The Royal Meteorological Society has revealed the winners of this year’s Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year competition! Wang Xin has won the overall prize with an image of several red lightning sprites during a thunderstorm in Shanghai. The Young Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year prize was won by Angelina Widmann with an image of rain during an open-air performance of Madame Butterfly in Bregenz, Austria.

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2024

Wang Xin, Sprites Dancing in the Dark Night

‘Photographer Wang Xin had to be extremely patient to capture this magnificent example of red sprite lightning in the Chongming District of Shanghai. Much like the ethereal, fairy-like sprites of folklore, red sprites are particularly difficult to see or photograph. The judging panel commented that it is rare to see an image with this extent and number of sprites. As multiple thunderstorms raged around Shanghai, Xin travelled to the Chongming District and adopted a trial-and-error approach by setting up the camera and waiting.

After a few hours, a “faint red figure” flashed in Xin’s eyes and this remarkable image was captured. The elusive sprites only last a few milliseconds, so Xin used a four second exposure to achieve this photo. Sprites occur due to electrical discharge, but unlike ordinary lightning, they occur well above cumulonimbus clouds, approximately 50 miles (80km) above the ground, in a layer of the atmosphere known as the mesosphere. Due to their fleeting nature, sprites are still not well understood, but they have been observed to occur after a strong, positive lightning bolt between the cloud and ground. The red colour comes from changes in the energy of the electrons of nitrogen atoms high in the atmosphere.’

From The Royal Meteorological Society: The Royal Meteorological Society has announced the winners of this year’s Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition.

From a shortlist of 25 images received by entrants from 84 countries, the judges’ winners were chosen by an international panel of experts from the fields of meteorology, photography and journalism, including members of the ITV Weather team. In addition, the public voted for their favourite on the Royal Meteorological Society website.

The Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2024 Title Prize Winner is Wang Xin of Shanghai, China, with the photo ‘Sprites Dancing in the Dark Night’. As multiple thunderstorms raged around Shanghai, Xin travelled to the Chongming District and after a few hours, a “faint red figure” flashed in their eyes and this remarkable image was captured. The judges commented that it is rare to see an image with this extent and number of sprites. Wang Xin wins a £5,000 cash prize.

The Standard Chartered Smartphone Weather Photographer of the Year Winner is Nur Syaireen Natasya Binti Azaharin of Selangor, Malaysia, who had gone out with the expectation of capturing a sunrise but was instead rewarded with this glorious view of smoking volcanoes in East Java, Indonesia.

The judging panel praised the subtlety of the shot, appreciating the combination of the curves of the landscape and the curves of the tree in the foreground with the basin of clouds and the blue sky above. Nur Syaireen Natasya Binti Azaharin wins a cash prize of £2500.

The Standard Chartered Young Weather Photographer of the Year title goes to Angelina Widmann of Bregenz, Austria, whose winning photo ‘Rain Aria’ captured this stunning shot during an open-air performance of Madame Butterfly on the eastern shore of Bodensee (also known as Lake Constance) in Bregenz, Austria. Angelina’s photo wins a cash prize of £750, plus a double page spread in the Week Junior Science+Nature Magazine and a year’s subscription to the magazine.

Standard Chartered Climate Award

New to this year’s competition is the Standard Chartered Climate Award, created to underscore the connection between weather patterns and the broader impacts of climate change, illustrating how these global shifts affect our daily lives.

The winner of the first Standard Chartered Climate Award is Gerson Turelly of Brazil, for the photograph ‘Rowing’. This compelling image shows the centre of Porto Alegre, Brazil, during the devastating Rio Grande do Sul floods in Spring 2024. In this image, a road has turned into a waterway down which a young man paddles his kayak. Gerson notes that the kayaker was headed towards the worst affected areas to help rescue stranded people.

The composition and lighting of the photo were praised by the judging panel, as well as the powerful combination of weather and climate impacts portrayed in the scene. Judges also commented how the picture shows “past, present and future”; flooding has always been something that we must deal with and adapt to, however as climate change increases the intensity of heavy rainfall, flooding will become even more common.

Gerson wins a cash prize of £1000.

The Winner of the Public Favourite is also Gerson Turelly of Brazil, for ‘Rowing’ – a popular photograph with both the judges and public alike.

The 2024 competition saw an increase in entries raising awareness of the impact of climate change on our weather patterns around the world, and the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts and forest fires. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and its impact on the environment and human health significantly affects sustainable economic growth and the future of society.  Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year, hosted by the Royal Meteorological Society, continues to provide an ongoing commentary on the fragility and beauty of the planet.

Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, commented:

“I’m delighted with the variety and quality of this year’s winning photographs which show a real window into the world’s weather and climate, in both its regional differences and its interconnectivity. From African dust impacting on Athens to tranquil weather over volcanoes, from a sudden local downpour to increased intense rainfall and flooding around the world, we are reminded that climate change is impacting on weather patterns everywhere, and that the global community needs to come together to act now and curb any further temperature rise.”

Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered, commented:  

“The winning images in this year’s competition tell a powerful story about our planet and the extraordinary force of extreme weather events. Many of the images draw urgent attention to the impact of our changing climate on communities and biodiverse habitats around the world. This is particularly true of the winner of our inaugural Climate Award, Gerson Turelly, with an image of the devastating flooding in Porto Alegre, Brazil. As headline sponsors of the Weather Photographer competition, we hope to raise further awareness about the threat posed by rising temperatures and associated extreme weather events. Congratulations to all the winners and runners-up, and thank you to everyone who entered.”