildlife photographers too! It has attracted lots of submissions from photographers around the world, with past category winners coming from Poland, the USA, the UK, Israel and Austria.

There are ten categories in total, running over the first ten months of 2021. Submissions to MONOCHROME were received throughout July. The idea for a category featuring solely monochrome images came from wildlife photographer David Tipling, who is a great admirer of the simplicity of black and white images and advocates for an artistic approach to wildlife photography. The category proved highly popular, with submissions that demonstrated a diverse range of approaches and showcased the potential of monochrome for wildlife photography. The winning entry was by Csaba Tökölyi from Hungary, who will join the winners of the other nine categories to be in with the chance of winning the title of WildArt Photographer of the Year, along with a £3,000 cash prize.

Entries to the next category, MOTION, closed at the end of September but there is still time to apply to the final category of the year, COLOUR. Applications close at the end of October – details on how to enter can be found on the WildArt POTY website.

The competition also strives to make a positive impact on the natural world by supporting various conservation causes – one for each category. Funds are raised through direct donations from entry fees. Entries to the MONOCHROME category helped to raise £219 for the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS), a charity that works to prevent bird poaching in the Mediterranean region. In total, WildArt has raised £2000 for conservation through the competition.

Selected images from the competition will be featured alongside the winning photos in a sleek hardback competition book showcasing this year’s talent. The book will feature a foreword by wildlife photographer Robert Irwin, son of the late Steve Irwin. A limited number of 1000 copies are due to be published in January 2022, so if you want to get your hands on an exclusive print edition commemorating the competition then you’ll have to move fast. Books can be ordered directly through WildArt, who promises to pledge a further £5 for each book sold before publication to the conservation causes it has supported throughout the competition.

Discover the winning entries

MONOCHROME Gold Award Winner (£500 prize):

Csaba Tökölyi, Hungary / WildArt POTY

Title: Whale Shark and Tourists

Fishermen feeding Whale Sharks near Oslob in the Philippines. Snorkelling divers look on in wonder.

Equipment and Settings: Nikon D7200 with Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X DX AF Fisheye lens. Subal ND7200 housing and Inon 240Z underwater strobes. Focal length 10mm; 1/250 second; f/10.; ISO 100.

MONOCHROME Silver Award Winner (£200 prize):

Pål Hermansen, Norway / WildArt POTY

Title: The Magic Moose.

Image of a moose against a starry night sky taken by a sensor triggered camera trap left in a forest for several weeks.

Equipment and Settings: Canon EOS 5D mark III with 24mm f/4 lens. Focal length 24mm; 10 seconds; f/4; ISO 3200.

MONOCHROME Bronze Award Winner (£100 prize):

Lincoln Macgregor, Australia / WildArt POTY

Title: Shadow Monster

The enlarged shadow of a Horn-Eyed Ghost Crab captured as it walks across the sands of Turquoise Bay in Western Australia as the sun sets.

Equipment and Settings: Canon EOS R5 with Canon EF16-35mm f/2.8L III USM lens. Focal length 23mm; 1/3,200 second; f/2.8; ISO 500.

For more information and to explore the other winning images, visit WildArt POTY’s website here.