Two Gannets Fighting Over a Fish Win the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards

Two gannets under the water

Photo: Tracey Lund (UK). Grand Prize Winner and Gold, Behavior – Birds. Subject: Two gannets under the water. Location: Shetland Islands.

A photograph taken on vacation on the Shetland Islands has won photographer Tracey Lund the grand prize of the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards. Her striking photo shows two gannets underwater as they look to snatch a fish for a tasty meal. The UK photographer’s winning photo was selected from the thousands that were entered into the contest.

Lund’s photograph also took home the win in the Behavior – Birds category, one of 14 categories awarded in the contest. From portraits of animals to images of people interacting with the environment, the contest is a rewarding look at all facets of the natural world.

Among the category winners, standouts include Alexander Brackx‘s incredible photo capturing the moment a cheetah attacked a zebra and her foal. The dynamic image is a true look at survival in the wild. On the other hand, Pavlos Evangelidis gives us a serene look at how humans rely on nature for nourishment. The Greek photographer’s image of Sri Lankan fishermen balancing on poles as they cast their lines at sunset is a beautiful look at tradition.

For the first time, the competition is also giving people the opportunity to have their favorite photographs in their homes. A selection of the winning images from this year’s and previous years’ winners is available to purchase in a dedicated online store. In a win for the environment, the contest will plant a tree for every piece of wall art sold.

“Our winners never fail to take our breath away with their stunning images,” said Adrian Dinsdale, co-founder of the WNPAs. “As always, it’s such a joy to see the amazing caliber of entries into the awards. We’re thrilled that people will now have the chance to buy some of these images to grace the walls of their homes.”

Scroll down to see some of our favorite winners and finalists from the 2024 competition.

These are the incredible winners of the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards.

Mother zebra and her foal being attacked by a cheetah at the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Photo: Alexander Brackx (Belgium). Gold, Behavior – Mammals. Subject: Mother zebra and her foal being attacked by a cheetah. Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Traditional stilt fishermen try their luck at sunset in Sri Lanka

Photo: Pavlos Evangelidis (Greece). Gold, People and nature. Subject: Traditional stilt fishermen try their luck at sunset. Location: Koggala, Sri Lanka.

Beach and Vestrahorn mountain in Stokksnes, Iceland.

Photo: Ivan Pedretti (Italy). Gold, Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments. Subject: Beach and Vestrahorn mountain. Location: Stokksnes, Iceland.

A female orca splitting a herring bait ball

Photo: Andy Schmid (Switzerland). Gold, Underwater. Subject: A female orca splitting a herring bait ball. Location: Skjervøy, Norway.

Black and white image of a leopard by water in East Rift Valley, Kenya

Photo: Richard Li (USA). Gold, Black and white. Subject: Leopard. Location: East Rift Valley, Kenya.

The contest was founded on the belief that we can all make small efforts to shape the future of our planet in a positive way.

Sea lion pup with a plastic bag in its face

Photo: Celia Kujala (USA). Gold, Nature photojournalism. Subject: Sea lion pup. Location: Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico.

Sally light-foot crabs in the Galapagos Islands

Photo: Bill Klipp (USA). Gold, Behavior – Invertebrates. Subject: Sally light-foot crabs. Location: Santiago Island, Galapagos Islands.

A lava lizard standing on a marine iguana in the Galapagos Islands

Photo: John Seagar (UK). Gold, Behavior – Amphibians and reptiles. Subject: A lava lizard standing on a marine iguana. Location: Galapagos Islands.

Thismia thaithongiana at the Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, Thailand

Photo: Chatree Lertsintanakorn (Thailand). Gold, Plants and fungi. Subject: Thismia thaithongiana. Location: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, Thailand.

Female sunbird building a nest

Photo: Roy Wiesner (Israel). Gold, Urban Wildlife. Subject: Female sunbird. Location: Be’er Ora, Israel.

Nubian Ibex on a cliff in the Negev desert

Photo: Amit Eshel (Israel). Gold, Animals in their habitat. Subject: Nubian Ibex. Location: Negev desert, Israel.

This year’s awards received thousands of entries from photographers across six continents.

Blue watery veins, glacial braids and golden sediment

Photo: Miki Spitzer (Israel). Gold, Nature Art. Subject: Blue watery veins, glacial braids and golden sediment. Location: Iceland.

Young humpback whale underwater in Tonga

Photo: Philip Hamilton (UK). Silver, Underwater. Subject: Young humpback whale. Location: Kingdom of Tonga.

Cuckoo wasp, also called an emerald wasp (Chrysis angolensis)

Photo: Kevin Blackwell (USA). Bronze, Behavior – Invertebrates. Subject: Cuckoo wasp, also called an emerald wasp (Chrysis angolensis). Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Canadian lynx in the snow in Canada

Photo: Thomas Vijayan (Canada). Silver, Animals in their habitat. Subject: Canadian lynx. Location: Canada.

Fox walking among rubble in Switzerland

Photo: Roman Willi (Switzerland). Silver, Urban Wildlife. Subject: Fox. Location: Lucerne, Switzerland.

A selection of the winning images is available for purchase in a special online shop.

A dead mule deer guarded by a bobcat at the Yellowstone National Park, USA

Photo: Elizabeth Yicheng Shen (USA). Silver, Behavior – Mammals. Subject: A dead mule deer guarded by a bobcat. Location: Yellowstone National Park, USA.

Black and white photo of a mother elephant and calf at Amboseli National Park in Kenya

Photo: Tom Way (UK). Silver, Black and white. Subject: Mother elephant and calf. Location: Amboseli National Park, Kenya.

A boy chasing a swarm of locusts in India

Photo: Hira Punjabi (India). Bronze, People and nature. Subject: A boy chasing a swarm of locusts. Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India.

Artistic photos of aspen trees in Colorado

Photo: Robert J. Ross (USA). Silver, Nature Art. Subject: Aspen trees. Location: Aspen, Colorado, USA.

Yellow-billed oxpecker sitting on an African water buffalo

Photo: Lakshitha Karunarathhna (Sri Lanka). Silver, Behavior – Birds. Subject: Yellow-billed oxpecker sitting on an African water buffalo. Location: Kenya.

A male night frog calling in front of a clutch of eggs in India

Photo: Karthik Ak (USA). Silver, Behavior – Amphibians and reptiles. Subject: A male night frog calling in front of a clutch of eggs. Location: Amboli, Maharashtra, India.

Mother and infant gorilla hands in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda

Photo: Michael Stavrakakis (Australia). Silver, Animal Portraits. Subject: Mother and infant gorilla. Location: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.

Portrait of Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis)

Photo: Partha Roy (Singapore). Bronze, Animal Portraits. Subject: Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis). Location: Chopta in Uttarakhand, India.

Binturong kept in cage for production of kopi luwak coffee in Indonesia

Photo: Lennart Stolte (Netherlands). Bronze, Nature photojournalism. Subject: Binturong kept in cage for production of kopi luwak coffee. Location: Sulawesi, Indonesia.

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My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the World Nature Photography Awards.

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