9-yr-old Shreyovi Mehta named runner-up in Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

New Delhi: A chance encounter with two peahens on a morning stroll through the forests of Keoladev National Park in Bharatpur has put nine-year-old Shreyovi Mehta in the annals of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.

The 60th edition of the prestigious award by Natural History Museum (NHM) has named Mehta runner-up in the ’10 Years and Under’ category.

Titled “In the Spotlight”, Mehta’s photo showed a pair of peahens, silhouetted under a canopy of trees at Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, India.

Mehta’s image was one of the nearly 60,000 photographs by participants of all ages and experience levels from 117 countries and territories.

Talking about receiving the recognition, Mehta said she wants to continue practising wildlife photography.

“I am glad that my image of our national bird has been given recognition by Natural history Museum at the biggest stage of wildlife photography. I will continue to practice so that one day even our national animal – the tiger gets the same recognition,” Mehta told PTI.

The class five student from Faridabad will receive a medal at an award ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London on October 8.

“In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behavior 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,” Kathy Moran, chair of the judging panel, said in a statement.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition will open at the NHM on October 11 and will run till June 29, 2025.