PARTING SHOT | When the sky becomes the artist

When all else fails, talk about the weather — and photograph it too. Like death and taxes, it’s something we can all relate to — it belongs to everyone, arrives uninvited and won’t perform on command. When we had more imagination, we thought we could discern God in the weather — briefly revealed in lightning and brimstone or with delicate halos rimming the sun. The trick, of course, is to be there to capture the show.

That’s the challenge behind the Royal Meteorological Society’s Weather Photographer of the Year 2026, which has opened entries for photographers around the world. Now in its second decade, the free-to-enter competition has grown into one of the world’s most respected showcases of weather photography, celebrating images that capture not only the beauty of the atmosphere but also its increasing unpredictability in a changing climate.

Whether it’s a perfectly formed rainbow arching over a city skyline, a menacing supercell rolling across farmland or mist creeping through a mountain pass, the competition invites photographers of every level — from professionals to enthusiastic amateurs — to submit the moments when they were lucky (or dedicated) enough to be in the right place at the arguably wrong time.

Weather is a tricky yet fascinating subject for photographers — it doesn’t stay still. Unlike landscapes or portraits, clouds evolve by the second, storms gather unexpectedly, and shafts of sunlight disappear without warning. The best weather photographs are the result not only of technical skill but also patience, timing and dedication.

As our climate changes, these images play an increasingly important role in helping people understand and engage with the science behind weather and climate.” — Professor Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society

The competition’s dedicated Climate Award has become significant, recognising images that tell the bigger story of a warming planet. While weather and climate are often confused, photography has proved to be one of the most powerful ways of translating scientific reality into something immediate and relatable. A photograph of a flooded street, a drought-stricken landscape or a glacier in retreat often communicates more viscerally than pages of statistics can.

“The Weather Photographer of the Year competition continues to showcase the remarkable ways in which weather shapes our world, from moments of natural beauty to events of significant impact,” says Professor Liz Bentley, chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society. “As our climate changes, these images play an increasingly important role in helping people understand and engage with the science behind weather and climate.”

The 2026 competition includes four categories: the overall Weather Photographer of the Year, which carries a £1,500 (R32,600) prize; Mobile Weather Photographer of the Year for images captured on a smartphone or tablet; the Climate Award; and the popular Public Favourite, decided by a global public vote.

South African photographers should feel encouraged. The country’s extraordinary diversity of landscapes — from Highveld electrical storms and Karoo dust devils to Cape winter fronts and subtropical cloud formations — provide plenty of source material for dramatic weather photography. In recent years, local photographers have consistently featured among the competition’s finalists and shortlisted entrants.

Entries for the 2026 competition are open until August 20, with the shortlist announced on October 22 before the winners are revealed on November 17.

The competition may ultimately be about photography, but its real subject is wonder. These talented image makers don’t look at the weather as just tomorrow’s forecast. They see it as the Earth’s greatest performance, staged daily above our heads, with no two shows ever the same.