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Nature

The 2021 World Nature Photography Award winners are stunning

Here are 13 of the best shots.

Tom Vierus/World Nature Photography Awards

The World Nature Photography Awards announced the winners of its 2021 photo contest and Amos Nachoum from the United States won the top cash prize award of $1,000 for his image of a leopard seal about to capture a defenseless gentoo penguin. Three years later, the images are still unforgettable.

Getting the photo was no easy task. Nachoum had to wait for hours on the remote island of Plano, off the Antarctic Peninsula, for the right moment at low tide when the seals entered a lagoon to catch their prey. Unfortunately, the photo is one of the last moments of the young penguin’s life. “The terrified penguin tried to escape as the game continued. But soon, the end came,” Nachoum said in a statement.

Other winners include a remarkable shot of a humpback whale just outside New York City, a majestic photo of an orangutan in a river and an arctic fox braving the frozen tundra in Iceland.

The photographs are a wonderful example of the dedication and care taken by nature photographers, but they’re also a reminder of our duty to care for the environment.

“The World Nature Photography Awards were founded in the belief that we can all make small efforts to shape the future of our planet in a positive way and that photography can influence people to see the world from a different perspective and change their own habits for the good of the planet. 2021’s competition saw entries come in from 20 countries across 6 continents,” the World Nature Photography Awards said in a press release.

Here are all 13 of the photographers who won gold in the 2021 contest.

World Nature Photographer of the Year and Gold Winner in "Behavior - Mammals" — Amos Nachoum, USA

Amos Nachoum/World Nature Photography Awards

"For hours, I waited for the low tide to arrive along a shallow lagoon on a remote island off the Antarctic Peninsula. Like clockwork, the leopard seal arrived in the lagoon just before low tide. It put its head in the water and looked just like a rock sitting in the receding water. The young Gentoo penguins only dare to enter the water when it is shallow and when they got close enough to the seal, it turned its head at lightning speed, catching one of the penguins by its feet and taking it to deep water. Once the seal reached open water, I followed it and swam parallel to it, observing its actions. To my surprise, it let go of the penguin twice. Each time, the seal chased after the penguin again, as if it was enjoying the game. The terrified penguin tried to escape as the game continued. But soon, the end came."

Gold Winner in "Animal Portraits" — Tom Vierus, Fiji

Tom Vierus/World Nature Photography Awards

"Long-tailed macaques enjoy the warmth of each other during a hot day in Bali, Indonesia. These animals show very similar behaviour to us humans including enjoying each other trusting company. The macaques are used to humans and are commonly found around temples where they tend to feed on food sacrifices by the locals."

Gold Winner in "Behavior - Amphibians and Reptiles" — Shayne Kaye, Canada

Shayne Kaye/World Nature Photography Awards

"This shot came out of a 'nothing' outing to a local park. It was the middle of a sunny summer day with harsh light and little activity. After going out with low expectations, I came across this tiny Pacific Tree Frog on a flower. After waiting for it to move into a more photogenic position on the flower, and trying repeatedly to catch the mottled light through the tree’s leaves above it at exactly the right spot, I got exactly what I was hoping for. It proved to me that there’s really no bad time to head into nature with a camera!"

Gold Winner in "Behavior - Birds" — Ashok Behera, India

via Ashok Behera/World Nature Photography Awards

"A wildebeest’s eyes being gorged by an African vulture, keenly watched by an African fox for an opportunity to scavenge. Taken at Masai Mara, Kenya."

Gold Winner in "Behavior - Invertebrates" — Chin Leong Teo, Singapore

via Chin Leong Teo/World Nature Photography Awards

"The common red ant is ingenious at traversing terrain. When front scout ants encounter a water obstacle, they intuitively form an "ant-bridge" with their bodies, so that their ant-mates at the back of the party can cross."

Gold Winner in "Nature Art" — Federico Testi, Italy

Federico Testi/World Nature Photography Awards

"The natural creativity of San Quirico d'orcia, in Tuscany, Italy. Waves, shapes and tone created by light, in harmony with the universe."

Gold Winner in "People and Nature" — Sabrina Inderbitzi, Switzerland

Sabrina Inderbitzi/World Nature Photography Awards

"I crawled into this ice cave on the totally frozen Lake Baikal in Russia. First I didn't like the fact that the car and the people were in the middle of my picture, but then on a second view I found it just perfect."

Gold Winner in "Plants and Fungi" — Gautam Kamat Bambolkar, India

Gautam Kamat Bambolkar/World Nature Photography Awards

"Entrance to a room inside an abandoned house in Goa, India. It is fascinating how mother nature takes over from where man has left."

Gold Winner in "Urban Wildlife" — Matthijs Noome, USA

Matthijs Noome/World Nature Photography Awards

"Finally got the shot I wanted: a humpback's fluke with the New York City downtown skyline in the distance. As water quality measures and conservation efforts have started to show real results over the last years, humpback whales are becoming a common sight more and more in New York waters."

Gold Winner in "Planet Earth's Landscapes and Environments" — Sam Wilson, Australia

Sam Wilson/World Nature Photography Awards

"Travelling down random dirt roads can be so rewarding when you are greeted with scenes like this. Taken on South Island, New Zealand."

Gold Winner in "Black and White" — Vince Burton, United Kingdom

Vince Burton/World Nature Photography Awards

"A recent trip to Iceland where we were lucky to view and photograph the rare 'blue morph' Arctic fox. The weather conditions were extreme, but that didn't seem to bother the fox."

Gold Winner in "Animals in Their Habitat" — Thomas Vijayan, Canada

Thomas Vijayan/World Nature Photography Awards

"Mature male orangutans have large flappy cheek-pads, known as flanges, a throat sac used to make loud verbalisations called long calls. Once they reach maturity, they spend most of their time alone, about 90%. I was lucky enough to get this fully-grown, matured orangutan giving me the best pose possible."

Gold Winner in "Nature Photojournalism" — Alain Schroeder, Belgium

Alain Schroeder/World Nature Photography Awards

"Sibolangit, SOCP Quarantine Centre, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The whole SOCP team works together to prepare Brenda, an estimated 3-month-old female orangutan (she has no teeth yet), for surgery. A sedative is administered, the arm is shaved, her temperature is taken, while others hold her head or her hand out of compassion for the baby. During the three-hour procedure, Dr. Andreas Messikommer, a renowned orthopaedic surgeon invited from Switzerland, will place a pin and screws to secure the damaged humerus. Brenda was confiscated from a villager in Blang Pidie on the west coast of Aceh who was keeping her as a pet."

This article originally appeared three years ago.

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Science

15 of the best entries in the 2022 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards contest

Every single one is a winner.

A waving raccoon and a sassy squirrel.

Since 2015, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has highlighted the funniest photos taken by some of the world’s best photographers. The competition was started by Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE and Tom Sullam to create a competition that focused on the lighter, humorous side of wildlife photography while assuming an essential role in promoting wildlife conservation.

“With so much going on in the world, we could all use a bumper dose of fun and laughter and this year’s finalists have definitely delivered that! When you see these amazing photographs like the one of an elephant seal, trying to use his neighbour’s head as a pillow (and we’ve all been there) or a wallaby at sunset, seemingly about to launch another wallaby into space, it makes you smile and wonder at the incredible animals that are on this earth with us, and we love that about the competition,” Sullam said in a press release.

This year, the competition supports the U.K. charity Whitley Fund for Nature, which supports conservation leaders working in their home countries across the global south. Over the past 29 years, it has channeled £20 million ($22.4 million) to more than 200 conservationists in 80 countries.

This year, the Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards has chosen 40 finalists. Here are 15 of the best.

1. "Jumping Jack" (red squirrel) by Alex Pansier, Netherlands

"A red squirrel jumps during a rainstorm, so you can see the drops flying around."

2. "Talk to the fin!" (gentoo penguins) by Jennifer Hadley, U.S.A.

"This was shot on the Falkland Islands. These two gentoo penguins were hanging out on the beach when one shook himself off and gave his mate the snub."

3. "The wink" (American red fox) by Kevin Lohman, U.S.A.

"An American Red Fox casually walked up to the edge of the woods and sat down, then turned around and gave a wink. Moments later, this sly fox disappeared into the trees."

4. "Hello everyone" (Raccoon) by Miroslav Srb, Czech Republic

"I photographed a raccoon on a Florida beach, where I fed him shrimps. Then he thanked me like that."

5. "Monkey wellness centre" (monkey) by Federica Vinci, Italy

"Walking near a cambodian temple where groups of wild monkeys lived, I came across this scene: a wild monkey in total relax, while its friend was taking care of it."

6. "Not so cat-like reflexes" (lion cub) by Jennifer Hadley, U.S.A.

"This 3-month-old cub and his sibling were in a tree. The other lionesses were in other trees and on the ground. He wanted to get down and walked all over the branches looking for the right spot and finally just went for it. It was probably his first time in a tree and his descent didn't go so well. He was just fine though after landing on the ground. He got up and ran off with some other cubs."

7. "Happy feet" (emperor penguin) by Thomas Vijayan, Canada

"This chick has grown old enough to take to the seas and fish for their own food."

8. "Maniacs" (lappet-faced vultures) by Saverio Gatto, Italy

"Lappet-faced Vultures in the display."

9. "Excuse me... Pardon me!" (duckling, turtles) by Ryan Sims, U.S.A.

"A duckling walking/waddling across a turtle covered log at the Juanita wetlands, the duckling fell off after a few turtle crossings, it was cute."

10. "I CU, boy!" (spotted owl) by Arshdeep Singh, Bikaner, India

"Few hundred miles away we went to explore wildlife of a small town named ‘Bikaner’. It was after almost a year I travelled because of covid. We hired a guide to explore places around. During last day of our trip we came across a pipe in a city where we spotted an owlet. I have earlier clicked owls in a pipe before so I was sure that I wasn’t mistake. We waited for a short while and it didn’t take a long time and one of the spotted owlet came out of the pipe. It was really funny when he came out and looked at me straight, before going inside he closed one of his eyes and felt like he wanted to say 'I CU boy!' and I immediately snapped a picture when he gave this pose."

11. "Tight fit" (eastern screech owl) by Mark Schocken, U.S.A.

"I was going to see and photograph this eastern screech owl nest in a local park in Florida. One morning, a few days before the two owlets fledged, one owlet tried to squeeze into the nest hole with mom, maybe to see the outside world for the first time. It was hilarious and I was glad I was there that morning to photograph it. The moment lasted only a few seconds as Mom didn't seem very happy with the arrangement. Check out the expression on her face."

12: "Three-headed" (Kamchatka brown bears) by Paolo Mignosa, Italy

"The three cubs seem to form a ‘Kerberos’, the three-headed dog of Greek mythology."

13: "Rushing Little owl fledgeling" (owl fledgeling) by Shuli Greenstein, Israel

"I was told that I can find a lot of little owls in the Judean Lowlands in Israel. So, I went on a journey early in the morning and really, I found a lot of little owls standing on the ground, on stones, near the nest and on tree branches. Suddenly, my eyes were caught by two fledgelings that were playing with each other on the ground. One of them crossed my field of vision. I started taking pictures in sequence and this is what came out."

14. "Misleading African viewpoints 2" (hippopotamus and heron) by Jean Jacques Alcalay, France

"Hippo yawning next to a heron standing on the back of another hippo."

15. "Lisper squirrel" (squirrel) by Lee Zhengxing, China

"We encountered this little squirrel when climbed mountain in June. When noticed our approaching, instead of escaping right away, he just kept standing on the edge of cliff and overlooked into the distance, then turned around to staring at us as if we had interrupted his meditation. We left him with some biscuits for inconvenience and I took a photo of him telling thanks, just found that he was a lisper."

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Peep these pics: National Geographic's 20 most spectacular photographs from 2017.

When a National Geographic photo editor calls your work "spectacular," you know you've done well.

On Dec. 12, National Geographic announced the winners of its 2017 Nature Photographer of the Year Contest.

Divided into four categories (landscapes, underwater, aerials, and wildlife) and selected from more than 11,000 entries, these winning images represent some of the most stunning, unforgettable, and, yes, spectacular visions of the natural world.

And, by the way, National Geographic has made all of these images available as wallpapers.

Check out this year's amazing winners below.

Landscapes, people's choice winner — Wojciech Kruczyński's "Kalsoy"

Sunset illuminates a lighthouse and rainbow in the Faroe Islands. Photo by Wojciech Kruczyński/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Landscapes, honorable mention — Gheorghe Popa's "Cold and Misty"

Morning fog blurs the dead trees of Romania’s Lake Cuejdel, a natural reservoir created by landslides. Photo by Gheorghe Popa/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Landscapes, third place — Mike Olbinski's "Illuminate"

[rebelmouse-image 19533310 dam="1" original_size="749x499" caption="A summer thunderstorm unleashes lightning on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Photo by Mike Olbinski/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]A summer thunderstorm unleashes lightning on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Photo by Mike Olbinski/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Landscapes, second place — Yuhan Liao's "Dushanzi Grand Canyon"

[rebelmouse-image 19533311 dam="1" original_size="749x611" caption="Sunlight glances off mineral strata of different colors in Dushanzi Grand Canyon, China. Caption and photo by Yuhan Liao/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Sunlight glances off mineral strata of different colors in Dushanzi Grand Canyon, China. Caption and photo by Yuhan Liao/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Landscapes, first place — Karim Iliya's "Firefall"

Shortly before twilight in Kalapana, Hawai’i, a fragment of the cooled lava tube broke away, leaving the molten rock to fan in a fiery spray for less than half an hour before returning to a steady flow. Photo by Karim Iliya/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Underwater, people's choice winner — Matthew Smith's "Drift"

[rebelmouse-image 19533313 dam="1" original_size="749x499" caption="A Portuguese man-of-war navigates close to the beach on a summer morning; thousands of these jellyfish wash up on Australia's eastern coast each year. Photo by Matthew Smith/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]A Portuguese man-of-war navigates close to the beach on a summer morning; thousands of these jellyfish wash up on Australia's eastern coast each year. Photo by Matthew Smith/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Underwater, honorable mention — Jennifer O'Neil's "Predators on a Bait Ball"

[rebelmouse-image 19533314 dam="1" original_size="749x499" caption="Preparing to strike, tarpon cut through a ribbon-like school of scad off the coast of Bonaire in the Caribbean Sea. Photo by Jennifer O'Neil/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Preparing to strike, tarpon cut through a ribbon-like school of scad off the coast of Bonaire in the Caribbean Sea. Photo by Jennifer O'Neil/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Underwater, third place — Michael Patrick O'Neill's "Flying Fish in Motion"

[rebelmouse-image 19533315 dam="1" original_size="749x499" caption="Buoyed by the Gulf Stream, a flying fish arcs through the night-dark water five miles off Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Michael O'Neill/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Buoyed by the Gulf Stream, a flying fish arcs through the night-dark water five miles off Palm Beach, Florida. Photo by Michael O'Neill/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Underwater, second place — Shane Gross' "In Your Face"

Typically a shy species, a Caribbean reef shark investigates a remote-triggered camera in Cuba’s Gardens of the Queen marine protected area. Photo by Shane Gross/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Underwater, first place — Jim Obester's "Fluorescent Anemone"

[rebelmouse-image 19533318 dam="1" original_size="749x500" caption="Blue-filtered strobe lights stimulate fluorescent pigments in the clear tentacles of a tube-dwelling anemone in Hood Canal, Washington. Photo by Jim Obester/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Blue-filtered strobe lights stimulate fluorescent pigments in the clear tentacles of a tube-dwelling anemone in Hood Canal, Washington. Photo by Jim Obester/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Aerials, people's choice winner — David Swindler's "Meandering Canyon"

Green vegetation blooms at the river’s edge, or riparian, zone of a meandering canyon in Utah. Caption and photo by David Swindler/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Aerials, honorable mention — Agathe Bernard's "Life After Life"

[rebelmouse-image 19533320 dam="1" original_size="750x500" caption="Migratory gulls take flight from a cedar tree being washed downstream by a glacial river in British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Agathe Bernard/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Migratory gulls take flight from a cedar tree being washed downstream by a glacial river in British Columbia, Canada. Photo by Agathe Bernard/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Aerials, third place — Greg C.'s "Drip"

On the flanks of Kilauea Volcano, Hawai’i, the world’s only lava ocean entry spills molten rock into the Pacific Ocean. After erupting in early 2016,the lava flow took about two months to reach the sea, six miles away. Photo by Greg C./2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Aerials, second place — Takahiro Bessho's "From Above"

[rebelmouse-image 19533322 dam="1" original_size="749x422" caption="Snow-covered metasequoia trees, also called dawn redwoods, interlace over a road in Takashima, Japan. Photo by Takahiro Bessho/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Snow-covered metasequoia trees, also called dawn redwoods, interlace over a road in Takashima, Japan. Photo by Takahiro Bessho/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Aerials, first place — Todd Kennedy's "Rock Pool"

In Sydney, Australia, the Pacific Ocean at high tide breaks over a natural rock pool enlarged in the 1930s. Avoiding the crowds at the city’s many beaches, a local swims laps. Photo by Todd Kennedy/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife, people's choice winner — Harry Collins' "Great Gray Owl"

[rebelmouse-image 19533324 dam="1" original_size="749x464" caption="A great gray owl swoops to kill in a New Hampshire field. Photo by Harry Collins/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]A great gray owl swoops to kill in a New Hampshire field. Photo by Harry Collins/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife, honorable mention — Lance McMillan's "Macaque Maintenance"

[rebelmouse-image 19533325 dam="1" original_size="749x499" caption="A Japanese macaque indulges in some grooming time on the shores of the famous hot springs. Photo by Lance McMillan/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]A Japanese macaque indulges in some grooming time on the shores of the famous hot springs. Photo by Lance McMillan/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife, third place — Bence Mate's "White Fighters"

[rebelmouse-image 19533326 dam="1" original_size="749x500" caption="Two grey herons spar as a white-tailed eagle looks on in Hungary. Photo by Bence Mate/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]Two grey herons spar as a white-tailed eagle looks on in Hungary. Photo by Bence Mate/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife, second place — Alejandro Prieto's "Mother's Love"

An adult Caribbean pink flamingo feeds a chick in Yucatán, Mexico. Both parents alternate feeding chicks, at first with a liquid baby food called crop milk, and then with regurgitated food. Photo by Alejandro Prieto/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Wildlife, first place and the grand winner overall — Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan's "Face to Face in a River in Borneo"

Bojan's photograph was chosen for both the winner of the wildlife category and the best photograph overall. For his work, he received a tidy prize of $10,000 and a spread in the print magazine.

[rebelmouse-image 19533328 dam="1" original_size="749x500" caption="A male orangutan peers from behind a tree while crossing a river in Borneo, Indonesia. Photo by Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year." expand=1]A male orangutan peers from behind a tree while crossing a river in Borneo, Indonesia. Photo by Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan/2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.

Orangutans don't normally like wading through rivers (especially rivers inhabited by crocodiles), but sometimes the choice is unavoidable. Bojan had heard of this male orangutan's rare behavior and spent a day and night sitting near a river in Indonesian Borneo's Tanjung Puting National Park in order to see it for himself. When the ape finally appeared, Bojan actually waded into the river to get this shot.

"Honestly, sometimes you just go blind when things like this happen," said Bojan in a press release. "You’re so caught up. You really don’t know what’s happening. You don’t feel the pain, you don’t feel the mosquito bites, you don’t feel the cold, because your mind is completely lost in what’s happening in front of you."

Thanks to Bojan, National Geographic, and all the other very talented photographers who entered this contest, we all have a chance to get lost in it too.

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