The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) has announced the 30 finalists for the Weather Photographer of the Year 2026 competition. The shortlist features a variety of atmospheric phenomena, including a triple lightning strike over New York City, a tornado in Colorado, and glacial calving in Argentina.
The competition, now in its second decade, received more than 5,500 entries. A panel of judges, including RMetS Chief Executive Liz Bentley, selected the finalists based on their ability to connect viewers with weather patterns and the impacts of a changing climate. The public is invited to vote for their favorite image to determine the "Public Favorite" winner.
The shortlist includes several captures of severe weather. William Huxley Eades was recognized for two images: a supercell thunderstorm over Port Macquarie, Australia, and an EF-2 tornado near Akron, Colorado, photographed on May 23, 2025. Dan Martland’s entry depicts three lightning bolts striking simultaneously over the New York City skyline. Other images document environmental shifts, such as Brendan Chan’s photograph of wildfire smoke obscuring Manhattan and Thomas Ruimou Yu’s shot of ice breaking off the Perito Moreno glacier.
This competition involves photographers across 13 countries, providing a platform for those documenting meteorological events. For the 5,500 entrants and 30 finalists, the contest offers recognition from the Royal Meteorological Society. For the public, the images provide a visual record of documented weather phenomena, ranging from localized events like tornadoes to environmental changes such as retreating glaciers and wildfire-induced haze.
The scale of the competition involves thousands of participants and reaching a global audience through public voting. While the source does not report specific cash prizes, it establishes a venue for photographers to demonstrate the technical difficulty of capturing rapid-onset events like lightning or tornadoes. These images serve as a bridge between scientific climate data and public perception, illustrating impacts of atmospheric instability in both urban and rural environments.
The effects of the competition include the promotion of meteorological science and climate awareness. By highlighting phenomena like temperature inversions in Spain or crepuscular rays in China, the RMetS uses the finalists' work to explain the physics of the atmosphere to a non-scientific audience. Public voting on the RMetS website remains open until 11:59 p.m. GMT on November 5, 2026. The category winners and the public favorite will be announced on November 17, 2026.