Now in its fifth year, The Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) is calling on photographers of all ages and abilities to enter its annual photography competition, ‘Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’ and ‘Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2020’ in association with AccuWeather, a global weather and leading digital media company. This popular competition attracts entries from around the world and this year’s competition is particularly special as the Society celebrates its 170th Anniversary.

Weather is consistently on people’s minds because it impacts so much of our daily lives. It also lends itself fantastically to photography. In keeping with government and public health authority instructions, staying safe and preventing further spread during the Coronavirus pandemic is critical to staying healthy, and saving lives, and all instructions must be followed while taking part in the competition. Weather photos can be taken from the front doorstep, a window or the back garden and this year, for the first time, there is no date restriction on when photos are taken; so dig deep and scour your archives.

A highly respected panel of judges, including meteorologists, photographers and photo editors will look for images that combine photographic skill with meteorological observation. The competition is free to enter and there are no individual categories. Hashtags are actively encouraged and shortlisted entries will be put to a vote to discover the public’s favourite.

The Royal Meteorological Society Young Weather Photographer of the Year Award 2020 in association with AccuWeather (for photographers 17 and under only) aims to encourage and recognise the younger generation of weather photographers. In this category the judges will choose the image that impresses them most. And there is nothing preventing young photographers from entering the main competition too, as this competition has no age restriction.