2026 Weather Photographer of the Year contest opens for entries
Weather shooters have until August 20 to chase a £1,500 top prize, with October shortlist voting and a November 17 reveal adding real urgency.
The next good storm now has a deadline attached to it. The 2026 Weather Photographer of the Year competition opened for entries on June 11, giving photographers a reason to keep an eye on clouds, lightning, rainbows and breaking light through August 20, while the main title carries a £1,500 cash prize.
Run by the Royal Meteorological Society, the contest is open to photographers worldwide and is now entering its second decade. That matters because the appeal goes beyond a standard awards race. RMetS says the competition provides an international platform to raise awareness about environmental issues putting the planet at risk, while showing the fragility and beauty of the planet that needs protecting. The society also describes itself as the leading independent expert for weather and climate, which gives the prize a level of credibility that weather-image contests rarely match.
The structure is broad enough to reward different kinds of work. Alongside Weather Photographer of the Year, the competition includes Mobile Weather Photographer of the Year, Climate Award and Public Favourite. The main and mobile category shortlists will be announced in October, with the public vote opening after that, and winners will be announced on November 17. For anyone working on a run of storm images, that timeline makes this feel less like a one-off submission and more like a short seasonal campaign.
The practical calculation is simple: the cash incentive makes a real difference for amateurs, and the calendar still leaves room to shoot fresh material instead of raiding old folders. In weather photography, the strongest entries usually come from patience as much as gear. A sharp frame of a storm front, a lightning strike, a clean rainbow or a dramatic shaft of sunlight has to arrive at the right moment, and it has to be made safely, with an exit plan and an eye on changing conditions. The contest rewards that mix of timing, fieldcraft and visual control.
Its reach has grown fast. In 2025, RMetS said the contest drew more than 4,000 images from photographers in 84 countries, underlining how quickly a niche weather frame can travel when it lands. The 2024 title went to Wang Xin of Shanghai, China, for Sprites Dancing in the Dark Night, a reminder that this is a competition where atmospheric spectacle and technical precision can beat louder, more conventional subjects.
There is one notable restriction in the 2026 terms and conditions: photographers living in Russia or Belarus are suspended from entering, and photographs taken in those countries will not be judged, citing the war in Ukraine. Even with that limit, the competition still reads as a live assignment for anyone willing to chase weather with purpose. The opening has already happened, and the real race is now to get the right sky on card before August 20.
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