Exhibition: Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year, National Museum Cardiff, Cardiff, June 16 – September 19 2012

“There is no magic formula for winning, no hard and fast rules to explain why one photograph wins and another doesn’t,” says Mark Carwardine, the Chair of the judging panel for this famously exotic annual competition which, for the first time last year, drew entries from Cambodia, Moldova, Brunei and Kyrgyzstan.

“The judges are looking for something that stops them in their tracks. All the winning shots have one thing in common – originality.”

Spaniard Daniel Beltrá got the nod last time thanks to an image of eight brown pelicans rescued from an oil spill. More than 40,000 participants are hoping to succeed him this time around in heats open to amateur and professional competitors, organised by the Natural History Museum and BBC Wildlife Magazine.

“The competition plays an increasingly crucial role in raising the profile of wildlife photography and generating awareness of conservation,” adds Carwardine.

“Nothing speaks louder than an evocative photograph that stirs the imagination, tugs at the heart strings and engages the mind."

• Open 10am-5pm (closed Monday, open most Bank Holiday Mondays). Admission free.

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