The BMC Ecology Image Competition celebrates the best photos and images on the theme of ecology, from animals in their natural habitats to the ecosystems they call home.
The competition is open to any member of an academic institution, and is judged by BMC Ecology's team of section editors with guest judge Professor Zhigang Jiang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, providing their expertise in biology and ecology. The winners are not just great photos, but they also feature an important ecological issue, such as biodiversity or the importance of conservation.
Here are the winners, runners up, and highly commended images from this year's competition. You can find out more about the competition atbmcecol.biomedcentral.com.
Overall winner
The enigmatic clearwing butterfly Hypomenitis enigma (Nymphalidae: Ithomiini):Marianne Elias (France)
First runner up
My treasure!:Pilar Oliva Vidal (Spain)
Second runner up
Hungry dugongs have no table manners: Matteo Santon (Germany)
Category winner: Behavioural and Physiological Ecology
Home in mother’s arms:Arnaud Badiane (France)
Category winner:Conservation Ecology and Biodiversity
Little treasures of the steppes:Pilar Oliva Vidal (Spain)
Category winner:Community, Population and Macroecology
Meadow Brown & solitary bee:William Mills
Category winner: Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems
Kilauea Volcano:Sabrina Koehler (Germany)
Category winner: Editor's pick
Small bridges:Darko Davor Cotoras Viedma (USA)
Highly commended
Highly commended
Highly commended
Highly commended
Highly commended
Highly commended
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