The overall winner was Tracey Lund from the UK for her dramatic image of two gannets fighting over a fish off the coast of the Shetland Islands. Other stand-out images include crabs clinging on for dear life as they cross a raging river, and zebras being hunted by cheetahs.
Here are our picks from this year's winners and runners-up.
Behaviour (Mammals) category winner – Those Last Few Seconds
A coalition of four cheetahs hunt down and attack an unfortunate zebra foal as the mother tries in vain to protect it. Photographed at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Alex Brackx/World Nature Photography Awards
Animals in Their Habitat category winner – Livin' On The Edge
A pair of Nubian Ibex (Capra nubiana) clash on the precarious cliff edge in the Negev desert, Israel. Photo by Amit Eshel/World Nature Photography Awards
Behaviour (Amphibians and Reptiles) category winner – Head Massage
A lava lizard (Microlophus albemarlensis) stands on the head of a marine iguana (Amblyrhynchus cristatus). Photographed on the Galapagos Islands. Photo by John Seager/World Nature Photography Awards
Animal Portraits category third place – Bloody Himalayan Vulture
A Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis) covered in blood after feeding. Photographed at Chopta, Uttarakhand, India. Photo by Partha Roy/World Nature Photography Awards
Behaviour (Invertebrates) category winner – Crabs
A group of Sally Lightfoot crabs (Grapsus grapsus) hold onto the lava-encrusted shoreline of Puerto Egas, Santiago Island, Galapagos, as fierce waves wash over them. Photo by Bill Klipp/World Nature Photography Awards
Planet Earth's Landscapes and Environments category second place – Perfect cloud
A gigantic lenticular cloud surrounds the crater of the Villarrica volcano in Chile. Photo by Francisco Negroni/World Nature Photography Awards
A pair of gannets feed on a fish in this dramatic image taken off the coast of one of Shetland’s remotest headlands. Photographed at Shetland, United Kingdom. Photo by Tracey Lund/World Nature Photography Awards
Animals in Their Habitat category second place – Lynx Pounce
A Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) leaps through the snow. Photo by Thomas Vijayan/World Nature Photography Awards
Behaviour (Mammals) category third place – Reaching For The Top
Elephants reach for branches at Mana Pools, Zimbabwe. Photo by Lukas Walter/World Nature Photography Awards
Nature Photojournalism category winner – Dangerous Toy
A sea lion pup swims with a plastic bag in its mouth in the waters around Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico. Photo by Celia Kujala/World Nature Photography Awards
Underwater category winner – Crowd Control
A female orca (Orcinus orca) splits a herring bait ball in the water around Skjervøy, Norway. Photo by Andy Schmid/World Nature Photography Awards
Nature Art category second place – Aspen Trees
A clearing of Aspen trees in Aspen, Colorado, USA. Photo by Robert Ross/World Nature Photography Awards
Behaviour (Invertebrates) third place – Cuckoo Wasp
A cuckoo wasp also called an emerald wasp (Chrysis angolensis) sitting on a branch in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Photo by Kevin Blackwell/World Nature Photography Awards
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Animal Portraits category winner – Anger Fish
A black frogfish (Antennarius striatus) looks quite upset and angry in this image. Photographed at Kurnell, NSW, Australia. Photo by Nicolas Remy/World Nature Photography Awards
Urban Wildlife category second place – Among Bricks
A red fox (Vulpes vulpes) explores a pile of old bricks in this image taken in Lucerne, Switzerland. Photo by Roman Willi/World Nature Photography Awards
Behaviour (Amphibians and Reptiles) category second place – Father Calling
A male night frog (Nyctibatrachus) calls out in front of a clutch of eggs, in this image taken in Amboli, Maharashtra, India. Photo by Karthik Ak/World Nature Photography Awards
Nature Art category winner – Earth's Treasure
This aerial image shows blue watery veins, glacial braids and golden sediment in the amazing Icelandic landscape. Photo by Miki Spitzer/World Nature Photography Awards
Urban Wildlife category winner – Dragon's Nest
A sunbird (Nectariniidae) has constructed its nest inside a half-broken dragon mobile hanging on the porch of a residential home in Beer Ora, southern Israel. Photo by Roy Wiesner/World Nature Photography Awards
Black and White category winner – Graceful Turn
The reflected image of a Leopard as it walks along the edge of a lake in East Rift Valley, Kenya. Photo by Richard Li/World Nature Photography Awards
People and Nature category winner – Catch of the Day
Traditional stilt fishermen try their luck with the changing tide at sunset in Koggala, Sri Lanka. Traditional, artisanal fishing methods like these do not pose significant threats to the ocean’s natural resources. Photo by Ioannis Pavlos/World Nature Photography Awards
Planet Earth's Landscapes and Environments category winner – Difference
The dramatic landscape of the beach and Vestrahorn mountain in Stokksnes, Iceland. Photo by Ivan Pedretti/World Nature Photography Awards
Plants and Fungi category winner – Owl-like Plant
The parasitic plant known as Thismia thaithongiana pictured here is native to Thailand. This species was discovered in 2018. Photo by Chatree Lertsintanakorn/World Nature Photography Awards
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.
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