The World Nature Photography Awards have announced their 2020 winners, and the competition has proven itself to be a wonderful celebration of Mother Earth.

“2020 was a challenging year for many but nothing could be more uplifting than marvelling at the beauty of the natural world around us,” the organizers wrote. “And that’s something that our 2020 winners have done with gusto.”

Participants competed in 13 categories. Their images and captions revealed that the pandemic has diminished neither their passion nor their patience for capturing our planet but and the end of the day, the title of World Nature Photographer of the Year went to Thomas Vijayan for his shot ‘The world is going upside down.’

Continue scrolling and explore the winners.

More info: worldnaturephotographyawards.com

#1 Animals In Their Habitat, Gold Winner And Grand Prize: Thomas Vijayan, Canada

I had this frame in my mind so, to get this shot, I firstly selected a tree that was in the water so that I could get a good reflection of the sky which makes the image look upside down. Then, I climbed up the tree and waited for hours. This is a regular path for the orangutans to cross to another small island, so I felt I was sure to get this frame if I wait patiently. It was a tough task but the end result paid off. Borneo is a photographers’ paradise. I really enjoyed shooting in such an untouched part of the world.

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#2 Behaviour – Birds, Gold: Dale Paul, Canada

This Great Horned Owl has just jumped from its perch in the trees to begin flight. She has thrust her wings forward to gain momentum. As the wings connect in front of her it appears as though she has formed a perfect flying saucer. The image was taken near High River, Canada.

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#3 Animal Portraits, Gold: Nick Dale, United Kingdom

A Bengal tigress with a catchlight in her eye lies up to her neck in the dark shadows of a water hole. Her name is Maya ‘The Enchantress’, and she has orange and black stripes with white patches on her head.

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#4 Black And White, Bronze: Heiko Mennigen, Germany

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#5 Behaviour – Mammals, Silver: Darren Donovan, South Africa

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#6 Animal Portraits, Silver: Joseph Shaffery, United Kingdom

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#7 Animal Portraits, Bronze: Femke Van Willigen, The Netherlands

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#8 Urban Wildlife, Silver: Jocelyn Chng, Singapore

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#9 Behaviour – Birds, Bronze: Lisa Roeder, United States

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#10 Behaviour – Mammals, Gold: Patrick Nowotny, United States

An interloper approaches a watering hole in the Serengeti that was already claimed by a small pride of lions. As the lioness came close, the pride attacked her in order to drive her away.

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#11 Urban Wildlife, Gold: Lawrence Worcester, United States

A songbird pulls at construction tape to snag a thread

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#12 People And Nature, Silver: Naomi Rose, Australia

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#13 People And Nature, Gold: Christa Funk, United States

Andre Fajardo and I went to dive early one morning. Sometimes you’ll see a ton of life in this area and other times you won’t. This particular day we came upon a few bait balls and the fish let us swim around them. The photo was taken in the Pacific Ocean.

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#14 Behaviour – Birds, Silver: Andy Pollard, Falkland Islands

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#15 Nature Art, Gold: Dipanjan Pal, India

A glacial river flowing through the black sand to the Atlantic.

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#16 Animals In Their Habitat, Bronze: Arlette Magiera, Germany

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#17 Planet Earth’s Landscapes And Environments, Silver: Mustafa Demirörs, Sweden

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#18 Urban Wildlife, Bronze: Adriana Rivas, Spain

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#19 Black And White, Gold: Harry Skeggs, United Kingdom

Ulysses, one of the last remaining great tuskers, bears down on top of me, demonstrating his colossal size and tusks

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#20 Nature Art, Silver: Jasper Goodall, United Kingdom

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#21 Animals In Their Habitat, Silver: Vladimir Cech, Czech Republic

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#22 Plants And Fungi, Gold: Doron Talmi, Israel

South Eastern USA has numerous swamps, lakes and bayous where thousands of large “bald cypress” trees are growing in the water. The beautiful sights are further enhanced during the November fall foliage by amazing lights and reflections. The image was captured handheld, from a kayak at a misty dawn in a lake in East Texas.

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#23 Behaviour – Mammals, Bronze: Nabarun Majumdar, India

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#24 Behaviour – Invertebrates, Bronze: Janus Olajuan Boediman, Indonesia

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#25 Behaviour – Invertebrates, Gold: Dr Tze Siong Tan, Singapore

Dragonfly and damselfly sex is a very conspicuous event, easily recognised by the heart-shaped “wheel” formation of mating pairs. I was lucky to encounter several pairs during a morning walk at Gardens by the Bay,Singapore. I approached quietly to avoid scaring the pair away; and positioned my equipment carefully to get both damselflies in the same plane.

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#26 People And Nature, Bronze: Mark Mcinnis, United States

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#27 Planet Earth’s Landscapes And Environments, Gold: Alessandro Gruzza, Italy

The first cold days of winter have frozen the surface of a pond. The first snowfall has revealed its delicate beauty. A long shutter speed enhances the movement of the clouds in the sky around Mount Cimon de la Pala, in the Pale San Martino Range. Location: Mount Cavallazza, Paneveggio-Pale San Martino Natural Park, Italy

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#28 Behaviour – Amphibians And Reptiles, Bronze: Mr Endy, Singapore

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#29 Behaviour – Amphibians And Reptiles, Silver: Graham Moon, United Kingdom

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#30 Behaviour – Amphibians And Reptiles, Gold: Vittorio Ricci, Italy

Two European common brown frogs during Spring mating season, Aveto, Italy.

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#31 Nature Photojournalism, Gold: Gunther De Bruyne, Belgium

A white Rhino is dehorned to prevent being killed by poachers. It’s a highly effective strategy as well as a conservation measure of last resort. All rhino species are, or have been, on the brink of extinction due to the popularity of their horn in Asia. But to clarify: rhino horn is composed of keratin, the very same substance that forms our fingernails. Nowadays, even in Asia, it’s widely known that rhino horn has no medicinal value or any other beneficial effect. However, the fewer rhinos there are, the higher the price of their horns, which unfortunately has made rhino horn consumption a status symbol.

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