Calling all nature enthusiasts! The GDT Nature Photographer of the Year competition has recently unveiled its 2024 winners. The competition is organized by the German Society for Nature Photographers to celebrate the talents of its members. This year, 481 members from 13 countries submitted almost 8,000 photos. From this impressive pool, Dieter Damschen's photo of a winter flood in a riparian forest took the overall winner title.
Related: This is Nature at Her Very Best – 20 Mesmerizing Photos
The jury further awarded winners across seven categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature's Studio, and a special category for 2024, Germany's River Landscapes, where Damschen's masterful work received recognition once again.
Here, we take a look at 20 of the best winners and runners-up. from this year's competition.
1. “Winter in the floodplain forest” by Dieter Damschen. Overall Winner and Second place, Special Category: Everything in flux – Germany’s River landscapes.
The winter floodwaters rise in the Mittel Elbe's floodplain hardwood forest, engulfing the trees in a silent surge.
2. “Bubble netting” by Scott Portelli. First place, Mammals.
A symphony of clicks and bubbles fills the Antarctic as whales perform a masterful feeding technique. They surround a swarm of krill with an underwater corral of air bubbles before diving in for a feast.
3. “Tasting the air” by Kai Kolodziej. Second place, Other Animals.
The diamondback rattlesnake uses its tongue to detect odors. The venomous pit viper prefers to avoid confrontation and uses its rattle as a warning signal before engaging in a venomous attack.
4. "Thread-winged” by Dr. Gerald Haas. First place, Other Animals
Thread-winged antlion in camp at night, Namibia. These fascinating insects have an incredible metamorphosis. Adults have fragile, thread-like wings, in sharp contrast to their violent, pit-dwelling larvae, which lie in wait to catch unsuspecting prey.
5. “Isar floodplain in morning fog” by Andreas Volz. Second place, Special Category: Everything in flux – Germany’s River landscapes.
An unregulated stretch of the Isar River winds through the Pupplinger Au floodplain, a haven teeming with diverse species.
6. “Scenes from a marriage” by Silke Hüttche. Special category winner.
Stunning symmetrical kites.
7. “Eyes shut and waiting for spring” by Flurin Leugger. Second place, Mammals.
Alpine ibex, built to endure the inhospitable high mountains, brave the most extreme winter storms.
8. “Arrowhead” by Heike Odermatt. First place, Plants and Mushrooms.
“The small river Groote Aa flows past the outskirts of my village. In the summer, this is the perfect habitat for arrowhead.”
9. “Flag tree” by Marte Engelbrecht. First place, Atelier Nature.
A wind-shaped tree in the grey dunes of Germany's barrier island, Baltrum.
10. “Predator and prey” by Jan Sohler. Jury Prize.
An eider drake attempts unsuccessfully to snatch a mussel in Kieler Förde.
11. “Surfing the wave” by Levi Fitze. First place, Birds.
At Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands, a Gentoo penguin, the fastest swimmer among all penguins, dives into the waves, its agility allowing it to surf the breaks.
12. “Birches in autumn” by Felix Wesch. First place, Landscapes.
A portion of the magnificent woodlands in Wahner Heath on one of those rare fall mornings with both fog and sun.
13. “Morning roll call” by Jens Kählert. Third place, Birds.
Black skimmers (Rynchops niger) on the east coast of Florida.
14. “Frosty morning at Istein Cataracts on the Rhine” by Karl Heinz Scheidtmann. Third place, Special Category: Everything in flux – Germany’s River landscapes.
A veil of frost hangs over the Istein Cataracts, where the Rhine River cascades over a limestone formation, bathed in the ethereal glow of a soft morning light.
15. “Godafoss” by Britta Strack. Fifth place, Landscapes.
Godafoss is a waterfall in northern Iceland. Legend says it's known as the 'waterfall of the gods'.
16. “Frosty bell(e)” by Sigi Zang. Second place, Plants and Mushrooms.
Pasque flower on a frosty morning. As winter's chill fades, the Pasque flower bursts into vibrant purple blooms. Symbolizing hope and renewal, this delicate wildflower is named after the Jewish holiday of Passover.
17. “In the eye of the cheetah” by Monika Morlak. Eighth place, Mammals.
A cheetah with three adolescents in tow feeds feasts on a zebra that it has recently killed.
18. “Yellow sac spider” by Christian Jakimowitsch. Ninth place, Other Animals.
A male yellow sac spider in its web. The spider plays a crucial role in the species' survival. While males are solitary, they actively seek out females to mate, ensuring the existence of these often misunderstood arachnids.
19. “Marble” by Florian Smit. Second place, Landscapes.
Captured in Norway's Saltfjellet-Svartisen National Park, this photo showcases the dramatic landscape of Marble Castle, illuminated by a multi-flash technique.
20. “Aerobatics in morning light” by Christian Brinkmann. Second place, Atelier Nature.
Bathed in the golden light of a Wadden Sea (along the coasts of Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands) sunrise, a flurry of wagtails dances through the air. Wagtails are a group of slender, insectivorous birds that prefer shaded wooded paths covered with leaf litter. They are named for their habit of constantly pumping their tails. These charming birds flit between the ground and air, often seen near water or open fields.
