Foreboding clouds, snow-kissed countrysides, and clashes of seasons. The winners of this year’s Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition showcase our planet’s volatile beauty.
Photographer Gerson Turelly took home the competition’s inaugural Standard Chartered Climate Award, which was implemented to document the connection between weather patterns and the broader implications of climate change. Turelly’s photograph (below) shows a kayaker navigating the streets of Porto Alegre, Brazil after destructive floods pummeled the area last spring.
Climate Award
This compelling image shows the centre of Porto Alegre, Brazil, during the devastating Rio Grande do Sul floods in Spring 2024. In this image, a road has turned into a waterway down which a young man paddles his kayak. Gerson notes that the kayaker was headed towards the worst affected areas to help rescue stranded people.
Credit: Gerson Turelly
The Royal Meteorological Society announced the winners, selected by a panel of experts from the fields of meteorology, photography and journalism. This year, the competition received entries from photographers in 84 countries.
“I’m delighted with the variety and quality of this year’s winning photographs which show a real window into the world’s weather and climate, in both its regional differences and its interconnectivity,” judge and Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society Liz Bentley said. “From African dust impacting on Athens to tranquil weather over volcanoes, from a sudden local downpour to increased intense rainfall and flooding around the world, we are reminded that climate change is impacting on weather patterns everywhere, and that the global community needs to come together to act now and curb any further temperature rise.”
Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2024
As multiple thunderstorms raged around Shanghai, Xin travelled to the Chongming District and after a few hours, a “faint red figure” flashed in their eyes and this remarkable image was captured. The judges commented that it is rare to see an image with this extent and number of sprites.
Credit: Wang Xin
Smartphone Third Place
Peter held his camera phone steady through a turbulent landing at Seattle- Tacoma International Airport to capture this complete circular rainbow. Our judges enjoyed how the image “encapsulates the spirit of smartphone photography” in its opportunism. The circular rainbow would have been there for just a second and Peter captured it.
Credit: Peter Reinold Peter Reinold
Young Weather Photographer Third Place
Lincoln grabbed his camera and took this picture from his house in Austin, Texas, as a thunderstorm began rolling in. The Gulf of Mexico is warming rapidly due to climate change, boosting the supply of moist air and raising the potential of intense storms in the region.
Credit: Lincoln Wheelwright
Main Title Runner up
A spectacular display of hoar frost over the Derwent Valley, UK. Judges loved the colours and light in Andy’s photo, as well as the sense of layers provided by the rolling hills, the different types of trees and the thin layers of mist. As one judge put it: “The more you stare at it, the more you see.”
Credit: Andy Gray
Smartphone Runner Up
The influence of Saharan dust on Athens during April 2023 and is a reminder of the interconnectivity of weather conditions around the world, an aspect that particularly impressed the judges.
Credit: Lesley Hellgeth
Young Weather Photographer Runner Up
A panoramic image of Cuckmere Valley in East Sussex. The judging panel noted how the photograph seems to contain two seasons: summer on the left and autumn on the right. The beauty of the sky contrasted with the flooding on the ground is a reminder of both the wonder and misery the sky can bring.
Credit: Ellis Skelton
Standard Chartered Smartphone Weather Photographer of the Year Winner
[The photographer] had gone out with the expectation of capturing a sunrise but was instead rewarded with this glorious view of smoking volcanoes in East Java, Indonesia. The judging panel praised the subtlety of the shot, appreciating the combination of the curves of the landscape and the curves of the tree in the foreground with the basin of clouds and the blue sky above.
Credit: Nur Syaireen Natasya Binti Azaharin
Young Weather Photographer of the Year
[Windmann’s] winning photo captured this stunning shot during an open-air performance of Madame Butterfly on the eastern shore of Bodensee (also known as Lake Constance) in Bregenz, Austria.
Credit: Angelina Widmann
