Science

14 breathtaking wildlife photos from the World Nature Photography Awards


Talia Lakritz

2024-04-01T19:56:53Z


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Two gannets under the water. Shetland Islands.

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Two gannets under the water in the Shetland Islands.

Tracey Lund/World Nature Photography Awards



  • The World Nature Photography Awards highlight amazing photos of the natural world.
  • Winning photos were chosen in 14 categories including Underwater and Animal Portraits.
  • A photo of gannets fighting over a fish in the Shetland Islands won the contest’s grand prize.
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The World Nature Photography Awards announced the winners of its 2024 contest, highlighting majestic images of animals, landscapes, and scenes from the natural world.

Photographers from six continents submitted thousands of photos to the annual competition. A panel of judges then picked the winners across 14 categories including Underwater, People and Nature, Plants and Fungi, and Animal Portraits.

As part of their efforts to promote sustainability and raise awareness of the climate crisis and its impact on nature, the World Nature Photography Awards team plants a tree for every photo submission received. A tree is also planted for every print sold of a winning photo.

This year’s winner, Tracy Lund, took home the $1,000 cash prize and the title of World Nature Photographer of the Year.

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Here are 14 breathtaking images from this year’s contest.

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Nicolas Remy’s photo of a black anglerfish, taken in Kurnell, Australia, won first place in the contest’s Animal Portraits category.

A black frogfish (or black anglerfish in Australia)

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Location: Kurnell, New South Wales, Australia.

Nicolas Remy/World Nature Photography Awards



Celia Kujala captured a sea lion playing with a piece of trash in Mexico, winning first place in the Nature Photojournalism category.

A sea lion pup in the Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico

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Location: Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico

Celia Kujala/World Nature Photography Awards



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In first place in the Behavior — Mammals category, Alexander Brackx photographed a mother zebra and foal under attack from a cheetah in Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve.

A mother zebra and her foal being attacked by a cheetah. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

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Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Alexander Brackx/World Nature Photography Awards



Jon Seager won first place in the Behavior — Amphibians and Reptiles category with a snapshot of a lava lizard standing on a marine iguana’s head in the Galapagos Islands.

A lava lizard standing on a marine iguana. Galapagos Islands.

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Location: Galapagos Islands.

John Seager/World Nature Photography Awards



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Sally Lightfoot crabs battled waves on the Galapagos Islands in Bill Klipp’s first-place photo in the Behavior — Invertebrates category.

Sally light-foot crabs. Santiago Island, Galapagos Islands.

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Location: Santiago Island, Galapagos Islands.

Bill Klipp/World Nature Photography Awards



Miki Spitzer won first place in the Nature Art category with a photo of Iceland’s topography.

Blue watery veins, glacial braids and golden sediment. Iceland.

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Location: Iceland.

Miki Spitzer/World Nature Photography Awards



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Iceland’s stunning landscapes made another appearance in the Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments category, which Ivan Pedretti won with a photo of Mount Vestrahorn.

Beach and Vestrahorn mountain in Stokksnes, Iceland.

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Location: Stokksnes, Iceland.

Ivan Pedretti/World Nature Photography Awards



The winning photo in the People and Nature category, taken by Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis, shows stilt fishermen in Sri Lanka at sunset.

Traditional stilt fishermen try their luck at sunset. Koggala, Sri Lanka.

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Location: Koggala, Sri Lanka.

Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis/World Nature Photography Awards



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Chatree Lertsintanakorn won the Plants and Fungi category with an image of an owl-shaped organism called Thismia thaithongiana taken in Thailand.

Thismia thaithongiana. Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, Thailand.

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Location: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, Thailand.

Chatree Lertsintanakorn/World Nature Photography Awards



The best Underwater photo, taken by Andy Schmid, showed a female orca swimming through a school of herring in Norway.

A female orca splitting a herring bait ball. Skjervøy, Norway.

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Location: Skjervøy, Norway.

Andy Schmid/World Nature Photography Awards



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Amit Eshel won first place in the Animals In Their Habitat category, capturing Nubian ibex battling at the edge of a cliff in Israel.

Nubian Ibex. Negev desert, Israel

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Location: Negev Desert, Israel.

Amit Eshel/World Nature Photography Awards



In the Black and White category, Richard Li’s photo of a leopard at the edge of a pond in Kenya won first place.

A leopard in East Rift Valley, Kenya.

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Location: East Rift Valley, Kenya.

Richard Li/World Nature Photography Awards



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A sunbird took up residence inside a broken dragon mobile in Israel in this winning Urban Wildlife photo by Roy Wiesner.

A female sunbird in a dragon decoration. Be'er Ora, Israel.

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Location: Be’er Ora, Israel.

Roy Wiesner/World Nature Photography Awards



Tracy Lund won the Behavior — Birds category, as well as the title of World Nature Photographer of the Year, with her photo of two gannets fighting over a fish in the Shetland Islands.

Two gannets under the water. Shetland Islands.

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Two gannets under the water in the Shetland Islands.

Tracey Lund/World Nature Photography Awards



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