Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Your chance to gaze at some wonders of natural world - in a Yorkshire country house

Wildlife Photographer of the Year – the world-renowned exhibition, now in its 60th year and on loan from the Natural History Museum in London – is currently on display at Sewerby Hall near Bridlington.

Launched in 1965, the competition’s appeal has spread so that today it attracts and receives entries from up to 117 countries and territories all over the world.

Organisers at the Natural History Museum hope that by sending the exhibition out on tour, over a million visitors will have the chance to see the breathtaking photographs.

Coun Nick Coultish, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s cabinet member for culture, leisure and tourism, said was a delight to be hosting them

"It’s a real pleasure to be hosting the National History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition once more at Sewerby Hall and Gardens,” he said.

‘’The images capture both the beauty and diversity of the natural world, and we hope that visitors will enjoy exploring the fascinating collection on display this year.’’

Chairman of the judging panel Kathy Moran said the selection was a powerful one.

She said: “In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behaviour and conservation issues.

“These images represent the evolution of the competition through the years, from pure natural history to photography that fully embraces representation of the natural world - the beauty and the challenges.

“It is a powerful selection with which to kickstart a milestone anniversary.”

Images included in this year’s competition include a pair of manatees, taken by Jason Gully, and toucans by Antonio Liebana Navarro.

Dr Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, said there were plenty of reasons to celebrate.

He said: “As we celebrate 60 years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, we also celebrate the generations of visitors who have been inspired by the beauty and majesty of its images, and the millions of connections made with nature.”

An activity trail has been cultivated for visitors at Sewerby Hall to follow alongside viewing the images.

Photographer Shane Gross was the overall winner of last year’s competition.

His photograph “The Swarm of Life” depicts western toad tadpoles.

He captured the image while snorkelling in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia in Canada.

Judges described the picture as being “captivated by the mix of light, energy and connectivity between the environment and the tadpoles.”

To celebrate the staging of the exhibition, photographer Steve Race is holding a day of workshops, with a visit to nearby Bempton Cliffs to take photographs of the famous seabird colony of puffins and gannets.

For more information about the site and the exhibition visit sewerbyhall.co.uk