It is finally that time of the year when the Natural History Museum of London announces the winners of the biggest international wildlife photography competition in the world - the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards. The 2021 competition is the 57th anniversary of awards, and over 50,000 entries by contestants from 95 countries have been submitted.
At last, we know this year’s winner of the prestigious competition - the French biologist and underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta. It took five years for Ballesta to capture this mysterious deep-sea photo of camouflage groupers spawning in the light of the full moon near the Fakarava Atoll in French Polynesia. Scroll down to see this stunning and thought-provoking image along with this year’s category winners and honorable mentions.
Animal Portraits Category Winner: 'Reflection' by Majed Ali
Photographer's note: This is Kibande. She is 40 years old, and she's a rare mountain gorilla, a subspecies of the eastern gorilla that lives at high altitudes at the Virunga volcanoes in Rwanda and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda. In this image, Kibande is seen enjoying the refreshing rain.
Birds Behavior Category Winner: 'The Intimate Touch' by Shane Kalyn
Photographer's note: "Ravens probably mate for life. This couple exchanged gifts – moss, twigs, and small stones – and preened and serenaded each other with soft warbling sounds to strengthen their relationship or ‘pair bond’."
Rising Star Portfolio Award Category Winner: 'Family at Ease' by Martin Gregus
Photographer's note: Two polar bear cubs suckling and purring. The photographer describes their purring as ‘an unbelievable sound, like little helicopters buzzing away.’
Photojournalist Story Award Category Winner: 'Flying Rescue' by Brent Stirton
Photographer's note: Pilot Anthony from the Virunga National Park takes two orphaned chimpanzees to the rehabilitation center after being rescued from traffickers.
Photographer's note: The wings of the black jacobin are ‘filled with rainbows’ as it flies in front of the sun. The optical illusion is created as light is split through the gaps in between the bird's feathers.
Plants and Fungi Highly Commended: 'Mushroom Magic' by Juergen Freund
Photographer's note: Bioluminescent ghost fungus growing on a dead tree. Scientists aren't sure why these fungi have this curious property of glowing in the dark.
Plants And Fungi Highly Commended: 'The Fantastical Rainforest' by Daniel Rosengren
Photographer's note: Grizzlies are not teddy bears. They spend half of the year in torpor, a lighter form of hibernation. In spring, hungry grizzly bears emerge from their dens and consume a lot of food, including mammals.
11-14 Years Highly Commended: 'Apollo Landing' by Emelin Dupieux
Photographer's note: A red-eared slider turtle (an invasive species) in the Aktun Ha cenote in Mexico. Cenotes are linked freshwater pools in Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula.
15-17 Years Category Winner: 'High-Flying Jay' by Lasse Kurkela
Photographer's note: "Marine biologist Audun was on an expedition at sea with the Norwegian coastguard when he spotted this floating mass of dead and dying herring. On the horizon bobbed a fishing boat, which had overloaded and burst its nets."
Urban Wildlife Category Winner: 'The Spider Room' by Gil Wizen
Photographer's note: "After noticing tiny spiders all over his bedroom, Gil looked under his bed. There, guarding its brood, was one of the world’s most venomous spiders. Before safely relocating it outdoors, he photographed the human-hand-sized Brazilian wandering spider using forced perspective to make it appear even larger."
Behavior: Mammals Category Winner: 'Head to Head' by Stefano Unterthiner
Photographer's note: Female yellow sand cichlid shelter their eggs in the mouth for 3 weeks. When the baby fish are ready to swim, they are released into the wild.
Photojournalism Category Winner: 'Elephant in The Room' by Adam Oswell
Photographer's note: "For five years Laurent and his team returned to this lagoon, diving day and night to see the annual spawning of camouflage groupers. Spawning happens around the full moon in July, when up to 20,000 fish gather in Fakarava in a narrow southern channel linking the lagoon with the ocean. Overfishing threatens this species, but here the fish are protected within a biosphere reserve."
Share these jaw-dropping images with family and friends!
Subscribe and REMOVE ALL ADS
LOVE our articles but HATE our ads? For only $3.89 per month, enjoy a seamless, ad-free experience that lets you focus on what matters most — enjoying all of our content, uninterrupted.
🔒 100% Secure Payment 📅 Cancel Anytime, No Strings Attached
Unlock a cleaner, faster browsing experience today and gain the freedom to navigate without visual clutter.
Ready for a Ad-Free experience? Upgrade now for just $3.89/month!
To enable your Ad-Free Subscription, please fill the fields below
Thank you for your subscription!
Your subscription was successful, now you can enjoy an ad-free experience!!
Note: To make sure you get no ads, please make sure to log in to your account. If you are logged in already, then refresh the page. The subscription can be cancelled at any time.
Subscribe
Enjoy Stunning and Creative Photography?
Get updates on new posts directly to your inbox!
Login
Login via Email
The new BabaMail app is now available at the app stores.
