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.
Photo: Alexander Brackx (Belgium). Gold, Behavior – Mammals. Subject: Mother zebra and her foal being attacked by a cheetah. Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
Photo: Pavlos Evangelidis (Greece). Gold, People and nature. Subject: Traditional stilt fishermen try their luck at sunset. Location: Koggala, Sri Lanka.
Photo: Ivan Pedretti (Italy). Gold, Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments. Subject: Beach and Vestrahorn mountain. Location: Stokksnes, Iceland.
Photo: Andy Schmid (Switzerland). Gold, Underwater. Subject: A female orca splitting a herring bait ball. Location: Skjervøy, Norway.
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.
Photo: Celia Kujala (USA). Gold, Nature photojournalism. Subject: Sea lion pup. Location: Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico.
Photo: Bill Klipp (USA). Gold, Behavior – Invertebrates. Subject: Sally light-foot crabs. Location: Santiago Island, Galapagos Islands.
Photo: John Seagar (UK). Gold, Behavior – Amphibians and reptiles. Subject: A lava lizard standing on a marine iguana. Location: Galapagos Islands.
Photo: Chatree Lertsintanakorn (Thailand). Gold, Plants and fungi. Subject: Thismia thaithongiana. Location: Umphang Wildlife Sanctuary, Tak Province, Thailand.
Photo: Roy Wiesner (Israel). Gold, Urban Wildlife. Subject: Female sunbird. Location: Be’er Ora, Israel.
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.
Photo: Miki Spitzer (Israel). Gold, Nature Art. Subject: Blue watery veins, glacial braids and golden sediment. Location: Iceland.
Photo: Philip Hamilton (UK). Silver, Underwater. Subject: Young humpback whale. Location: Kingdom of Tonga.
Photo: Kevin Blackwell (USA). Bronze, Behavior – Invertebrates. Subject: Cuckoo wasp, also called an emerald wasp (Chrysis angolensis). Location: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Photo: Thomas Vijayan (Canada). Silver, Animals in their habitat. Subject: Canadian lynx. Location: Canada.
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.
Photo: Elizabeth Yicheng Shen (USA). Silver, Behavior – Mammals. Subject: A dead mule deer guarded by a bobcat. Location: Yellowstone National Park, USA.
Photo: Tom Way (UK). Silver, Black and white. Subject: Mother elephant and calf. Location: Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
Photo: Hira Punjabi (India). Bronze, People and nature. Subject: A boy chasing a swarm of locusts. Location: Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India.
Photo: Robert J. Ross (USA). Silver, Nature Art. Subject: Aspen trees. Location: Aspen, Colorado, USA.
Photo: Lakshitha Karunarathhna (Sri Lanka). Silver, Behavior – Birds. Subject: Yellow-billed oxpecker sitting on an African water buffalo. Location: Kenya.
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.
Photo: Michael Stavrakakis (Australia). Silver, Animal Portraits. Subject: Mother and infant gorilla. Location: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda.
Photo: Partha Roy (Singapore). Bronze, Animal Portraits. Subject: Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis). Location: Chopta in Uttarakhand, India.
Photo: Lennart Stolte (Netherlands). Bronze, Nature photojournalism. Subject: Binturong kept in cage for production of kopi luwak coffee. Location: Sulawesi, Indonesia.