Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 – a peek at the entires - Positive News

Words by Robin Eveleigh September 4, 2023

Capturing nature at its most wondrous – and vulnerable – this year’s shortlist offers a thought-provoking collection of wildlife photography

A monkey riding a deer, the magic of mushrooms and an evacuee tiger cub are a few of the images that made it to the later stages of the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

In just over a month’s time London’s Natural History Museum reveals the winners, and based on this preview of highly commended images – chosen from an astonishing 49,957 entries from 95 countries – judges have had their work cut out.

As well as showcasing the drama, resilience and variety of life on Earth – from hungry big cats to bees busy at work – the images offer a glimpse of the impact humankind has on its wild neighbours.

“What most impressed the jury was the range of subjects, from absolute beauty, rarely seen behaviours and species, to images that are stark reminders of what we are doing to the natural world,” said chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran. “We felt a powerful tension between wonder and woe that we believe came together to create a thought-provoking collection of photographs.’”

Wildlife TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin announce category winners – as well as the prestigious Grand Title and Young Grand Title Awards – on 10 October. The Natural History Museum will showcase 100 photographs in an exhibition from 13 October ahead of a UK and international tour.

Museum director Dr Doug Gurr added: “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.”

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

Gallery: a selection of highly commended images

‘The catwalk’ by Shashwat Harish, Kenya: Imagine the electric thrill of locking eyes with a leopard in the wild. Shashwat snapped this image on a trip to Kenya’s Maasai Mara, where leopard numbers are decreasing due to habitat loss and hunting. Acting on a tip-off that one had been spotted nearby, the young photographer searched for hours, and was rewarded with this elegant portrait. Image: Shashwat Harish/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Snow bison’ by Max Waugh, US: Bison numbers are slowly increasing in North America after hunting almost wiped them out. Waugh caught this energetic close up of a plains bison kicking up flurries of snow as a herd crossed the road in front of him. The tight frame lends an abstract originality to the composition. Image: Max Waugh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Forest rodeo’ by Atsuyuki Ohshima, Japan: The very definition of a cheeky monkey, this macaque leapt on a deer to hitch a ride. Rodeo-riding by the macaques of Japan’s Yakushima Island is a rare sight, but not unheard of. Male macaques have been seen clinging to female deer and even trying to mate with them. In this case, the macaque was a young female, clearly just out for a joy ride. Image: Atsuyuki Ohshima/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Firebirds’ by Elza Friedländer, Germany. A controlled fire, used to manage grassland and stimulate new growth, provides the dramatic setting for this shot of a pair of white storks, obscured by heat shimmer from the blaze. The birds were among hundreds that flocked to the fire in the Maasai Mara, and pressed up to the front line to pick off easy prey fleeing the flames. Image: Elza Friedländer/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Mason bee at work’ by Solvin Zankl, Germany: Photographer Solvin Zankl unwittingly became part of the story as this mason bee built the roof of its nest. The bees memorise landmarks nearby to locate their nesting spots, and Zankl edged his equipment closer each time it left to avoid disturbing this specimen. After two hours of patient study, the bee was using his camera as a landmark. Image: Solvin Zankl/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Race for life’ by Donglin Zhou, China: A Pallas’s cat runs for its life with a snow leopard in hot pursuit. Both species are well camouflaged, and Zhou assumed the leopard was after a marmot when it sprang into action, as the cat blended in so well with the surrounding rocks. Its camouflage was not enough to save it, however. Zhou’s image captures the thrill of the chase, leaving the mealtime that followed to our imagination. Image: Donglin Zhou/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Mushroom magic’ by Agorastos Papatsanis, Greece: Looking like curls of rising smoke, spores swirl beneath the gills of a deer shield mushroom. Agorastos used umbrellas to minimise the airflow around his subject, and set up a light and reflector to highlight the often unobserved moment when billions of tiny egg-shaped spores are dispersed. Image: Agorastos Papatsanis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Coral connections’ by Alex Mustard, UK: Warming seas have put coral at risk, but Mustard captured this pristine gorgonian sea fan in all its vibrant glory, and the ghost gobies swimming between its branches showcase the biodiversity of a healthy reef. The fish are usually skittish, but Mustard was keen to capture more than one in his frame. They use sea fans as a refuge or feeding platform, blending in perfectly with their surroundings. Image: Alex Mustard/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Possum’s midnight snack’ by Caitlin Henderson, Australia: A common brushtail possum dismembers a large northern greengrocer cicada on a windowsill in Malanda, Queensland, Australia. These possums are abundant in Queensland, and although built for a life foraging among the trees, they have readily adapted to urban environments. Henderson’s lens caught this unexpected visitor complete with a baby in its pouch. Image: Caitlin Henderson/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Death in waiting’ by Pietro Formis, Italy: This ghostly image captures a stargazer fish peering through turquoise waters from the sandy ocean floor. Despite its innocuous moniker, the fish is not watching the skies, but instead waiting for its next meal. The stargazer is an ambush predator which buries itself in the sand, leaving just its eyes and needle-like teeth visible. Unfortunately its coastal habitat is under pressure from erosion and pollution, and it is often caught as bycatch. Image: Pietro Formis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘Coot on ice’ by Zhai Zeyu, China: Patience paid off for both photographer and coot on this occasion: The bird snared a tasty loach, and Zeyu was on hand to record the moment it skittered across the surface of a frozen pond in Dalian, China – with its catch dangling from its beak. Image: Zhai Zeyu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘The vanishing seal’ by Bruno D’Amicis, Italy: D’Amicis lay hidden on a rock ledge to capture this surreal, otherworldly image of a Mediterranean monk seal, one of the most endangered mammals on Earth. The creatures were once a common sight resting on open beaches, but the twin perils of hunting and encroachment on habitat have left numbers dwindling. Image: Bruno D’Amicis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

‘War cub’ by Michał Siarek, Poland: Siarek focused his attention on some of the Ukraine conflict’s forgotten victims by documenting efforts to evacuate animals. “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. Siarek’s photo records the moment a team checks on an evacuated tiger cub before its onward journey to Poznań Zoo in Poland. Image: Michał Siarek/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Main image: Max Waugh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year

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Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 – a peek at some of the entries

Gallery: a selection of highly commended images

Help us break the bad news bias

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