Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2024: Leopards, sharks and spiders

Roman Willi A Wasp spider holds its struggling prey, its intricate web a trap woven with precision. Captured with a custom-built CCTV macro lens, this image offers an intimate, wide-angle view of a hunter at work in Lucerne, Switzerland. — Special Mention, Animal Portraits

The Nature inFocus Photography competition celebrates photographers who capture powerful moments in natural history and highlight critical conservation issues.

Each year, the contest showcases a stunning array of imaginative and artistic images, while raising awareness of the environment.

Winners are selected according to a series of categories: Animal Behaviour, Animal Portraits, Conservation Focus, Creative Nature Photography, Wildscape & Animals in Their Habitat and Photographer of the Year – Portfolio.

Below is a selection of the winning entries.

Animal Behaviour

Angela Albi/August Paula A school of hardyhead silversides moves with remarkable precision, twisting and turning in unison as they attempt to evade a group of blacktip reef sharks in Athuruga, Maldives. — Winner, Animal Behaviour

A school of hardyhead silverside fish moves with remarkable precision, twisting and turning in unison as they attempt to evade a group of blacktip reef sharks in Athuruga, Maldives.

Tibor Litauszki An alpine newt over a cluster of frog eggs — Runner-up, Animal Behaviour

As night falls over the water, Alpine newts begin their silent hunt. They glide between clusters of frog eggs, each one carefully positioning itself for a meal before the darkness deepens.

Anirudh Laxmipathy A tigress pounces on a wild boar in the jungle of Kolsa, Tadoba, India — Special Mention, Animal Behaviour

Kuwani, a renowned tigress of Kolsa, remains a dominant force, even at the age of 14.

A wild boar unknowingly ventures too close to the tigress, unaware of the imminent danger. In a flash, she springs into action, her muscles tensed and claws unsheathed.

Kolsa is a region within the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, located in the state of Maharashtra, India.

Animal Portraits

Pruthvi B A mother leopard scales a tree with effortless grace, her cub watching from below before following her lead. — Winner, Animal Portraits

A leopard climbs a tree, her cub observing from below before instinctively following her lead.

Captured by a camera trap near Mysore in India, this intimate moment highlights the strong bond between mother and cub, while also offering a glimpse into the natural instincts of the leopard.

Prashanthan Yogendranathan A water buffalo emerges from a swim, its head adorned with a garland of floating weeds in Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka — Runner-up, Animal Portraits

In the waters of Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka, a water buffalo emerges from a swim, its head adorned with a garland of floating weeds.

Conservation Photography Award

A devotee stands in the Yamuna River, New Delhi, offering prayers to the sun.

Once revered as sacred, the river now ranks among the world’s most polluted, overwhelmed by industrial waste, sewage, and agricultural run-off.

Creative Nature Photography

Kai Kolodziej A group of snails rests on blades of grass in Austria — Winner, Creative Nature Photography

In Austria, a group of snails rests lightly on blades of grass, their delicate forms illuminated against a glowing backdrop, creating a striking sense of fragility.

Wildscape and animals in their habitat

Jacquie Matechuk A large, male spectacled bear, shelters from the midday heat beneath the shade of a century-old fig tree draped in Spanish moss. — Winner, Wildscape and animals in their habitat

High in the Andean mountains of Ecuador, Tony, a large, male spectacled bear, shelters from the midday heat beneath the shade of a century-old fig tree draped in Spanish moss.

Special Mention,Wildscape and animals in their habitat

Hira Punjabi At sunrise in Hokkaido, Japan, Red-crowned cranes move through a veil of mist, their graceful forms almost like brushstrokes on a canvas. — Special Mention,Wildscape and animals in their habitat

At sunrise in Hokkaido, Japan, red-crowned cranes move through a veil of mist, their graceful forms resembling brushstrokes on a canvas.

Photographer of the Year – Portfolio

Supun Dilshan A drone image of a herd of elephants walking through a river

This year, the coveted Photographer of the Year Portfolio award went to Supun Dilshan for Trapped Between Worlds, a striking visual story that draws attention to the struggles of Sri Lankan elephants.

The images show the increasingly dire situation faced by these majestic animals, as they try to survive in environments that are being rapidly altered by human activities.