Stunning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition
Sleepy seals, a “dancing” stoat and a caiman’s fatal encounter with a jaguar are among the highly commended images in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The 60th edition of the contest received a record 59,228 entries from people of all ages and experience levels from 117 countries and territories, according to a press release from organizers the Natural History Museum, in London.
They were judged by a panel on their creativity, originality and technical excellence.
The highly commended images feature in a range of categories, including 10 years and under, natural artistry, animals in their environment, underwater, and oceans: the bigger picture.
Among the images, a selection of which is featured in the gallery above, is a poignant image of a frosted deer on a forest floor on an icy winter morning. The image has become the first ever photograph taken with a smartphone to be given a highly commended honor at the competition.
Along with the striking image showing the end of a mule deer doe’s life, taken using an iPhone XR, are other photographs showing remarkable scenes of nature.
“In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behavior and conservation issues,” said Kathy Moran, chair of the judging panel, in the release. “These images represent the evolution of the competition through the years, from pure natural history to photography that fully embraces representation of the natural world - the beauty and the challenges. It is a powerful selection with which to kickstart a milestone anniversary.”
A new honor, the impact award, has been added to both the young and adult competitions to recognize a story of conservation success, hope or positive change, according to the release.
The winners of each category, as well as the grand title and young grand title awards, will be announced on October 8, and 100 photographs from the competition will be showcased in an exhibition at London’s Natural History Museum from October 11.
Editor’s Note: Call to Earth is a CNN editorial series committed to reporting on the environmental challenges facing our planet, together with the solutions. Rolex’s Perpetual Planet Initiative has partnered with CNN to drive awareness and education around key sustainability issues and to inspire positive action.
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