The Nature Conservancy have unveiled the winners of its 2021 photo contest, and what a stunning set of images they are!
This year’s winners were selected by a panel of judges that included renowned American singer-songwriter Ben Folds, who is himself an avid photographer. From more than 100,000 entries, the Grand Prize went to a photo of a western lowland gorilla walking through a cloud of butterflies in the Central African Republic, taken by photographer Anup Shah of the United Kingdom. Folds said of the winning image: “I like photos that keep dragging you in. The [gorilla’s] face. Tolerance or bliss. It’s really hard to tell and the insects draw you there.”
The People’s Choice award went toPrathameshGhadekarof India for a photograph of fireflies congregating around a tree before a monsoon.
“These images are a gorgeous and unforgettable reminder of the vibrancy and awe-inspiring power of nature,” said Meg Goldthwaite, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for The Nature Conservancy. “Year after year, we are amazed, delighted, and moved by these scenes from around the world. They remind us how connected we all are on this planet, and they energise us as we continue the important work of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.”
We have picked out our favourites from this year's competition in our gallery below:
Grand prize winner
Western lowland gorilla female 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. Photo by Anup Shah/The Nature Conservancy
Landscape category first place
Carcass of a Pantanal alligator (Caiman yacare) in the dry soil on the banks of the Transpantaneira highway, municipality of Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Photo taken with a drone on 4 October 2020, at the height of the droughts that hit the Pantanal that year. Photo by Daniel De Granville Manco/The Nature Conservancy
Watercategorythird place
This aerial photo was taken during the winter of 2019, and shows a waterfall in Iceland. Photo by Man Wai Wong/The Nature Conservancy
People's choice award winner
Just before a monsoon, fireflies congregate in certain regions of India and on a few trees like this onein their millions. This particular image is made up of 32 frames of this tree taken on a tripod. Later the images were stacked in Adobe Photoshop. This image contains 16 minutes of viewing time of this amazing tree. Photo by Prathamesh Ghadeka/The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife category honourable mention
Orangutans are accustomed to live on trees and feed on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and figs, and slurp water from holes in trees. Sadly, this Orangutan sits on tree stumps that have recently been cut down. Photo by Thomas Vijayan/The Nature Conservancy
People and nature category third place
Plastic waste floating around in the Mediterranean sea. Photo by Sebnam Coskun/The Nature Conservancy
Landscape category honourable mention
During the wet season the Gulf of Carpentaria in tropical north Queensland, Australia, holds a myriad of winding rivers, estuaries, creeksand streams that create one of natures intricate vivid landscapes. Lush green mangroves line the mud flats accentuated by the tidal waters and months of rain filling the artesian basin. Photo byScott Portelli/The Nature Conservancy
Water category honourable mention
The lotus ponds across Vietnam are entering the growing season and flourishing. Photo by Mahn Cuong Vu/The Nature Conservancy
People and nature category first place
The whole Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme team works together to prepare Brenda, an estimated 3-month-old female orangutan who has been rescued, for surgery. Taken atSibolangit, North Sumatra, Indonesia.Photo by Alain Schroeder/The Nature Conservancy
Landscape category honourable mention
The photo was taken at Hong Hom area of Hong Kong on 23 August 2021. When the full Moon was rising and just passed the rooftop of the buildings, the shot was taken using a double exposure. Photo by Kim Pan Dennis Wong/The Nature Conservancy
Take a look at our full Harvest Moon picture gallery:
Swimmers, freedivers and divers enjoy their respective sport/recreational activities in a Fresh Water mass know locally as the Cenotes, Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico. Photo by Joram Mennes/The Nature Conservancy
People and nature category second place
A guide in the Sahara Desert enduring a sand storm. Photo by Tom Overall/The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife category third place
A pike caught a large perch and was trying to eat it. We do not know what the final result was, due to the photographer running low on air during his dive. Photo by Viktor Vrbovsky/The Nature Conservancy
Landscape third place
Aerial image of salt evaporation ponds, near San Francisco, USA. Photo by Jassen Todorov/The Nature Conservancy
Two men use a zipline to transport animals and good across the river in Yunnan, China, May 2021. Photo by Minqiang Lu/The Nature Conservancy
Landscape second place
Part of the Serra do Mar mountain range in Brazil emerges from the clouds. Photo by Denis Ferreira Netto/The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife category honourable mention
Galapagos sea lion calf (Zalophus wollebaeki), waiting for its mother in the sand on the beach, San Cristóbal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador. Photo by Kristhian Castro/The Nature Conservancy
Water honourable mention
As temperatures rise and glacial ice melts, air is released and caught inside bubbles. These air bubbles were caught by a frozen layer on top. Photo by Jorge Andres Miraglia/The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife category second place
Last year, due to a high water level, this giant field of sunflowers in Poland could not been mown. In winter it attracted thousands of different species of birds. Photo by Mateusz Piesiak/The Nature Conservancy
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
Western lowland gorilla female 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. December 2011.
