The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year was announced this week at an awards ceremony in the Natural History Museum, London.
Celebrating 60 years of the awards, a record number of entries – nearly 60,000 – were submitted from 117 countries, with just 18 category winners selected and one overall title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
The top entry for 2024 came from Canadian marine conservation photojournalist Shane Gross, who spent several hours snorkelling through carpets of lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to capture an image of western toad tadpoles in their perilous existence and journey to adult toads.
Gross had to swim carefully through the vegetation trying not to disturb fine layers of silt and algae on the lake bottom to avoid reducing visibility.
Image 1 of 15: Winner, Behaviour: Mammals Hikkaduwa Liyanage Prasantha Vinod finds this serene scene of a young toque macaque sleeping in an adult’s arms. Photo / Hikkaduwa Lyanage Prasantha Vinod, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Taking between four and 12 weeks to mature, the toads have to dodge predators as they move from the safety of deeper waters to the surface to feed. Some 99% of the tadpoles do not survive.
“The jury was captivated by the mix of light, energy and connectivity between the environment and the tadpoles,” said Kathy Moran, chairwoman of the jury.
“Over the last few years, the competition has highlighted environments and species that are often overlooked yet provoke the same wonder and delight when shared as the more typically photographed wildlife and wild places.”
The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year has captured an equally often-overlooked species. Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany showed technical skill to shoot an up-close image of a tiny springtail and the fruiting body of slime mould.
Springtails can jump many times their body length in a split second, so Tinker-Tsavalas had to move quickly shooting 36 images, each with a slightly different focus, to produce his final picture in a technique called focus stacking.
“A photographer attempting to capture this moment not only brings great skill, but incredible attention to detail, patience and perseverance,” Moran said. “To see a macro image of two species photographed on the forest floor with such skill is exceptional.”
Springtails are one of the most abundant macroscopic animals, found almost everywhere on Earth, and are vital to soil health by feeding on micro-organisms – such as bacteria and fungi – and helping organic matter decompose.
Other winning images deal with challenges faced by wildlife around the world from pollution, habitat squeeze and climate change, while others address the wonder and richness of biodiversity and behaviour.
“Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s longevity is a testament to the vital importance and growing appreciation of our natural world,” said Natural History Museum director Dr Doug Gurr.
“We are delighted to feature such inspiring images in this year’s portfolio. These are photographs that not only encourage further wildlife conservation efforts but spark the creation of real advocates for our planet on a global scale,” he said.
A new award was introduced to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the competition. Called the Impact Award, the category recognises conservation success with a story of hope and positive change.
Liwa Palowska from Poland won the Young Impact Award with her image “Recording by Hand” that spotlights a common whitethroat being recorded for length, sex, condition and age before banding to help scientists monitor populations and track migratory patterns.
The Adult Impact Award was given to Jannico Kelk of Australia for his image “Hope for the Ninu”, a small marsupial called the greater bilby and also known as the ninu. The species was close to extinction through predation from introduced foxes and cats and Kelk’s photograph showcases the ninu in a fenced reserve, a measure that has eradicated predators and allowed the animal to thrive.
The competition exhibition opened overnight at the Natural History Museum and will tour globally, including to Aotearoa New Zealand next year.
To honour the 60th anniversary, this year’s exhibition includes past grand title winners with photographs, trophies and camera technology encapsulating the years of revealing nature’s stories.
Videos showing the global impact of wildlife photography alongside insights from jury members, photographers and scientists also feature in the exhibition making the case to advocate for the natural world.
To find out more about the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and exhibition, and the Natural History Museum, visit www.nhm.ac.uk/wpy
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