Nature has a beauty beyond imagination and one cannot experience all aspects of it but can definitely capture the wonder afar description. Photography not only captures beauty but also enraptures the skill of storytelling. The annual Nature Photographer of the Year competition helps us witness the hidden beauty of nature while communicating the unseen stories from the wild and images from the 2021 edition are no different.
The winner of the contest was given a $3,382 cash prize and other equipment prizes. In 2021, the Nature Photographer of the Year competition received around 20,061 photos submitted to thirteen categories. Terje Kolaas of Norway was announced as the overall winner of the contest. Check out these amazing shots from the competition.
Unbothered Travelers – This phenomenal picture of these migrating Pink-footed Geese was announced as the overall winning shot from the contest.
Image: Terje Kolaas
The Orange Trail – The picture has beautifully captured the morning routine of these Magellanic penguins.
Image: Miquel Angel Artús Illana
Bedazzling Beast – This blurred yet interesting picture is communicating an intense emotion.
Image: Sepp Friedhuber
A Wolf in the Woods – This young wolf seems on the prowl at the night.
Image: Aare Udras
Crawling on the Edge – The photographer has amazingly captured this little snail walking through some dry leaves on the ground.
Image: Ruben Perez Novo
Floodlit Hoar Frost – This fascinating shot has beautifully captured the glitters of a stunning winter morning.
Image: Rupert Kogler
Cloudberries – These berries are often termed the eatable Arctic gold.
Image: Audun Rikardsen
“Dragon’s Lair” – This breathtaking shot has pictured the eruption of the highest and most active volcano in the natural park Kamchatka “Klyuchevskoy”.
Image: Denis Budkov
White-Land – The scenic desert plateau is surrounded by this ocean of black sand, giving it an ethereal look.
Image: Andrea Pozzi
Blood-Eyed Dragon – This “red-in-red” shot of seahorses has been beautifully captured.
Image: Georg Nies
Aqua-Home – “One of the best places in the world to swim with wild dolphins”.
Image: Dmitry Kokh
Snowflake – This is an aerial series of photos of the Cuejdel Lake in Romania during the winter when it is completely frozen.
Image: Gheorghe Popa
Wrinkled Eye – This is nothing but an agave plant resembling a slanted eye.
Image: Juan Ahumada
Bleed Blue World – A juvenile swordfish is on its water trip.
Image: Javier Murcia
Food Hunt! – This picture reflects the dark side of the treatment of wildlife and the realities of habitat loss.
Image: David Hup
Snow-globing – “Polar bears in courtship, during a whiteout in Svalbard.”
Image: Roie Galitz
Black and White Unification – This is an aerial view of Cuejdel lake in winter before the complete freeze of the water.
Image: Gheorghe Popa
The Fiery Gaze – A melanistic leopard in Kenya’s Laikipia County blends right into the black shroud of the night.
Image: William Burrard-Lucas
Big Feast – This young lioness moving between the legs of a dead elephant looks as if it is getting a hug from the mammoth.
Image: Roie Galitz
Admiring the Bridge View – This fox consistently crossed this bridge in the spring as the photographer searched for a good angle.
Image: Andius Teijgeler
Spectral Flight – This common buzzard was captured during autumn migration with amazing spectral in the background.
Image: Ronald Zimmerman
Never-Never Land – An Alpine Ibex strolling across an alpine with a dreamy sunrise.
Image: Levi Fitze
Spring Sunset – A cockchafer was photographed against the striking sunset in a small village of Döröske, Hungary.
Image: Gergő Kártyás
Wrestled Down – Either this cute squirrel is trying to get some workout done or is getting defeated in a wrestling match.
Image: Lea Lee Inoue
Are you Still Mad at Me? – Seems like this squirrel stole the other’s food and is now trying to make amends.
Image: Lea Lee Inoue