Winners of 2022 Nature TTL Photographer of the Year Contest Celebrate Raw Beauty of Nature

Over 8,000 photos were entered into the 2022 Nature TTL Photographer of the Year contest. Incredible images of landscapes and wildlife took home awards across many different categories. But, in the end, American photographer Dennis Stogsdill was named Nature TTL Photographer of the Year and took home a cash prize of £1,500 (approximately $1,773) for his glimpse at nature in its most primal state.

Taken in the lower Serengeti, Stogsdill's photo shows a caracal proudly walking back with a flamingo that it's hunted. The bright feathers of the flamingo contrast with the mud-soaked fur of this medium-sized wild cat. For Will Nicholls, founder of Nature TTL, there is no doubt about the strength of this image.

“This is nature at its most raw. The caracal is soaked from chasing the flamingos through the waters, but has come out on top,” he shares. “The contrasting colors against the dark surroundings really make this image pop. A wonderful scene to have been able to observe no doubt, let alone capture exquisitely on camera.”

Other winning and runner-up images are equally impressive. Standouts include Mauro Tronto‘s once-in-a-lifetime photo of a rainbow and the Northern Lights shining over Iceland's Godafoss waterfall. In addition, 13-year-old photographer Achintya Murthy was named Youth Nature TTL Photographer of the Year for a beautiful image of two Malabar parakeets fighting over a tree stump. The color of the birds and the young photographer's ability to capture this moment of action make it a standout.

Scroll down to check out the winners and runners-up across the contest's eight categories; and, if you are a nature photographer, prepare to enter next year's contest, which opens for entries in January 2023.

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A Cat and Its Prize” by Dennis Stogsdill (USA). Overall winner and Winner, Animal Behavior
Photo location: Ndutu, Republic of Tanzania
“We had received word about a serval hunting birds along the shore of Lake Ndutu (lower Serengeti) so we raced over to see. Upon arrival, we quickly realized that it was in fact a caracal and not a serval, and it was hunting flamingos that were feeding in the shallows. Within a minute of arrival, the caracal started stalking and eventually was successful (in dramatic fashion) at hunting one of the beautiful but unlucky birds. In this image you see the caracal walking off with its prize.”