Public voting at the exhibition for the first time
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is one of the most popular exhibitions and a regular fixture in the Natural History Museum’s calendar. This prestigious award and the exhibition that surrounds it offers a fantastic glimpse into the best of wildlife photography.
Since 2018 the categories have been expanded to include a People’s Choice Awards. Whereas the other categories are chosen by an expert panel, the People’s Choice is decided by the public. In previous years this has felt detached from the other categories - whereas other categories are decided before the exhibitions run, the People’s Choice is decided during it on the website - meaning that the images get less exposure inside the actual exhibition.
For the 58th edition of the award and exhibition things have changed though. We have designed and built bespoke software to sit inside an installation which has pride of place in the centre of the exhibition. It allows visitors to scroll through the entries for the People’s Choice award and cast their vote. This is linked to the website voting system, and regularly updates to show the favourite images across web and in gallery.
The software was designed and built to be in harmony with a redesigned exhibition gallery, and the team took care to work with architects and selection team to create a blended experience.
Commissioned for the 2022 edition of the award, it contributed to record 40,466 votes being recorded, as Dr Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum says: “This year’s record number of votes illustrates how wildlife photography can engage and inspire audiences with the wonder of nature.”
The software is designed to be reusable, and NHM staff have been able to update for subsequent editions of the award.
