The Royal Meteorological Society has opened entries for its Weather Photographer of the Year 2026 competition. This free-to-enter global contest invites photographers of all skill levels to submit images capturing the power, beauty, and impact of weather.
Categories for The Royal Meteorological Society's Weather Photographer of the Year 2026 competition include the main Weather Photographer of the Year prize of £1,500, the Mobile Weather Photographer of the Year for smartphone-captured images with a £500 award, the Climate Award recognizing photography that connects weather with environmental change, and the Public Favourite determined by global online voting.
The competition runs from June 11 to August 20, 2026, with the shortlist announced on October 22 and winners revealed on November 17.
Image Credit: The Gorgeous Ring, Shuchang Dong and Geshuang Chen – Winner of the Main Category, 2025
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Citizen Climate Storytelling
- Crowdsourced weather imagery is expanding the role of everyday photographers in documenting climate impacts, creating new value for platforms that verify, curate, and monetize environmental visual data.
- Smartphone-first Photography
- Mobile capture categories signal a growing market for accessible imaging tools, with opportunities emerging around AI enhancement, weather-aware filters, and creator-focused submission workflows.
- Public-voted Visual Awards
- Global online voting transforms niche competitions into participatory media events, enabling audience data, sponsorship models, and community engagement formats around visual storytelling.
Sectors Adopting This
- Photography
- Photography businesses are seeing new demand for specialized weather, nature, and climate content that blends artistic recognition with commercial licensing potential.
- Meteorology
- Meteorological organizations gain broader public relevance through visual competitions that turn complex atmospheric phenomena into engaging educational and data-rich media assets.
- Digital Media
- Digital media platforms benefit from weather photography’s emotional and shareable qualities, supporting new editorial products, branded contests, and interactive climate storytelling experiences.
