World Nature Photography Awards 2024: a showcase of breathtaking natural beauty

"Underwater gannets" by Tracey Lund took the podium, but the winning photos in the other categories were no different. From zebras to red crabs, the wonder is before your eyes

Each year, amazing and sometimes breathtaking pictures emerge from the cross-section between science and art. Such is the case with the great images that have come out of a competition for the prestigious “World Nature Photography Awards“.

The winners have been announced, and we cannot wait to share their breath-taking work with you. First, take a look at this picture by Tracey Lund, who won the title “World Nature Photographer of the Year”-the highest honor of this competition.

And now, the exciting new development: you can take the winners’ works home in print form available for purchase in the online shop. But on to the winners, which are well worth it!

Tracey Lund wins first place

The winning photograph is by Tracey Lund: taken while on holiday in the Shetland Islands, it shows two gannets attempting to catch a fish underwater.

Animal portraits: Nicolas Remy shines

In the “Animal Portraits” category, Nicolas Remy from Australia won Gold with an ultra close-up portrait of a threatening anglerfish.

 

Mammal behavior: a thrilling scene by Alex Brackx

Alex Brackx won the “Mammal Behavior” category with this dramatic shot of a cheetah attacking a young zebra. The mother was trying to defend it unsuccessfully.

Reptile behavior: John Seager captures unique moment

John Seager secured the Gold with an image of a lizard perched on the head of an iguana – taken in the Galápagos Islands, among other geological hotspots.

Invertebrate behavior: Bill Klipp’s mesmerizing shot

Among the entries in the “Invertebrate Behavior” category, Bill Klipp had the winning shot taken at Puerto Egas on Santiago Island. He framed red crabs clinging to the rocks as a wave came toward them. Klipp succeeded in producing a great shot by making his shutter speed extremely slow so that the moving water became blurred, while the nonmoving crabs were in great focus.

The art of nature: Miki Spitzer’s masterpiece

For the “Art of Nature” category, it was a great photo that Miki Spitzer took in Iceland. In turn, Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis of Greece convinced the jury in this category with a photo of traditional fishermen in Koggala, Sri Lanka.

He said, “Traditional artisanal fishing practices like this one, for subsistence, are not considered to pose major threats to the ocean’s natural resources. On the contrary, they make the local communities invested in the health of the ocean.”

 

Plants and fungi: Chatree Lertsintanakorn’s unique findAnd who else is in the “Plants and Fungi” class? One Chatree Lertsintanakorn photo of a plant titled Thismia thaithongiana, an odd-looking life species that takes a resemblance to an owl.

Black and white: Richard Li’s nocturnal beauty

An awe-inspiring photo that had won Gold in the “Black and White” category was taken by a man called Richard Li in Kenya. The photographer waited for sunset to click an attractive leopard as it approached a watering hole.

Nature photojournalism: Celia Kujala’s stark warning

Finally, under “Nature Photojournalism,” comes this haunting picture by Celia Kujala of a sea lion pup playing on the Coronado Islands, Mexico, with something it shouldn’t be playing with: plastic!

To see all the other winning pictures from the 2024 edition, visit the official website.

Source: worldnaturephotographyawards