2023 Wildlife Photographer of the Year sneak peek
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The winners of the Natural History Museum’s annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition will soon be announced, with an exhibition of winning images set to open on October 13, 2023, in London. 100 photographs by entrants from all across the globe, showcasing striking and unique looks at some of the world’s most amazing creatures will be on display.
Now in its 59th year, the annual wildlife photography competition received nearly 50,000 submissions from 95 countries, with photographers spanning all ages and experience levels. across various categories, such as animal portraits, photojournalism, behavior, natural artistry, and under water, as well as age-related categories, such as 10-years-old and under.
Ahead of the October exhibit, the Natural History Museum has released a shortlist of “highly commended” images from several categories. Among them we see a snow leopard hunting a Pallas’s cat (Donglin Zhou), a mason bee mid-flight as it builds a nest (Solvin Zankl), or a very unusual animal interaction of a macaque jumping on the back of a deer (Atsuyuki Ohshima).
‘What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviors and species to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world,’ says Kathy Moran, Chair of the judging panel. ‘We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.’
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition winners will be announced on October 10, 2023, at an awards ceremony ahead of the exhibit’s public opening. The exhibit will run from October 13, 2023 through June 30, 2024, at the Natural History Museum in London, after which the exhibit will move to a traveling exhibit, touring the UK and internationally. Tickets for the upcoming exhibit in October are on sale now and can be purchased here.
DPReview has compiled a gallery of these photos, in addition to the captions from the judging panel as well as the photo equipment used to capture them.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. Submissions for next year’s competition will open for entries on October 16, 2023, and run until December 7, 2023. For all the details about how to enter, see the competition page.
Snow bison by Max Waugh, USA – Category: Animal Portraits
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About the photo: Max Waugh catches sight of a plains bison kicking up flurries of snow over its bulky frame.
From his vehicle, Max saw the bison start to head downhill towards the road, gathering momentum.
Once abundant and wide-ranging across most of North America, bison were hunted to near extinction by the late 1800s. Numbers are slowly increasing, but they are confined to discrete populations, dependent on conservation management and constrained by land-use changes and land ownership.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
Gear and specs: Canon EOS R6 + 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 lens at 100mm; 1/1250 at F4.5; ISO 800
Firebirds by Elza Friedländer, Germany – Category: Behavior (Birds)
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About the photo: Elza Friedländer shows a pair of white storks in shimmering heat against the burnt ground caused by a controlled fire.
As Elza had anticipated, shortly after the controlled fire was lit on an area of Kenya’s Maasai Mara, hundreds of birds arrived, particularly storks and kites. Most kept a reasonable distance, but the storks pressed up to the front line in search of easy prey.
Starting fires is a common though controversial way of managing grasslands to stimulate lush new growth and to control the spread of bushland. This can be a dangerous tactic, especially in times of drought when fire spreads easily.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Rhino Ridge, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Gear and specs: Nikon D850 + 500mm F5.6 lens + 1.4x teleconverter; 1/500 at F8; ISO 2000
Forest rodeo by Atsuyuki Ohshima, Japan – Category: Behavior (Mammals)
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About the photo: Atsuyuki Ohshima quickly frames an unusual interaction as a macaque jumps on a deer.
A sudden movement behind the sika stag caught Atsuyuki’s eye. In an instant – using a tree as a springboard – a young Yakushima macaque jumped onto the deer’s back.
Rodeo-riding of deer by the monkeys of Yakushima Island is rare, but not unheard of. Young male macaques have been seen clinging to female deer and trying to mate with them. In this case, however, the macaque was a young female, appearing just to be enjoying a free ride.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Yakushima, Kagoshima, Japan
Gear and specs: Sony a7S III + 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 lens at 100mm; 1/400 at F6.3; ISO 1600
Race for life by Donglin Zhou, China – Category: Behavior (Mammals)
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About the photo: Donglin Zhou witnesses the drama of a snow leopard hunting a Pallas’s cat.
When the snow leopard sprang into action, Donglin assumed it was after a marmot as ‘the Pallas’s cat blended in so well with the rocks.’ But in less than a minute, it was in the snow leopard’s jaws.
Both species are well camouflaged and are hard to see at any time, let alone together. While large birds of prey and wolves are known to hunt Pallas’s cats, it is a rare sight to see them hunted by snow leopards.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Gayi, Sichuan, China
Gear and specs: Nikon Z9 + 400mm F2.8 lens + 1.4x teleconverter; 1/1000 at F5.6; ISO 640
Mason bee at work by Solvin Zankl, Germany – Category: Behavior (Invertebrates)
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About the photo: Solvin Zankl carefully watches a two-colored mason bee build the roof of its nest.
Solvin knew the bee was memorizing landmarks around the nest so it could find it again. So as not to disorientate it, he edged his equipment closer each time it left. After two hours, the bee was using his equipment as a landmark.
Two-colored mason bees use snail shells for egg-laying. They pack the shell with pollen and nectar for their larvae, then seal it with grass and sticky saliva. Humans sometimes consider snails to be pests, but this species could not survive without them.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Near Witzenhausen, Hesse, Germany
Gear and specs: Nikon Z6 + Rolleiflex Makro-Planar 120mm F4 PQS lens + bellow; 1/1000 at F11; Nikon SB-500 Speedlight flashes; IR light beam; ISO 100
The vanishing seal by Bruno D’Amicis, Italy – Category: Natural Artistry
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About the photo: Bruno D’Amicis is rewarded for his perseverance with a mosaic-like image of a Mediterranean monk seal.
Working under permit, Bruno lay hidden on a ledge for several hours before a Mediterranean monk seal glided through the shallows and disappeared into a cave below. The reflections on the water helped hide this elusive seal and allude to the risk of the species totally disappearing.
This species is now one of the most endangered mammals on Earth due to historic hunting and human encroachment on its habitat. Mediterranean monk seals once rested on open beaches, but most now seek the safety of caves.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Greece
Gear and specs: Canon EOS R5 + 24-70mm F2.8 lens at 70mm + polarising filter; 1/250 at F3.5; ISO 3200
Prize catch by Jef Pattyn, Belgium/the Netherlands – Category: Oceans, The Bigger Picture
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About the photo: Jef Pattyn watches as an artisan fisher drags a sailfish across the beach.
Jef had spent days watching fishers bring their catch to shore surrounded by birds trying to get their share. The fish were prepared at sea then loaded onto trucks early in the morning when this photograph was taken.
Artisan fishing provides vital employment opportunities for people living around Ecuador’s Eastern Pacific waters. This is small in scale compared to the industrial-scale fishing undertaken by international fleets. However, artisan fishing does still have an impact as marine mammals can be entangled in nets.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Puerto López, Manabí Province, Ecuador
Gear and specs: Canon EOS 7D Mark II + 24-105mm F4 lens; 1/500 at F7.1; ISO 400
Mushroom magic by Agorastos Papatsanis, Greece – Category: Plants and Fungi
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About the photo: Agorastos Papatsanis illuminates swirls of spores appearing to dance beneath the gills of a deer shield mushroom.
Intent on revealing the magic of spore dispersal, Agorastos set up umbrellas to minimize air flow, positioned a light and a reflector, and angled his camera to highlight this often-unseen action as waves of ethereal dust.
Billions of these tiny egg-shaped spores are dispersed by air currents. This wood-rotting fungus most often emerges on the stumps and fallen branches of broad-leaved trees.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Mount Olympus, Pieria, Greece
Gear and specs: Nikon D810 + 105mm F2.8 lens + polarizing filter; 1/320 at F45; ISO 250; Godox flash + trigger; reflector; Leofoto mini tripod
Coral connections by Alex Mustard, UK – Category: Under Water
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About the photo: Alex Mustard shows the biodiversity of a healthy coral reef as ghost gobies swim within the branches of a sea fan.
Alex is particularly fond of gobies, which are normally skittish, but he was determined to picture more than one in the frame. Unexpected was the copepod parasite on one fish. Capturing the vibrant, contrasting colors meant holding steady in the current to get a long enough exposure.
Ghost gobies use gorgonian sea fans as a refuge or feeding platform, and perfectly blend into their surroundings. Coral reefs support a diversity of interconnected species but are at risk due to the warming seas of climate change.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Gear and specs: Nikon D850 + 105mm F2.8 lens; 1/8 at F16; ISO 100; Subal housing; Retra strobes
Possum’s midnight snack by Caitlin Henderson, Australia – Category: Urban Wildlife
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About the photo: Caitlin Henderson finds an unexpected guest on her balcony as a possum snacks on a large cicada.
‘There were heads here, wings there,’ Caitlin says. She had peeked out and spotted a common brushtail possum sitting on the windowsill. Quick reactions allowed Caitlin to photograph the possum hungrily dismembering a large northern greengrocer cicada while carrying a baby in its pouch.
This nocturnal marsupial, native to Australia, is widespread and locally abundant. Its long, sharp claws are made for a life in the trees, but it has readily adapted to urban environments and come into conflicts with humans.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Malanda, Queensland, Australia
Gear and specs: Canon EOS R5 + Laowa 15mm F4 lens; 1/200 at F16; ISO 200; Canon flash
The face of the persecuted by Neil Aldridge, South Africa – Category: Photojournalism
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About the photo: Neil Aldridge highlights the injuries sustained by a fox – most likely caused by dogs.
Neil framed this fox’s permanently exposed teeth and eye as it peered out from its makeshift den in a rehabilitation center. This image is part of Neil’s nine-year project photographing the complex relationship the British have with the red fox.
Since 2005 in England and Wales it has been illegal to poison foxes, block or destroy foxholes, or use dogs to hunt them. The injuries suffered by this animal were likely inflicted by dogs illegally sent into the fox’s den to flush it out.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Kent, England, UK
Gear and specs: Canon 5DS + 16-35mm F2.8 lens; 1/100 at F9; ISO 640; Canon EX580 II flash + Hahnel Captur transmitter; Lastolite softbox
War cub by Michał Siarek, Poland – Category: Photojournalism
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About the photo: Michał Siarek records the moment a team from Poznań Zoo opens a crate to check on an evacuated tiger cub.
Michał documented efforts to evacuate animals including wild animals in private ownership such as tigers, from across war-torn Ukraine. ‘That night changed me,’ he says. ‘Hearing the cry of a lion still in the truck made me decide to help with the next evacuation run.’
Many of the animals were rescued from fighting hotspots in eastern Ukraine in 2022. At the Polish border, the animals were re-crated and rushed to Poznań Zoo, then on to sanctuaries in Europe. More than 200 animals have since been saved.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Poznań Zoo, Poznań, Poland
Gear and specs: Fujifilm GFX100S + Sigma 40mm F1.4 lens; 1/125 at F1.4 (-1.3 e/v); ISO 1250
Fight to the death by Jasper Doest, the Netherlands – Category: Photojournalism
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About the photo: Jasper Doest (the Netherlands) shows the final moments of extreme distress felt by an elephant hit by a train.
The collision shattered the elephant’s hip beyond repair, and it had to be killed. Jasper, who was in the park on a different assignment, witnessed the episode. Despite the park director’s efforts to get the train company to slow trains, there are regular wildlife–train collisions in Lopé National Park, including up to 20 incidents with elephants a year.
Trains transport manganese from the Moanda mine, which holds 25% of known reserves. Manganese is a metal used in iron and steel production.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Lopé National Park, Gabon
Gear and specs: Leica SL2 + 24-90mm F2.8 lens; 1/125 at F11; ISO 125
Coot on ice by Zhai Zeyu, China – Category: 10 Years and Under, Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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About the photo: Zhai Zeyu enjoys watching a coot as it struggles to stay upright on ice while subduing a wriggling loach.
Zhai waited in the cold, watching coots as they endeavored to move across a frozen pond in northeast China. This coot had been scrambling in the water for food and eventually caught a loach.
Common coots are among the most widespread birds, with a range that extends across Europe and Asia and into North Africa and Australia. They require large areas of open water with nearby cover for nesting, and populations can be affected when their habitat is disturbed by humans.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Dalian, Liaoning, China
Gear and specs: Nikon D850 + 600mm F4 lens; 1/1250 at F4; ISO 100
The catwalk by Shashwat Harish, Kenya – Category: 11-14 Years, Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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About the photo: Shashwat Harish is rewarded for his patience with a moment of eye contact and the curl of a leopard’s tail.
Shashwat was on a trip to the Maasai Mara when he heard that a leopard had been spotted nearby. After he spent many hours in a vehicle, searching and waiting, the leopard appeared and Shashwat quickly changed lenses and settings to obtain this elegant portrait.
Leopards are the smallest of the big cats and they are often seen near water in the Maasai Mara. Population numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss, hunting, and the decline of their prey.
– Judging panel comments
Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Narok, Kenya
Gear and specs: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV + 100-400mm F4.5–5.6 lens; 1/1250 at F5.6; ISO 500
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