Winners of the prestigious wildlife photography competition (18 photos)

Online magazine All About Photo (AAP) held its first nature-themed competition. Twenty-five photographers from 11 countries received awards, with Indian photographer Thomas Vijayan winning the top prize for his series of portraits of Bornean orangutans and endangered Vietnamese golden-headed langurs.





The All About Photo Awards recognize images that “beautifully capture the essence of nature, highlighting the splendor of landscapes and wild flora and fauna.”

Spectacular cloud formations over a Chilean mountain landscape, a crocodile devouring a wildebeest, and a polar bear cub galloping across an ice shelf are just a few of these memorable images.

AAP Magazine said in a statement: “Nature photography is a fascinating genre that explores and captures the breathtaking beauty of the natural world. This style of photography not only celebrates the majesty of the Earth, but also serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of conservation and our responsibility to protect the planet for future generations.”



A young lion in the Ngorongoro Game Reserve in Tanzania. It was captured by Italian photographer Paolo Ameli, winner of the Award of Merit.

A red-eyed tree frog in the jungle of the La Fortuna region of Costa Rica. Lifetime Achievement Award-winning photographer Pablo Trilles Farrington describes the creature as “hypnotic,” noting that its distinguishing features are red eyes and a blue stripe on its sides. He notes that although these frogs are usually nocturnal, the photo was taken during the day while the frog was looking for a better place to rest.



A camel caravan moves through a storm near the city of Merzouga, located in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. Lifetime Achievement Award-winning photographer Olivier Union describes the scene as “a gift from nature.”



A group of gelada monkeys, also known as "bleeding heart" monkeys, in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia. Lifetime Achievement Award winner photographer Turgay Uzer says: “To protect themselves from leopards, they sleep on tiny ledges of incredibly steep mountain cliffs and climb back onto the plateau at dawn to look for food.”



This magical shot of the silhouettes of Gelada monkeys in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia is also the work of Turgay Uzer.



A young polar bear cub walks with a spring in his step in this adorable photograph taken by Turgay Uzer. It's called: "I have things to do and people to see." The photo was taken in the Spitsbergen archipelago in Norway.



This mesmerizing image takes place in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. The image shows a "young leopard checking a raised prey" - meaning the prey was dragged up a tree to keep it out of reach of other predators. Photographer: Turgai Uzer.



The subject of this wonderful photo is a lion in Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park. Author: Turgai Uzer.



This portrait of a night monkey in Panama's Soberania National Park was also taken by Turgay Uzer. Describing this creature, he says: “It weighs less than a kilogram, has some of the largest eyes in nature and fingers as long as a pianist! Unfortunately, the night monkey is endangered in Panama due to deforestation, capture for the pet trade, and poaching.”



An elephant feeds on acacia leaves in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Photographer: Turgai Uzer.



The jaguars are not fighting in this powerful photo. In fact, they are mating, says photographer Turgai Uzer. “Mating of big cats begins withcourtship, continues with purring and ends with growls and violence. And this can go on for several days,” he explains. The photo was taken in the Brazilian park Estadual Encontro das Aguas.



A crocodile feasts on a hapless wildebeest in the Mara River in Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. Turgai Uzer called this photo “Dinner Time.”



A leopard cub eats an impala killed by its mother in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Author: Turgai Uzer.



American photographer Joe Fields took this photo of a non-venomous rat snake on a branch. “A lot of people walking by were shaking in fear,” Fields says, adding that the snake had just come out of hibernation. The photographer received the Award of Merit.



Lenticular clouds over Torres del Paine National Park in the Patagonia region of Chile. Photographer Carmen Villar, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award, notes, “Before the sun came up, the color of the clouds was truly spectacular.”



This image was taken by the overall winner of the competition, Thomas Vijayan. It features an inquisitive-looking golden-headed langur, an endangered monkey species endemic to Vietnam's Cat Ba island.

According to the photographer, there are only less than 70 golden-headed langurs left. The species went almost extinct two decades ago due to poaching for medicinal purposes and sport hunting. The average body length of golden-headed langurs is 50 cm, and the tail length is about a meter.



Here's another impressive photo taken by the competition's grand prize winner Vijayan. Shown here is an orangutan in Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo. Just a cutie!