Weather Photograph Contest: Vote Now for the Most Stunning Sky and Ocean Shots of the Year Featuring Jellyfish and Surfers
The Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 competition, run by the U.K.'s Royal Meteorological Society, is in its 10th year and serves as an international platform to raise awareness of environmental issues such as heatwaves, light pollution, extreme flooding, and cyclones. This year's competition showcases the natural world that is often overlooked, with 25 shortlisted photographs that capture the beauty and complexity of our planet. Among these, "Fishing in Raining Season," taken at Myanmar's Inle Lake, stands out. The image illustrates a rich ecosystem and a way of life on Inle Lake, which is under threat. The photograph depicts a rower using the traditional Intha people's distinctive technique, standing at the stern with one leg wrapped around a single oar, navigating through heavy rain. The monsoon climate in Myanmar brings heavy seasonal rains, and fishing remains a vital livelihood, even during storms like the one depicted in the image. Another striking shortlisted photograph is "Sky Surfing," taken by Lukáš Gallo near Vodňany in South Bohemia, Czechia. This image captures Kelvin-Helmholtz wave clouds, a mesmerising natural phenomenon that resembles waves in the sky. One of the most unique entries in the competition is "Jellyfish Invasion in the Sky," by an unidentified photographer. This image depicts altocumulus stratiformis virga clouds resembling jellyfish drifting through the sky. The "virga" in the image refers to precipitation that falls from the cloud base but evaporates or sublimates before reaching the ground. Yevhen Samuchenko, a Ukrainian photographer, captured the image titled "The Birth of a New Universe" in Iceland. This photograph showcases layers of land, water, ice, and sky in a single shot, creating a breathtaking visual of the planet's raw beauty. The competition is open for public votes from now until October 16. Cash prizes will be given to five winners in an October 30 announcement once all the votes have been counted. The competition aims to inspire people to appreciate the natural world and to take action to protect it. For those who want to make a difference, voting for their favourite photographs in the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 competition is a small yet significant step towards raising awareness of environmental issues affecting our planet. And for the photographer whose image is chosen as the winning entry, it could be the start of a journey that brings about real change.
