Home Photography Shortlist: 2023 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

By AG STAFF
•
June 11, 2023

Neighbour’s Dispute.
Image credit: Ofer Levy

Here are some of the shortlisted images for the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards for 2023, showcasing the year’s best wildlife and landscape photos.

Welcome to the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year collection for 2023.

Our involvement with this competition is very much part of our mission to encourage photography of our region’s landscapes and wildlife. Our region offers so much for any would-be photographer, and not just in our wild and remote areas.The flora and fauna in our backyards and city parks are all worthy subjects too. Photography encourages you to look carefully at the world around you. It increases knowledge and understanding, and raises awareness. Nature photographers are active conservationists, and that is the real power of this competition. Some of us will be looking carefully at the f-stop number or the lens type, but for most, it’s a chance to be inspired by the beauty of nature.

We commend all those who entered (550 amazing photographers) and extend our gratitude to this year’s judges, Mike Langford, Adjunct Professor Wayne Quilliam and Jackie Ranken, who faced an epic task evaluating more than 2000 entries.

And this year it was even harder, with a new category attracting awe-inspiring images. 

“This year we introduced the well-received macro category, with photographers submitting incredible larger-than-life-sized images of nature’s smallest scenes,” says the Museum’s acting director Justine van Mourik.

That meant there were 10 categories this year:

  • Animals in Nature
  • Urban Animals
  • Macro
  • Landscape
  • Threatened Species 
  • Monochrome 
  • Our Impact
  • Junior
  • Portfolio

The South Australian Museum will announce the overall winner, category winners, runners-up and the Portfolio Prize in August. 

Until then, here’s a look at the shortlisted images in the Animals in Nature, Macro and Urban Animals categories. 

Animals in Nature

Estuarine Crocodile by Lewis Burnett.
Weaners. Image creditL Andrew Peacock
Talk to the hand. Image credit: Asher Allison
World’s Deadliest. Image credit: Damien Esquerré
A Bee-eater Rainbow. Image credit: Gary Meredith
Goose Barnacles on the Beach. Image credit: Keith Horton
Somewhere Under the Rainbow. Image credit: David Robinson
Blue Spot. Image credit: Sputnik
The Clown Coral Blennies. Image credit: Pam Osborn
Aftermath. Image credit: Matty Smith
Hang time. Image credit: Nathan Watson
Related: AG Nature Photographer of the Year 2022: Animals in Nature shortlist

Macro

Mellow Gecko. Image credit: Alun Powell
Adolescent Alien. Image credit: Andy Wingate
Nectar of Life. Image credit: Daniel Jones
A Home Among the Polyps. Image credits: Daniel Sly
Turret. Image credit: Garth Travis
Hairy Harry. Image credit: John Magee
Mushroom cyclone. Image credit: Liu Yang
 Blue. Image credit: Mary Gudgeon
Hover flies’ love dance. Image credit: Merrick Bailey
Mr Mohawk. Image credit: Rosa Dunbar
Related: AG Nature Photographer of the Year 2022: Urban Animals shortlist

Urban Animals

Kerb-side snack. Image credit: Douglas Gimesy
Window Shopping. Image credit: Trevor Rix
Emergency exit – run, a giant spider! Image credit: Doug Gimesy
Frog in a Bog. Image credit: Tom Owen Edmunds
Cretaceous Stride. Image credit: Ethan Mann
Galah Play. Image credit: Angela Robertson-Buchanan
Ducks in a Row. Image credit: Hamish Burrell
Anyone for Tennis? Image credit: Natalie Murray
Marching to a Different Drummer. Image credit: Raoul Slater
Related: Shortlist: 2022 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards