Meet the winners of the Nature Photographer Of The Year 2023 competition (20 photos)

Nature Talks has announced the winners of its annual Nature Photographer of the Year competition. The top prize went to Jacqui Matechuk from Canada for her captivating photograph “He Looks to the Sky,” which depicts a bear in a tree. In addition to the main winner, other impressive entries were also recognized.

Overall Winner: "He Looks to the Sky", Jacqui Matechuk, Canada





The Andes mountain range covers more than a quarter of Ecuador's area. Rich in biodiversity, it is home to a unique species, the spectacled bear. In this photo, Tony (a large male) climbed a hundred-year-old fig tree for shelter from the midday sun. It was covered with Spanish moss, swaying gently with every breath of wind."

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Birds Winner: Whispers of Dawn: The Graceful Silhouette of a Hoopoe at Sunrise, Hermis Valiyandiil, United Arab Emirates



"This photo of a hoopoe was taken in Dubai at Al Qudra Lakes. I spend most of my weekends photographing birds."

2nd place in the category "Man and Nature": "No Place for Leopards", Pruthvi B, India

"Leopards are one of the most elusive and adaptable big cats in India. Rapid urbanization is causing these animals to lose their habitat and move closer to humans."

2nd place in the Nature category: "Green Triplets", Johan de Ridder, Belgium



Alpine newts on a pond, Flemish region, Belgium.

Winner in the category "Underwater": "Nautilus Rider", Rene Capozzola, USA



This photograph of a nautilus on a jellyfish was taken off Anilao Island in Balayan Bay, Batangas, Philippines.

2nd Place, Mammals: "Break Off the Cold", Jeffrey Kauffman, USA



"I have always dreamed of seeing polar bears in the wild. Last year I traveled to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada to photograph these animals for the first time."

2nd place in the category "Landscape": "Sunset", Jens Laax, Finland



"In the summer, I live on a summer cottage by the sea in Oravais, Finland. I see beautiful sunsets almost every evening. I decided to experiment with creating a slightly different sunset image. At first I tried different double exposures, but then I realized that if I turned the camera upside down, I would get "Reflection effect. That's how this photo came about."

2nd place in the category "Black and White": "Charge", David Gibbon, UK



"In March 2022, after three years of planning, I traveled to Ellesmere, Canada's northernmost island. Myself and four others traveled to this extreme location to find and photograph polar wolves, musk oxen and other Arctic wildlife."

2nd place in the category "Underwater": "Alpine Newt", Luc Rouman, Belgium



In the spring, newts move closer to water to breed. The photographer found one of them in the water lilies and took a series of photographs.

Winner in the category "Art of Nature": "Fields of Dreams", Fritz Rumpf, USA



“On one of my first mushroom forays in Arizona, USA, I was walking with a friend who taught me how to identify two types of edible mushrooms (Boletus and Caesar). I walked past this mushroom and noticed the amazingly bright colors of the plates.”

2nd Place Animal Portraits: Bush Hare, Paul McKenzie, Hong Kong



"When you go to Africa, it's tempting to focus on photographing elephants, lions, leopards and cheetahs. But there are other, smaller and much less photographed species. Some are nocturnal, like this bush hare. characteristic feature - hugeears, providing acute hearing that helps them escape from predators."

Winner in the category "Black and White": "Head and Tail", Jodi Frediani, USA



"I am very fortunate to live near the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (off the coast of California). The bay is a primary feeding area for numerous species of whales, dolphins, porpoises and smaller creatures."

2nd place in the Youth category: “Owl on a Birch Tree”, Anton Trexler, Germany



“On my way to school, I always passed by this tree where the long-eared owls spend their day in the fall. I often photographed them after school.”

Winner, Animal Portraits: Pen and Ink, Jonathan Loire, France



"This photo of a pink flamingo was taken in the Camargue last winter. At certain times of the year the water level drops. Despite this, flamingos like to fly in and search for food in the murky water."

Works that received high marks from the jury

Category "Mammals": "Far Eastern leopard", Sergey Gorshkov, Russia



"Amur leopard, photograph taken in the Land of the Leopard national park for a photo project."

Black and White Category: Graceful Turn, Richard Lee, USA



"The majesty of the Kenyan night. Situated near the grasslands of the Maasai Mara in Kenya, Lentorre is a high-altitude region known for its breathtaking beauty. In recent years, it has been battered by monsoons and the effects of global climate change, leading to long periods of drought. In "October last year I found myself in this amazing place again. Taking refuge near a small pond, I decided to capture the enchanting moments at night when the animals quench their thirst."

Animal Portraits Category: "Gaze" by Henley Spiers, UK



"California sea lion pups watch people with curiosity and enthusiasm in Espiritu Santo National Park, Mexico."

Mammal Category: "Follow the Leader" by Tori Hilley, USA



"Seeing a bear cub is good luck, but seeing THREE cubs with their mother is a real gift. I was lucky enough to meet them in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska, USA."

Category "Man and Nature": "Ghost in the Dark", Wim Van Den Heever, South Africa



"For almost 10 years, I have been visiting Kolmanskope in Namibia. It is an abandoned ghost town that was once home to a diamond mine. From day one, I have dreamed of photographing the elusive and endangered brown hyena prowling the empty streets at night. Every time I "I was setting up camera traps. It took 10 years before I got that one and only perfect shot."

Category "Mammals": "The Wolf and the Iceberg", Christophe Vasselin, Luxembourg



"The Arctic wolf (Canis lupus arctos) lives exclusively on the islands of the Canadian Arctic archipelago. Meeting it requires physical effort, patience, luck and a competent Inuit team. We were on Ellesmere, Canada's northernmost island, and searched for wild animals for 10 days, when we met this wolf."