Wildlife Pictured in Ways You’ve Never Seen Before: The Best Photos From 2024’s World Nature Photography Awards

Pulling from thousands of entries, the overall winner (and recipient of a $1000 cash prize) in this year’s competition was Tracey Lund from the United Kingdom for her image of two gannets under the water off the coast of the Shetland Islands in Scotland.

This year, you can support the foundation by purchasing a print from the recently launched online store. “We’re thrilled that people will now have the chance to buy some of these images to grace the walls of their homes,” shares Adrian Dinsdale, cofounder of the World Nature Photography Awards. What’s more, for every piece of wall art sold, the organization will plant a tree.

Here are the winning submissions of 2024 across the categories.

Animal portraits

Nicolas Remy’s photograph of a black frogfish (or black anglerfish in Australia) was taken in Kurnell, New South Wales, Australia. Frogfish are known for their excellent camouflage and their ability to lure in prey. They have a lure on their head that resembles a small fish or shrimp. When another fish comes close to investigate the lure, the frogfish strikes quickly, swallowing its prey whole.

Animals in their habitat

Uniquely adapted to Israel’s harsh desert environment, the Nubian ibex is the only member of its family that can thrive in such extreme conditions. This photo was taken by Amit Eshel in the Negev desert, a vast and rugged region covering over half of Israel’s landmass.

Behaviour — amphibians and reptiles

The Galapagos lava lizard, also known as the Albemarle lava lizard, is a group of seven lizard species found throughout the Galapagos Islands. They are some of the most abundant reptiles in the archipelago and are closely related to iguanas. John Seagar took this epic photo of the lizard standing on a marine iguana.

Behaviour — birds

Overall winner, Tracy Lund, took home the cash prize for her image of two gannets under the water in the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The islands are one of the best places in the world to see these magnificent seabirds.

Behaviour — invertebrates

Bill Klipp’s entry showcases the Sally light-foot crab on Santiago Island in the Galapagos. The Sally Lightfoot crab is known for its stunning red coloring and impressive agility. They are adept climbers and can navigate uneven terrain with ease, even scaling vertical surfaces.

Behaviour — mammals

Alexander Brackx took this photograph of a mother zebra and her foal being attacked by a cheetah in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. The reserve borders the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, and together they form one of the most extensive wildlife ecosystems in Africa.

Black and white

The black and white winner was Richard Li for his photo of a leopard in the East Rift Valley of Kenya. This area has a varied landscape including mountains, savannas, and forests. Leopards can thrive in these areas, especially with rocky outcrops and dense vegetation that provides cover for hunting and stalking prey.

Nature art

Miki Spitzer wins this category with their photo taken in Iceland showcasing blue watery veins, glacial braids, and golden sediment.

People and nature

Ioannis Pavlos Evangelidis’ entry of traditional stilt fishermen trying their luck at sunset in Koggala, Sri Lanka, is another winner. Koggala is a small coastal town located on the south coast of Sri Lanka, in the Galle District. It’s home to one of the longest beaches in the country.

Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments

Ivan Pedretti’s photograph was taken in Stokksnes, Iceland. It features Vestrahorn mountain, known for its two distinctive peaks and dramatic black sand beach.

Plants and fungi

The plants and fungi category was won by Chatree Lertsintanakorn for their photo of Thismia Thaithongiana. Taken in Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, Thailand, Thismia Thaithongiana, also known as Thaithong’s Fairy Lantern, is a mycoheterotrophic flowering plant, meaning it gets its nutrients from fungi rather than photosynthesis.

Underwater

Andy Schmid’s shot of a female orca splitting a herring bait ball was taken in Skjervøy, Norway. Skjervøy is a small island located off the coast of northern Norway and is known for its abundant marine life, including orcas, humpback whales, and herring.

Urban wildlife

The final category of urban wildlife was won by Roy Wiesner for his photo of a female sunbird in Be’er Ora, Israel. There are about 146 species of sunbirds found in Africa, Asia, and Australasia. They are known for their vibrant plumage, especially the males, which have iridescent feathers that shimmer and change color depending on the angle of light.