The World Meteorological Organization {WMO} Launches 2021 Calendar Competition

COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented upheaval and changing our lives forever. But it also provides an opportunity to reflect on how we can do more to protect the environment and the planet and to grow back better after the economic downturn.

Many people have commented that they were more aware and appreciative of the beauty of our natural surroundings during the lockdown.

We are therefore really looking forward to high-quality and artistic photographs, and especially those which illustrate the theme of World Meteorological Day 2021, “The Ocean, our climate and weather.”

The Ocean covers 70% of the Earth’s surface and provides resources on which we depend. It is a major driver of the world’s weather and climate and stores more than 90% of excess heat generated by human activities.

It provides endless fascination and inspiration for photographs which demonstrate its amazing beauty and  power and fragility. So we hope you will send us lots of images of the Ocean itself, as well as its effect on our climate and weather and water cycle. The opportunities are endless.

As a U.N. agency, we are keen to encourage a good geographical balance which represents all regions.

Winning entries will feature in the WMO 2021 online calendar. They will be showcased on the WMO website and social media platforms and feature prominently in our World Meteorological Day 2021 celebrations. We will also promote them among other U.N. agencies and showcase them during the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development to be held from 2021-2030

As always, there will be lots of recognition but no financial reward!

Since it was launched in 2014, the WMO calendar competition has gained in stature and recognition. The United Nations regularly features our photos. Some National Meteorological and Hydrological Services also run their own photo contests and feed these entries to WMO.

WMO received many outstanding entries for the 2020 calendar and we thank everyone who participated.

We really look forward to this years’ competition for the 2021 calendar.

How To Enter

Take a striking photo which is related to the Ocean, the weather and climate and meets our submission guidelines. Photographers may submit multiple entries, but only one photo can be included in the final calendar. If you share your photos on your own social media profiles, use the #WMOphoto hashtag.

Fill out the mandatory online ENTRY FORM and attach your photo and submit via a dedicated page on the WMO website. This is obligatory. Don’t forget a short explanatory caption and location for your image! Please provide your social media handles.

Submission Guidelines

• All photos must be a minimum size of 4000×3000 pixels.
• All photos must be submitted in JPEG or TIFF format (with little compression to preserve image quality.
• All photos must be in landscape (horizontal) format.
• Black and white photographs as well as coloured photographs will be accepted.
• All photos must be clearly captioned, including a title, a location and the date of the photograph.

Judging Criteria

Entries will be narrowed down to a shortlist by a WMO panel of experts in meteorology and oceanography as well as experienced professional photographers. Entries will be judged on:

• Technical quality, clarity, and composition
• Visual impact
• Novelty and flair for the unexpected

WMO will make an initial selection of about 50 photographs, based on technical and artistic merit. We will then publish shortlisted photos on Facebook and Instagram, allowing our followers to vote for their favourites. The competition will also be promoted via Twitter and via other U.N. social media accounts.

The WMO jury will have the final say on the 13 photos for inclusion in the calendar (one for the cover and one for each month), based on the social media votes but also taking into account geographical balance.

All shortlisted photographs will be showcased on WMO web and social media channels. It is therefore important that you include your own social media handles so that we can credit you appropriately.

Deadline

The deadline for entry is 15 September 2020. Results will be announced by 16 October 2020.

No cash prize will be offered to winners of the photo contest.