23 amazing photos of the winners of the World Nature Photography Award

Japanese macaques, Awaji Island, Japan, Gold Winner, Behavioral Mammal Category: These monkeys form … [+] gatherings consisting of at most individuals. It starts with mother and baby cuddling. Then other females and males join in, as well as other petting groups. Here’s a rare moment during the lactation season when three pairs of monkeys huddled together after grooming. Most Avaji monkeys are non-aggressive and when raising their babies, mothers form individual communities that have no social hierarchies.

Photo: Hidetoshi Ogata, Japan – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

From the furry to the tender and terrifying, the nature images winning this year’s World Nature Photography Awards (VNPA) capture a spectacular moment of life on our precious and endangered planet.

A mud-coated crocodile surveying its surroundings with a piercing yellow eye in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park by German photographer Jens Kuhlmann won the $1,000 top prize.

Crocodile, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, Gold Winner, Animal Portraits and Grand Prize Winner.

Photo: Jens Cullmann, Germany – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

“This photograph is the result of my survey of the largest pool in the Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, at a time when a long drought has reduced the pool to rapidly drying mud,” explains Jens Kuhlmann.

“I had to be very careful not to disturb the crocodile, even though it was buried in dry mud. They will launch themselves with tremendous speed and force at any animal foolish enough to get too close.”

During the dry season, temperatures can reach 45 degrees Celsius, and crocodiles will try to reduce their body temperature by burrowing into the mud. A giant crocodile like this could survive submerged for a month without eating, living off its fat reserves. This is a process known as aestivation.

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The overall winner and the gold, silver and bronze winners in the various categories were selected from thousands of entries received from 45 countries on six continents.

“When great science and great art are combined, incredible things can be achieved,” the organizers said.

“Congratulations to all our winners and our deepest thanks for capturing such spectacular images of our precious planet,” said Adrian Dinsdale, co-founder of the VNPA. “Once again, we hope it will provide great motivation for all of us to do all we can to protect the Earth for future generations.”

After announcing the winners, VNPA officially opened the call for applications for this year.

The World Nature Photography Awards was founded in the belief that we can all make small efforts to shape the future of our world in a positive way and that photography can influence people to see the world from a different perspective and change their own habits for good. planets.

From landscape photography to animals in their habitats, photojournalism and human interaction with nature, there are 14 categories in the competition which is open to entry.

See all the winning images here.

Animal portraits

Bison, Canyon Junction, Yellowstone National Park, Montana, USA, Silver Winner. Portrait category.

Photo: Mike Darter, USA – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Seaweed, Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach, Florida, bronze winner of the Portraits category.

Phoro: Andre Johnsom US – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Behavior: mammals

African Savannah Elephant, Marakele National Park, Limpopo, South Africa, Bronze Winner, Behavior: … [+] Category of mammals.

Stafan Vidstrand, Sweden – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

An African savannah elephant, Locodonta africana, camouflages itself behind undergrowth in the Marataba Private Game Reserve, Marakele National Park in Limpopo, South Africa.

The elephant went behind the bushes in an apparent attempt to hide from Widstrand’s car. The car stopped so the passengers could watch, and the animals seemed to realize that its cover had been blown. It went peacefully.

These elephants are endangered, according to the IUCN Red List.

Behavior: Amphibians and reptiles

Ride On You, Japanese Toad, Owase Mountains, Mie, Japan, Gold Winner, Behavior: Amphibian … [+] and the category of reptiles.

Photo: Norihiro Ikuma, Japan – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The Japanese brook frog lives deep in the Owase Mountains of Mie, Japan, and descends from the mountains into the river only when it’s time to spawn.

Behavior: birds

I’m Coming for You, Male Hooded Merganser, Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, Virginia, Gold Winner, … [+] Behavior: category of birds

Photo: Charles Schmidt, USA – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

A male Hooded Merganser flies and heads directly towards the photographer. “I was watching a pair of Hooded Mergansers waiting for them to take off,” recalls Charles Schmidt. “Ducks will often start swimming faster when they are getting ready to fly.”

Linking, Red-billed Frog, Zimanga, South Africa, Silver Winner, Behavior: Bird Category

Photo: Tamas Aranjosi, Hungary – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Behavior: Invertebrates

Ghost Rock, Red Crab, La Gomera Island, Spain, Gold Winner, Behavior: Invertebrates … [+] category

Photo: Javier Eranz Casellas, Spain, WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

The red crab on the island of La Gomera, Spain, appears surrounded by a thin curtain of water created by sea waves when it hits the rocks where it searches for small crustaceans and plants to feed on.

Black and white

Gratitude, Lesser Antillean Iguana, Grenada Island, West Indies, Gold Winner, Black and White… [+] category

Photo: Alain Enoult, France – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Blessing, Elephants in Savuti, Botswana, bronze winner, black and white category

Photo: Jules Oldroid, UK – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Natural art

Underwater Colorful Snowstorm, Red Sea Spawning Corals, Gold Winner, Natural Art Category

Photo: Tom Shlesinger, Israel – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Corals are animals and so they reproduce to create new generations of baby corals.

Usually, at the same time, thousands of corals of a particular species along hundreds of kilometers of reef reproduce by spawning bundles of eggs and sperm together in the open sea. These beams will be carried away by the currents, mixing in the water until they finally meet the match. The sperm will fertilize the egg and a new life will be created.

However, catching coral spawn is a tough job because it usually only happens once a year, in a certain month, on a certain night of the month and at a certain hour of the night for a very short period of just a few minutes.

In this photo, a close-up of a branching coral produces pink bundles of eggs and sperm.

Red Spider Mites, Cooch Behar, India, Silver Winner, Natural Art Category

Photo: Anirban Dutta, India – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

This is a unique presentation of the red spider. “I found these mites in my yard during the Covid-19 lockdown period,” said Anirban Dutta. “They are very small in size, approximately 1-2 millimeters, and make a silky web to escape from predators.

As a macro photographer, I always tried to look for and show the unique and invisible small world. This is a multiple exposure shot. I took five shots from different angles and combined them into one.”

On the Way to Mars, Flamingos Lake Magadi, Kenya, Bronze Winner, Natural Art category

Photo: Silke Hullman, Germany – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Under water

Harlequin Shrimp Himanocer, Lembeh Strait, Indonesia, Gold Winner, Underwater Category

Adriano Morettin, Italy – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

A pair of Harlequin shrimp, Himanocera picta, photographed with their snouts on the blue starfish Linkia laevigata in Lembeh Strait, Indonesia.

Caviar, male Eastern Geese carrying eggs in mouth, Sydney, Australia, Silver Winner, … [+] Underwater category

Photo: Talia Grace, Australia – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Small Seahorse Arborek Island, Raja Ampat, Indonesia Bronze Winner, Underwater Category

Photo: Juho Karhu, Finland – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Plants and mushrooms

Tree of Life, Eucalyptus, Mount Barker, Western Australia, Gold Winner, Plant and Mushroom Category

Photo: Julie Kenny, Australia – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

“The tree is considered a sacred symbol, which has significant meanings in both religious and spiritual philosophy,” said Julie Kenny. “From above, the surrounding sheep tracks combined with a fallen tree reminded me of the Tree of Life.” While the aerial perspective is focused on the earth, you can see the collected water in the sheep tracks reflecting hints of blue from the sky and communicating the interconnectedness of all things, beginnings and endings, the cycle of life.”

Fungus Horizon, Micenas fungi, Recarei, Paredes, Portugal, bronze winner, plant and mushroom category

Photo: Antonio Coelho, Portugal – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Landscapes and environment of the planet Earth

Grand Teton Peaks, Wyoming, Gold Winner, Planet Earth Landscape and Environment category

Photo: Jake Mosher, USA – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

“17. “In June 2021, I hiked, snowshoeed and climbed to the top of 11,000-foot Table Mountain in Wyoming to photograph the Milky Way over the Grand Teton summit,” said Jake Mosher. “Although these iconic mountains have been photographed tens of thousands of times, I wanted to show a completely unique view of them.” I was treated to one of the most spectacular displays of airglow I have ever seen, aurora-like and created from photo-charged particles, but spanning much of the horizon.

Parallel Universe, Laguna Colorada, Bolivia, Silver Winner, Landscapes of Planet Earth and … [+] environment category

Photo: Beatrice Vaughan, Hong Kong – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Urban wildlife

Home of Kestrel, Common Kestrel, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, Gold Winner, Urban Game… [+] category

Photo: Vladislav Tasev, UK – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

A male kestrel sits in his nest, a dilapidated tall and rusty street lamp that has become the birds’ home. “I took a picture of the sunset to see the rust, the lamps and the bird in natural light,” said Vladislav Tasev. “The photo was taken in Stara Zagora near the University of Thrace, in an abandoned parking lot near a small forest.

Aerial Competition, Two White-tailed Eagles Vladivostok, Russia, Bronze Winner, Urban Wildlife … [+] category

Photo: Nitin Michael, UAE – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Nature photojournalism

Injured, Australian fur seal, Port Kembla, NSW, Australia Gold winner, Nature photojournalism … [+] category

Photo: Nicolas & Lena Remi, Australia – WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

An Australian seal in Port Kembla, Australia shows severe injuries from a boat propeller.