14 breathtaking wildlife photos from the World Nature Photography Awards

Talia LakritzApr 2, 2024, 03:00 IST

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Location: Coronado Islands, Baja California, MexicoCelia Kujala/World Nature Photography Awards

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.

Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.Alexander Brackx/World Nature Photography Awards

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.

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.

Location: Galapagos Islands.John Seager/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.

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

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.

Location: Iceland.Miki Spitzer/World Nature Photography Awards

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.

Location: Stokksnes, Iceland.Ivan Pedretti/World Nature Photography Awards

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.

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

Location: Koggala, Sri Lanka.Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis/World Nature Photography Awards

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

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.

Location: Skjervøy, Norway.Andy Schmid/World Nature Photography Awards

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

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.

Location: East Rift Valley, Kenya.Richard Li/World Nature Photography Awards

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

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 in the Shetland Islands.Tracey Lund/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.

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14 breathtaking wildlife photos from the World Nature Photography Awards

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.