Grand Prize
The Forest of the Monarchs
An awe-inspiring look into a fragile phenomenon: Immense swaths of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) sleeping, clinging in clusters, no doubt weary after having made the 3,000 mile migration from Canada and United States to Mexico. These monarchs make the reserve their home until Spring, and during their stay, they rest, reproduce, and prepare for the long journey back. During this eight-month cycle, it is estimated that five generations of these beautiful butterflies are born and die. In contrast to the sheer enormity of the Monarchs in this image, in reality, sights like this could potentially become rare in the future. This is entirely because of the realities of climate change, deforestation, and pesticide exposure, including an overall loss of the milkweed plant, the only plant in which the Monarch lays their eggs. However, all is not lost, with many organizations in the United States and Mexico mobilizing to save this incredible migratory effort, with promising numbers leading the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifying this behavior vulnerable as opposed to endangered.
Jaime Rojo
Jaime Rojo is a photographer and National Geographic Explorer who specializes in environmental stories about wilderness and wildlife. A passionate advocate for conservation, he hopes his images ultimately become tools for protecting nature. His most recent project, Saving the Monarchs, was featured as a cover story for National Geographic Magazine depicting the migration of the Monarch Butterflies, including their natural history, the threats they face, and the people working to protect them. Jaime is an International League of Conservation Photographers Senior Fellow, a trustee of the WILD Foundation, and is the recipient of honors in competitions such as World Press Photo, Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and Picture of the Year International.
Need stuff here too.
Aquatic Life Finalist
How Many Dolphins Is Too Many?
Aquatic Life Finalist
Pike Place
Aquatic Life Finalist
Bubble-Net Feeding
Aquatic Life Finalist
Parenthood
Aquatic Life Finalist
The Passenger
Aquatic Life Finalist
Baby’s Big Wave
Aquatic Life
Tadpole Migration
These Western toad (Anaxyrus boreas) tadpoles migrate each day en masse from the deepest parts of this lake to the sunlit shallows to feed on algae. Though less secure than they would be in the relatively safe depths, this photographer noted that even still, these tadpoles were not camera shy and allowed him to come in for their close-up. (In fact, if he stayed still they would start to nibble on his camera and skin.)
Shane Gross
Shane Gross is a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist. An avid adorer of sharks since childhood, his passion has since grown into a love for all underwater beings. An Associate Fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers and multi-year winner of the NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, Shane is driven by telling long-form narratives about the ocean and humanity’s impact on her—both positive and negative.
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE Finalist
The Fast and the Furriest
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE Finalist
King of the Mountains
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE Finalist
Quick Climb
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE Finalist
Greetings From the Spiked Magician
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE Finalist
The Band
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE Finalist
A Moment In The Sun
Terrestrial Wildlife
Beauty Of Thar Desert
An Afro-Asian sand snake (Psammophis schokari) nestles within an endangered Phog shrub (Calligonum polygonoides) in the Thar Desert. Contradicting its name, this diurnal ambush predator was likely resting in the shrub for the night, perfectly camouflaged by the bush thanks to its thin, brown body.
Hema Palan
Hema Palan is a banker by profession in addition to being a passionate wildlife photographer. A visual storyteller, Hema aims to make a difference in conservation by documenting species in their wild habitat with the hope of inspiring people to play their part in conserving this beautiful world.
Winged life finalist
Wings of Fire
Winged life finalist
Do Not Disturb
Winged life finalist
Angel of the Arctic
Winged life finalist
Flight of the Night Hunter
Winged life finalist
Streaming Monarchs
Winged life finalist
Hunt
Winged Life
Underwater Harmony And Chaos
Despite being nearly as large as an albatross, with a wingspan approaching seven feet in length, Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) are surprisingly agile divers. They owe it all to their amazing eyes, which are not only generally sharp, but have also structurally adapted for plunge-diving. This, combined with their robust vocalizations, allow them to be adept fish hunters. Spending most of their lives at sea, these birds can dive nearly 72 feet deep for food, racking their prey from the air and catching them by making a jabbing dive. The photographer likens watching these birds to torpedoes as they break the surface of the cold Scottish waters at a speed of close to 60 mph to seize their prey. And thanks to their incredible vision, they’re able to do so without barreling into one another.
Franco Banfi
Franco Banfi is a professional photographer specializing in underwater wildlife and environments who has worked in all manner of watery locales: from salted and freshwater, to polar water and temperate-warm water. He has dived and photographed in lakes, rivers, and every ocean on Earth, all while improving his photography skills and deepening his love for wildlife in the pursuit of conserving biodiversity, flora, and fauna. You can find his photography in hundreds of magazines, books, calendars related to underwater life, including publications in GEO, National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Tauchen, DAN Alert, and Focus.
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST
Autumn Cypress
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST
The King of the Volcanoes
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST
Ocean Dance
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST
Spidery Orchids
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST
Lava’s Flow
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST
Foggy Day Afternoon
Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora
View Finalists in this category
In Celebration
An image years in the making, this photographer always wanted to highlight the role tidal and wave actions play in the lives of Sandy anemones (Bunodactis reynaudi). Native to the South African coast, sandy anemones are often seen gathered together like this, relying on water supply from tidal and wave actions to bring in sustenance, using their strong contractile sphincter muscles to grab onto passing food. Only when there is a likelihood of feeding do anemones open and show off their beautiful, variegated colors—elevating the reefs and tidal pools they reside in from mundane to exquisite. To this photographer, it is a celebration of the natural rhythms of life.
Geo Cloete
Geo Cloete is a renowned photographer whose work is celebrated within South Africa's underwater photography community. A lifelong aquaman with an enduring love for the ocean, Geo strives to demonstrate the undersea world's beauty, splendor, and exquisiteness through his photographic endeavors. Geo is the recipient of numerous awards, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Underwater Photographer of the Year, and his photos have won awards in many prestigious competitions including United World Oceans Day, Natures Best Africa, and African Geographic.
ART OF NATURE FINALIST
Flamingos Over The Lagoon
ART OF NATURE FINALIST
“Koi”
ART OF NATURE FINALIST
Relentless Gaze
ART OF NATURE FINALIST
Collective Camouflage
ART OF NATURE FINALIST
Shadows
ART OF NATURE FINALIST
Shimmering Shallows Swarm
Art of Nature
Stardust Forest
Every summer, hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors journey to Japan to witness the amazing lights of the Himebotaru. These Japanese fireflies (Luciola parvula) are endemic to Japan, though members of their family are found in Asia, Africa, and Europe. After studying the ecology of these fireflies for years, including tracking their pathways, this photographer set out to capture their incredible illumination through a series of long exposures in camera, resulting in this magical image.
Kazuaki Koseki
Photography has been a formative part of Kazuaki Koseki’s life since early childhood. In addition to continuing the family studio business, Koseki now conducts his private photographic work featuring Mountains. Forests. Rivers. Kazuaki forges his way into the wilderness of Yamagata and Tohoku, evoking the five senses through the four seasons, and has dedicated himself to capturing the natural majesty of the area in many of his works, including in his landmark series Summer Fairies. He has received numerous awards at home and abroad, including Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021, Critical Mass 2023 Top 50, BigPicture Nature World Photography Competition 2021 & 2023, and Photoville FENCE 2020, and his work has been included in exhibits at the World Economic Forum (Davos, Switzerland) and the Natural History Museum in London.
HUMAN/NATURE FINALIST
Hopeless
HUMAN/NATURE FINALIST
Captive
HUMAN/NATURE FINALIST
Brutal Death
HUMAN/NATURE FINALIST
Naserian and the Ostrich Egg
HUMAN/NATURE FINALIST
Airborne
HUMAN/NATURE FINALIST
Serious Crime, Forensic Expert
Human/Nature
Good Fire
We’re trained to see the words wildfire and California and immediately think, devastation. In many cases in California, that is true, but fire itself is a force of renewal, a force North American landscapes were shaped with— a force for good. Until the 20th century, lightning strikes ensured consistent natural burning, and Indigenous communities stewarded the land with intentional fire. Due to federal fire restrictions, Indigenous communities like those on the Klamath River (including the Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa Tribes) have seen a stifling of their ability to wield fire as their ancestors did—priming forests for the severe and destructive wildfire we see today. Ever slowly, they are reclaiming their right to burn, shown here as Hoopa Valley Tribal member, Steven Saiz, facilitates a cultural burn with the Cultural Fire Management Council. These burns not only promote cultural revival, but ecological as well, as these burns invigorate the health of forests, from vegetation to animals.
Maddy Rifka
Maddy Rifka is a fish and wildlife biologist, wildland firefighter, and conservation storyteller. Her work as a biologist takes her to remote areas of Northern California to track California condors and snorkel to monitor native fish populations. For her work as a storyteller, Maddy tells conservation stories that focus on human-wildlife relationships. She has documented stories covering wildfires, cultural burning, California condor reintroduction, river restoration, fish migration, mountain lion behavior, and the environmental impact of illegal cannabis cultivation by drug cartels. Maddy has worked on projects for outlets such as National Geographic, Audubon and the BBC. Her work has been shown at the International Wildlife Film Festival 2020 and the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival 2021. In addition to being a Girls Who Click Ambassador, Maddy has worked as a California Academy of Sciences Osher Fellow on a long-term photography and film project focusing on wildlife and wildfire. Above all else, she wants to give a voice to those that need it and tell stories that inspire change.
PHOTO STORY: Unusual Perspectives
Ghosts of the North
PHOTO STORY: Unusual Perspectives
Ghosts of the North
PHOTO STORY: Unusual Perspectives
Ghosts of the North
PHOTO STORY: Unusual Perspectives
Ghosts of the North
PHOTO STORY: Unusual Perspectives
Ghosts of the North
Photo Story: Unusual Perspectives
Ghosts of the North
Northern ecosystems are much like deserts, picturesque and resilient, but in flux due to climate change and industrialization. Hallmarked by small wildlife populations, the animals that do inhabit these areas are rarely seen or heard, like ghosts. Through the use of camera traps and long exposures, we are shown rare images of bears, caribou, Arctic foxes, and wolves set against a stark, icy scenery. And even though these are fleeting glimpses snapped in a flash, we get the sense that these animals are more than just spectral tracks in the snow—they are wildlife teeming with personality and purpose.
Peter Mather
Peter Mather is a Yukon photojournalist and filmmaker who specializes in outdoor adventure, wildlife, and wilderness landscape photography. He has spent decades following caribou, bears, wolverines and the people of the North. His photography has been published in National Geographic, Canadian Geographic, the New York Times, and Smithsonian Magazine, among others. A Panasonic Lumix global ambassador and a fellow with the International League of Conservation Photographers, he recently produced the internationally awarded documentary, “Kings of the North” which was released in April of 2023.
