The winners of 50th Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) awards were announced in London on Tuesday. And yes, they’re incredible.
Black and White category winner and Overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner: The last great picture by Michael ‘Nick’ Nichols (USA).
The winners were announced at London’s Natural History Museum. The overall winner is American photographer Michael Nichols with the above image, depicting five female lions of the Vumbi pride at rest with their cubs in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park.
Judge Magdalena Herrera, director of photography at GEO France, complemented Nichols’ composition for having all the elements of a perfect picture.
“It tells you about behaviour, about the photographic techniques today, and it shows you the relationship of the animal to its environment,” said Herrera.
“What is striking about Nick’s picture is its narrative – it’s not just a portrait; there’s a whole story going on inside it. And the black and white gives it a feeling of reportage.”
Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Equally incredible is the winner of this year’s Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year accolade. Shot late in the afternoon, photographer Carlos Perez Naval used a double exposure that combines a zoom lens to emphasise the sun, and then a shorter focal length lens and flash to pick up the colours in the stinging arthropod. Technically, it’s genius. Carlos is eight years old.
Overall young Wildlife Photographer of the Year
winner: Stinger in the sun by Carlos Perez Naval (Spain).
Check out the other winners below. Visit the Natual History Museum for full details.
Mammals category winner: The mouse, the moon and the mosquito by Alex Badyaev (Russia/USA).
World in our Hands category winner: The price they pay by Bruno D’Amicis (Italy).
Earth’s Environments category winner: Apocalypse by Francisco Negroni (Chile).
Invertebrate category winner: Night of the deadly lights by Ary Bassous (Brazil).
Plants and Fungi category winner: Glimpse of the underworld by Christian Vizl (Mexico).
Natural Design category winner: Cardinal sparks by Patrik Bartuska (Czech Republic).
People’s Choice Award winner
This year, the competition featured its first People’s Choice Award, which relied on an audience vote to decide the winner. The accolade went Marsel van Oosten, for his image ‘Facebook update’.
Also see: Getaway’s top 10 entries in the People’s Choice category. There was an incredibly impressive selection of finalists.
Facebook update, Marsel van Oosten.
