The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is now accepting applications for its annual Veterinary Photographer of the Year competition.
Now in its eight year, the competition showcases vets’ images of their daily lives, colleagues, animals they care for and wildlife they encounter.
It is open to BVA members of all photography levels and the photos, which must be original and belong to the applicant, can be taken with any device – from digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras to smartphones.
Applications will be accepted until 5:00p.m on March 12.
This year the competition has a brand-new category focusing on vets at work, chosen by BVA president Malcolm Morley.
“This year, we would love to see how our members can use their passion for photography to capture the essence of our profession,” Morley said.
“This is an opportunity to show what life as a vet is really like, to capture the hard work and challenges on camera but also to demonstrate the kindness, skills and compassion of our incredible colleagues – as well as the amazing animals they care for.”
The full description of the three categories eligible for entry is as follows:
- Vets at work: What does life as a veterinary surgeon look like? Capturing the day-to-day life of a vet and the veterinary team in any capacity;
- All creatures great and small: An opportunity to explore the vast diversity of the animal kingdom: domestic, agricultural and all aspects of wildlife;
- Happy pets that make us smile: Reflecting the joy of a happy, contented animal.
Last year, Peter Orpin won the ‘All creatures great and small’ category with his photo ‘Who’s arrived’, which captured a Gentoo penguin in Antarctica standing in front of a large ship just three weeks before lockdown in 2020.
The ‘Happy pets which make us smile’ category was won by Bob Lehner, with his image ‘Chick Lit’, which showed him and his pet hen Hopalong Cassidy enjoying a good book together.
Images by the finalists will be displayed at this year’s BVA Live, taking place in Birmingham in May, where the winners will be announced.
The nine finalists will receive a free ticket to the event and winning photos will also be eligible for £250 worth of John Lewis vouchers.
“We are so excited to see the stunning entries start to pour in and look forward to announcing the winner at this year’s BVA Live event in May,” Morley added.
Application forms can be found on the BVA website.
