Photography not only captures beauty but also enraptures the skill of storytelling. Nature and wildlife have enormous stories to emote and various wildlife photography contests bring those tales to us. In 2021, The Nature Conservancy photo contest received an abundance of entries from 158 countries.
The winning images feature stunning views of nature in categories that include wildlife, underwater and landscape, chosen out of an astounding 100,190 entries. Here are some of the most spectacular winning shots from The Nature Conservancy Photo Contest 2021.
The beauty and the beast – A cloud of butterflies is prettifying the grandeur of Malui, a Western lowland female gorilla, making this picture a Grand Prize winning shot.
Image: Anup Shah/Grand Prize Winner
Fired up – These fireflies congregate, making the tree glow in a hypnotic sierra.
Image: Prathamesh Ghadekar/People’s Choice Winner
Don’t leave me high and dry! – The carcass of a Pantanal alligator is lying on the dry soil.
Image: Daniel De Granville Manco/Landscape, First Place
Cotton candy – This breathtaking helicopter shot beautifully captures the view of rising peaks over the clouds.
Image: Denis Ferreira Netto/Second Place, Landscape
Salt Island – A captivating aerial shot of these colorful salt ponds over the bay near San Francisco International Airport.
Image: Jassen Todorov/Third Place, Landscape
Venation – “Lush green mangroves line the mudflats by the tidal waters and months of rain filling the artesian basin,” making an amazing vein-like pattern.
Image: Scott Portelli, Australia/Honorable Mention
The gleaming beauty – The rising full moon illuminating the cityscape in an enchanting bokeh of light play.
Image: Kim-pan Dennis Wong/Honorable Mention, Landscape
God, saveth me! A 3-month-old female orangutan is going through surgery.
Image: Alain Schroeder/First Place, People and Nature
Go with the flow – “A guide in the Sahara Desert enduring a sand storm.”
Image: Tom Overall/Second Place, People and Nature
Spill out! – Land waste turning into water waste, this image shows medical waste used during the pandemic polluting the underwater.
Image: Sebnem Coskun/Third Place, People and Nature
On the way home – These two men are struggling to return home with the help of ropes over a raging river in Yunnan, China.
Image: Minqiang Lu/Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Space up! – This picture shows the “Space of HK” through a black and white shade.
Image: Wax Leung/Honorable Mention, People and Nature
Gushing away – The flawlessly flowing water will soon be a thing of the past with increasing water insecurity.
Image: Kazi Arifujjaman/First Place, Water
Dive in – “Three levels of leisure: swimmers, free-divers and divers enjoy their respective sports activities in a Fresh Water mass known locally as the Cenotes.”
Image: Joram Mennes/Second Place, Water
The icefall – This mesmerizing image showcases the essence of winters in Iceland.
Image: Man Wai Wong/Third Place, Water
Air balls – These random air bubbles were trapped by a top frozen layer of a glacier.
Image: Jorge Andrés Miraglia/Honorable Mention, Water
“The lotus pond” – This astounding shot is taken at the waterways in Vietnam.
Image: Manh Cuong/Honorable Mention, Water
A drowning swim – The photographer feared these male cheetahs wouldn’t make it out of a flooded river in Masai Mara, Kenya.
Image: Buddhilini de Soyza/First Place, Wildlife
The winter buddies – “This year due to a high water level a giant field of sunflowers could not be mown. In winter, it attracted thousands of different species of birds. “
Image: Mateusz Piesiak/Second Place, Wildlife
End game! – This picture beautifully photographs the struggles of life. Both pike and perch are struggling for their supper and life respectively.
Image: Viktor VrbovskyThird Place, Wildlife
Come soon – A baby sea lion is waiting for its mother to return in the sand on the beach.
Image: Kristhian Castro/Honorable Mention, Wildlife
My territory – This orangutan is all set to feed itself, owning the space just like a boss.
Image: Thomas Vijayan/Honorable Mention, Wildlife
Hustle for life – “During the frenzy of crossing the Mara River, the wildebeests were leaping, kicking, scampering and bucking.”
Image: Anup Shah/Honorable Mention, Wildlife