The winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 56 competition have just been announced, and the pictures are as stunning as always.
Selected from over 49,000 entries from around the world, they were revealed during an online awards ceremony live-streamed from the Natural History Museum, London on 13 October.
Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge and patron of the museum, announced Sergey Gorshkov as this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his magnificent image, The Embrace, of an Amur tigress hugging an ancient Manchurian fir in the Russian Far East. Amur, or Siberian, tigers are only found in this region and the Russian photographer took more than 11 months to capture this moment with hidden cameras.
Gorshkov’s shot and the rest of the winners were selected from a shortlist of 100 images and will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London before embarking on a UK and international tour.
Animal Portraits Highly Commended: “Night Hunter” By Jonas Classon
While this owl’s large, forward-facing eyes enable it to see in dim light, it actually locates its prey by sound. Owls have more sensitive hearing than many other birds and employ this adaptation to their advantage. Using sound alone, great grey owls can even hone in on animals hidden under snow.
Chair of the judging panel, renowned writer and editor, Rosamund ‘Roz’ Kidman Cox said in a statement that Gorshkov’s photo depicts a scene like no other. “A unique glimpse of an intimate moment deep in a magical forest. Shafts of low winter sun highlight the ancient fir tree and the coat of the huge tigress as she grips the trunk in obvious ecstasy and inhales the scent of tiger on resin, leaving her own mark as her message. It’s also a story told in glorious color and texture of the comeback of the Amur tiger, a symbol of the Russian wilderness.”
Animals In Their Environment Adult Grand Title Winner: “The Embrace” By Sergey Gorshkov
These solitary cats exchange vital information, such as the need for mates, by leaving scent, hairs, urine and other markers on prominent spots, including tree trunks. In the far east of Russia, a population of around 500 Amur tigers persists, occupying a fragment of its former land. Under threat from habitat loss and poaching, these tigers are close to extinction.
Dr. Tim Littlewood, Natural History Museum’s Executive Director of Science and jury member, added, “Hunted to the verge of extinction in the past century, the Amur population is still threatened by poaching and logging today. The remarkable sight of the tigress immersed in her natural environment offers us hope, as recent reports suggest numbers are growing from dedicated conservation efforts. Through the unique emotive power of photography, we are reminded of the beauty of the natural world and our shared responsibility to protect it.”
Behaviour: Mammals Highly Commended: “Kids’ Game” By Yossi Eshbol
Nubian ibex are a type of wild goat. They live in rocky mountains, deserts and shrublands, foraging for grasses and other plants to eat. The population of these nimble creatures is decreasing. The causes are the same as for so many other species: habitat loss, hunting and, most recently, drought.
The panel of experts went through a rigorous process of analyzing the images from both professional and amateur photographers as all of the finalists did an excellent job capturing the world’s richest habitats, fascinating animal behaviors and extraordinary species.
But the show must go on. Open to photographers of all ages, nationalities, and abilities, the next Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries on Monday, 19 October 2020. Also, important new categories focusing on people’s impact on the planet, and the new jury have just been announced.
Associate sponsors for the upcoming exhibition at the Natural History Museum are renewable energy company, Ørsted, and legendary camera manufacturer, Leica.
Urban Wildlife Highly Commended: “Peeking Possums” By Gary Meredith
The common brushtail possum is a small and adaptable marsupial – a mammal with a pouch. It occurs naturally in Australia’s forests and woodlands, but has also adapted to urban living. While possums thrive in some areas, they have declined in others as changes in the pattern, frequency and intensity of fires have reduced the number of large trees.
Animal Portraits Highly Commended: “Keep Looking” By Greg Du Toit
The prides of lions on this reserve in Botswana encounter very few people. Elsewhere across sub-Saharan Africa, conflict with humans, as well as loss of habitat and prey, has resulted in a severe drop in lion numbers. Not many animals could threaten an African lion, particularly when healthy, yet its population has declined by around 30 per cent over the past 20 years.
Plants And Fungi Winner: “Out Of The Blue” By Gabriel Eisenband
This senecio species is a member of the daisy family found only in Colombia. It is adapted to the extreme cold of the Andes and flourishes at high altitudes, though below the point at which snow remains on the ground year-round. The plant has proteins in its leaves and a dense covering of woolly, white ‘hair’, both of which stop it from freezing.
Wildlife Photojournalist Story Award Highly Commended: “The Lucky Ones” By Steve Winter
Tigers like these can generate a lot of money as cubs, but, when grown, they are expensive to look after and dangerous. As a result, adult tigers are often unwanted.
Urban Wildlife Highly Commended: “The Village Cat” By Masood Hussain
Even so, their population is shrinking. In India, the main threat to leopards is poaching for the illegal trade in their skins and body parts. They are also persecuted in areas of development, where wild land is being replaced by housing, roads and mining.
Behaviour: Invertebrates Highly Commended: “Big Bat Bloodsucker” By Piotr Naskrecki
At first glance, the smaller animal looks like a spider, but gripped to the head of the Mozambican long‑fingered bat was actually a six-legged, wingless bat fly. This bloodsucking parasite moves around on its host, but usually sits on the lower back, out of reach. When a bat is in flight, the fly may sit on its host’s head instead.
Behaviour: Mammals Winner: “When Mother Says Run” By Shanyuan Li
Typically active at dawn and dusk, Pallas’s cats have flat heads, low-set ears and a light colouring, which help conceal them while hunting. Their habitat – mainly the grasslands of China, Mongolia and the Tibetan Plateau – faces disruption from mining and farming. Farmers poisoning rodents depletes the cats’ prey and subjects them to secondary toxicity, causing numbers to decline.
Animal Portraits Winner: “The Pose” By Mogens Trolle
As this monkey matures, its distinctive nose will signal its status and amplify its calls. A male’s nose can eventually grow so big that it hangs over its owner’s mouth. Found only on Borneo and nearby islands, proboscis monkeys are endangered: they depend on threatened forests and are hunted for food and traditional medicine.
Animal Portraits Highly Commended: “Eye Of The Drought” By Jose Fragozo
Hippos spend their days submerged in water to stay cool and prevent their sensitive skin from cracking in the hot sun. They are vital in both aquatic and land ecosystems as their dung provides important nutrients. However, when rivers run dry, the high dung concentration depletes oxygen and kills aquatic life.
Under Water Highly Commended: “The Current Of Life” By Laurent Ballesta
The phenomenon pictured takes place every new moon at sunset, concluding in under an hour. In order for their eggs to be swept away into the ocean by the current ripping out of the lagoon, convict surgeonfish will run the risk of being eaten by grey reef sharks. Far from the shallows, the eggs are protected from a wealth of small predators.
10 Years And Under Winner: “Perfect Balance” By Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco
The stonechat is a small bird with a call that sounds like two stones tapping together, hence its name. It is widespread throughout the heaths and bogs of southern Europe, feeding on insects, seeds and fruit like blackberries. Some – including the one pictured – are resident all year round, while others fly to northern Africa for winter.
Earth’s Environments Winner: “Etna’s River Of Fire” By Luciano Gaudenzio
Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, has been erupting continuously for almost 30 years and threatens around 900,000 people. Phenomena like lava flows and lava fountains are common, with ash plumes less frequent. This is just the most recent phase in 15,000 years of volcanic activity – and a stark reminder of Etna’s power.
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