World’s best on show

National Wool Museum director Padraic Fisher. (Ivan Kemp) 449506_04

The world’s pre-eminent wildlife photography exhibition comes to Geelong this week.

The National Wool Museum will play host to the renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year from the Natural History Museum London from Thursday, December 19 to May 18, 2025.

The exhibition gathers 100 of the best wildlife photos taken in 2024, selected from nearly 60,000 entries from around the globe.

Now in its 60th year, this will be the 11th time Wildlife Photographer of the Year has come to the National Wool Museum.

Museum director Padraic Fisher said it was “an absolute joy and pleasure” to host the exhibition once again.

“To be a partner with this major exhibition globally is really very exciting for us,” Mr Fisher said.

“Some of the artists and photographers have been working a lifetime to capture these images. As photographers, environmentalists and naturalists they spend their careers trying to capture the lives of these animals in action.

“There are 100 (photographers), some as young as 10. It’s an opportunity to see what people are doing around the world, and it’s very accessible.”

Mr Fisher said the exhibition’s underlying message supported the museum’s work toward sustainability.

“A key component of the program is environmental action; the preservation of these species, the preservation of the planet and a call to action for everyone worldwide to take a look at the big world around us,” he said.

“Ethical and sustainable practice is one of the cornerstones of the museum’s work, and this helps us further that, not only on a local level, but also globally.”

The free launch event of Wildlife Photographer of the Year is on Thursday, December 19 from 5pm to 8pm at the National Wool Museum.