Wildlife photographer of the year - a sneak peek

A possum's midnight snack, by Caitlin Henderson, of Australia, is highly commended for urban widlife.

It’s still another month until the winners of the Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 are announced, but the judges have released a handful of outstanding images to whet the appetite of fans of the prestigious competition.

About 50,000 photographers of all ages and experience from 95 countries entered this year, with images ranging from the jaw-dropping gorgeous to the tear-jerking and horrifying.

A bison kicks up a flurry of snow in Wyoming in a beautiful and slightly abstract frame, a macaque lies on the back of a deer in an image that is amusing and unexpected, a mason bee flies with a stick of straw in its jaws as it builds a nest – all scenes that depict the wonder of nature in harmony.

Image 1 of 15: Coral connections by Alex Mustard of the UK shot in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Then we are confronted by an injured fox hiding from its tormentors and by the last moments of an elephant’s life after a collision with a train – scenes of brutality and mortality.

The photographs represent hours of work in perfecting a craft, planning a shot and perhaps the greatest of all of the photographer’s skills – patience.

The chairwoman of the judging panel, Kathy Moran, said the judges were impressed with the range from absolute beauty to stark reminders of humans’ influence on the world.

“We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs,” Moran said.

Dr Doug Gurr, director of London’s Natural History Museum, added that photography was a powerful catalyst for change as we faced urgent biodiversity and climate crises.

“The Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition reveals some of nature’s most wondrous sights whilst offering hope and achievable actions visitors can take to help protect the natural world.”

The winners will be announced at a gala night at the Natural History Museum on October 13, when the photographs will be on display until the following June. The exhibition embarks on a worldwide tour, including New Zealand in the first half of next year, connecting millions of people with the world’s best wildlife photography and the call to act for the planet.

• See more at www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy