What goes up: World Nature Photography Award winners

Kissing frogs, a wren doing the splits and some lions having an argument: We bring you the winners from the latest stunning photo competition.

James Cutmore

Published: March 10, 2021 at 9:54 am

The World Nature Photography Awards have just announced the winners of their 2020 competition, showcasing an array of talented photographers from around the world.

The grand prize winner award went to Thomas Vijayan for his image of the endangered Bornean orangutan. Vijayan spent hours up a tree, waiting to see if one of the local orangutans would use it to cross over to a nearby island.

Adrian Dinsdale, co-founder of the WNPAs, said: “We’ve been thrilled with the quality of work that was entered into the awards. It was such a privilege to see the competition’s philosophy come to life – our photographers really are shining a spotlight on the wonders of the natural world in a way that reminds us to do everything we can to protect the future of our planet.”

Grand Prize Winner - World Nature Photographer of the Year

Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo — Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo - Thomas Vijayan

Winner - Plants and Fungi Category

Bald cypress (AKA swamp cypress) East Texas, USA — Bald cypress (AKA swamp cypress) East Texas, USA - Doron Talmi

Winner - Bird Behaviour Category

Great horned owl High River, Alberta, Canada — Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus) High River, Alberta, Canada - Dale Paul

Winner - Nature Art Category

A glacial river flowing down to the Atlantic Ocean Southern Iceland — A glacial river flowing down to the Atlantic Ocean, Southern Iceland - Dipanjan Pal

Winner - Black And White Category

GOLD © Harry Skeggs_Long live the king — Ulysses, one of the last remaining great tuskers, Kenya - Harry Skeggs

Winner - Animal Portrait Category

A Bengal tigress with a catchlight in her eye lies up to her neck in the dark shadows of a water hole. Her name is Maya 'The Enchantress', and she has orange and black stripes with white patches on her head. Shot with a Nikon D810 in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in India on 13 May 2017, which just happened to be my birthday! ISO 220, 800mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 — A Bengal tigress with a catchlight in her eye lies up to her neck in the dark shadows of a water hole. Her name is Maya 'The Enchantress', and she has orange and black stripes with white patches on her head. Photographed in theTadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, India - Nick Dale

Winner - Amphibian and Reptiles Category

Two European common brown frogs Aveto Regional Natural Park, Italy — Two European common brown frogs (Rana temporaria) Aveto Regional Natural Park, Italy - Vittorio Ricci

Take a look at some of our other fascinating galleries:

Winner - Invertebrates Category

GOLD © Dr Tze Siong Tan_Heart wheel — Damselflies rest on a branch, Gardens by the Bay, Singapore - Dr Tze Siong Tan

Winner - People and Nature Category

Andre Fajardo freediving early one summer morning in the Hawaiian Islands. — Andre Fajardo freediving early one summer morning in the Hawaiian Islands. - Christa Funk

Winner - Mammal Behaviour Category

A pair of Lions fight on the Serengeti, Tanzania — A pair of Lions fight on the Serengeti, Tanzania - Patrick Nowotny

Second Place - Invertebrates Category

Captured November 30, 2019, at 1:58p.m. (MST) in Broomfield, CO (USA). My family was visiting the Butterfly Pavilion in Colorado. They had aquariums of various ocean life. The sea slug piqued my interest as a macro photographer. The slug’s leopard-like design and vibrant colors were amazing. I enjoyed taking this picture as it details the slug very closely and enables me to see a piece of the ocean’s world in a new way. — A Sea Slug photographed atthe Butterfly Pavilion in Broomfield, Colorado, USA - Melissa Roberston

Second Place - Animals In Their Habitat Category

Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) Bohemian Forest, Czech Republic — Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) Bohemian Forest, Czech Republic - Vladimir Cech

Second Place - Animal Portraits Category

Small skipper butterfly Belton Hills, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, UK — Small skipper butterfly photographed at Belton Hills, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, UK - Joseph Shaffery

Second Place - Nature Art Category

Scorched pines shot in the aftermath of a forest fire Surrey, UK — Scorched pines shot in the aftermath of a forest fire in Surrey, UK - Jasper Goodall

Second Place - Urban Wildlife Category

Two smooth-coated otter (lutrogale perspicillata) pups photographed at Punggol, Singapore — Twosmooth-coated otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)pups play while their mother sleeps. Photographed at Punggol, Singapore - Jocelyn Chng

Second Place - Birds Category

Sedge wren splits Cape Pembroke, Stanley, Falkland Islands — Sedge wren (Cistothorus stellaris) does the splits at Cape Pembroke, Stanley, Falkland Islands - Andy Pollard

Third Place - Nature Art Category

Parrotfish (scaridae) Baa Atoll, Maldives — Parrotfish (Scaridae) photographed at Baa Atoll, Maldives - Pavlos Evangelidis

Third Place - Birds Category

Clark’s grebe and newborn chick San Luis Obispo County, California, USA — Clark’s grebe and newborn chick San Luis Obispo County, California, USA - Lisa Roeder

Third Place - Animal Portraits Category

BRONZE © Femke van Willigen_The Inside Joke — Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) photographed in Espelo, the Netherlands - Femke van Willigen

Third Place - Amphibians and Reptiles Category

- A Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela Cristatella) burping in its rest time on a tree’s branch. - at Windsor Nature Park, Singapore — A Green Crested Lizard (Bronchocela cristatella) burping in its rest time on a tree’s branch. Photographed atWindsor Nature Park, Singapore - Mr Endy

Third Place - Animals in their Habitat Category

Male kongoni Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda — Male kongoni photographed at Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda - Arlette Magiera

Third Place -InvertebrateBehaviourCategory

These two weaver ants appear to be exchanging food as I photographed them in the night. The twig they were on was entirely covered in ants with the nest not far away. Ants are well-known for their complex social behaviour which consists of many different chemical signals and antennae movements that they use to communicate with one another. Though I don't often photograph ants due to their quick movements and very small size, weaver ants are larger than the average ant and at night they don't seem to move very much, allowing me to comfortably take several shots. I photographed them not too far from my home in Alam Sutera, Serpong, Indonesia. Weaver ants are indeed quite common where I live. It's not every day that I get to observe ants behave in such a way, so it certainly makes for a memorable encounter. — Weaver ants (Oecophylla) photographed atAlam Sutera, Serpong, Indonesia - Janus Olajuan Boediman

Picture Editor, BBC Science Focus

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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