Best Wildlife Photos of the NBP International Awards 2023 (26 photos)

Every year, talented photographers show new wonderful photographs of nature and animals in their natural habitat. This year was no exception: the jury of the international Nature's Best Photography (NBP) awards announced the winners and runners-up for 2023, selected from an amazing 15,000 entries.





There were 11 categories in total - “Wildlife”, “Nature Conservation”, “Animal Pranks”, etc. The works of all finalists can be seen on the award website, but we will show the main winners and their memorable photographs.

1. Grand Prize: “Volcano in the Clouds”, Geldigadalir eruption, Reykjanes, Iceland © Luis Manuel Vilarinho from A Coruña, Spain



“While the squall covered the Reykjanes Peninsula, I climbed to the base of Geldigadalir, Iceland’s youngest volcano. Magma rising from the mantle formed giant bubbles that burst upon reaching the surface. The lava burst out with extraordinary force, spreading like oil on canvas.”

2. Wildlife Category Winner: Three White Rhinos, Ol Pejeta Game Reserve, Nanyuki, Kenya © Hector D. Astorga of Mission, Texas, USA

“We were photographing a group of white rhinos grazing in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, where rhinos are found in abundance. Every day you can see from 12 to 15 individuals in the reserve - this is not uncommon. During this trip, I noticed three males approaching each other and asked the driver to park the safari car in front of them, hoping that the rhinos would gather together. I was ready, and I was lucky: all three butted heads. The one in the center raised his head to squeeze in front of the other two. I managed to capture the perfect position of the three before they started pushing each other again.”

3. Highly Commended Wildlife Category: Roe Deer, Wiltshire, England, UK © Andy Rouse from Cardiff, Wales, UK



“Roe deer are very timid, so I use traditional photography methods, such as putting on a ghillie suit and chasing them when the wind is in their face. I saw the horns of this roe deer, slowly crawled closer and began to wait. Any movement could have ended our meeting, but my camera was raised and ready for this shot.”

4. Highly Commended Wildlife: Gray Puma Hiding in the Rocks, Torres del Paine, Patagonia, Chile © Casey Klebba of Issaquah, Washington, USA



“We parked our jeep and set off on foot along a trail through the Patagonian grasslands. This trail runs along rocky cliffs where pumas can sometimes be seen. Scouring the area in the wind and cold air with binoculars, we finally gave up, and just when we decided to turn back, we suddenly saw ears and a muzzle sticking out from behind the rocks. The big cat was dozing on the hillside. She stood up, stretched and walked away. We followed her, hoping to get a better look at her. When the cougar looked right at us, I took this photo."

5. Highly Commended Wildlife: Brown Bear and Salmon, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska, USA © Daniel D'Auria of Tabernacle, New Jersey, USA



“I am a passionate wildlife conservationist and photographer with a passion for bears. Over the past ten years, I have traveled to Alaska numerous times to photograph brown bears, mother bears and their cubs. The female has the difficult task of providing her young with both food and protection. When she runs off to hunt for fish, the cubs are left alone on the banks of a river or bay. In this photo, the mother bear has caught a salmon and is returning to feed her cubs."

6. Highly Commended Wildlife: Brown Seals, Pelican Point, Namibia © Eduardo del Alamo from Madrid, Spain



“From Swakopmund, many people go to Pelican Point by boat. I like to drive onto the peninsula in my car to get a closer look at the wildlife and leisurely wait for special moments. This seal colony is one of the largest in southern Africa and I decided to photograph it using a drone. I ran it quite high so as not to disturb the animals. I'll trythere are many different angles, but I liked this one the most.”

7. Highly Commended Wildlife Category: African Lion, Ndutu, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania © Gian Luigi Fornari Lanzetti from Rome, Italy



“At dawn, we went hunting with a local guide to observe the pride of lions living in Ndutu. After some time, the large male lion woke up and headed to the acacia tree to sharpen his claws before patrolling his territory. The lion stretched, arched his back, and stood facing the tree, resting his paws on the trunk, rhythmically extending and retracting his claws. His grasping movements shook the trunk, and the strength demonstrated by the lion was impressive.”

8. Highly Commended Wildlife: African Leopards, Olare Motorogi Game Reserve, Masai Mara, Kenya © Ian Mears of Rochford, Essex, England, UK



“I was lucky enough to spend almost six hours watching these two animals while I took this photo. First, they sat in a tree and aggressively found out which of them was in charge. Then they went downstairs and wandered through the grass, communicating with each other, as often happens between mother and calf, now caressing, now playing fight. For a fleeting second, the tail of one leopard clasped the head of another, and I managed to catch it.”

9. Highly Commended Wildlife Category: Wiley's Glass Frog, Yanayaku Biological Station, Napo, Ecuador © Jaime Culebras from Caceres, Spain



“After several days of heavy rain, I had the opportunity to photograph a gelatinous mass of developing glass frog embryos hanging from a fern leaf above a stream. I kept this image in my memory for years. To isolate the embryos, my girlfriend held the flashlight from behind. Once they hatch, the tadpoles will fall into the water below and continue their metamorphosis into adulthood.”

10. Highly Commended Wildlife: Brown Bear and Cub, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA © Jennifer Smith of Kodiak, Alaska, USA



“Only about 50% of brown bear cubs survive their first year of life. Their survival depends on the special relationship between adult females and their young. This close bond is extremely important because the mother provides not only food, but also protection and guidance.”

11. Birds Winner: Mute Swans, Derbyshire, UK © Andy Parkinson from Creech, Derbyshire, UK



“Throughout my 20+ year professional career, I have always been very much a project photographer. I strive to fully immerse myself in the lives of the animals or birds I work with, trying to capture images that other photographers have failed to capture. One such example is the local swans who decided to take up residence next to a footpath near my home in Derbyshire. Every day I would go to them and sit next to them, talking to them, gaining their trust and learning their body language. When the chicks finally hatched, I was able to work in a unique proximity where the birds did not tolerate other people to capture this touching family interaction.”

12. Ocean View Winner: Wave, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii, USA © Danny Sepkowski of Ewa Beach, Hawaii, USA



“During golden hour on the North Coast, I found myself wading through a raging current as multiple waves crashed over me. After numerous wave impacts, a massive sand bank was formed in this place. When sand meets water, magic happens! Because of the reef on the left side of the bay, the waves jammed and they ran onto the shallow sandy shelf. I live for days like these because they are rare.

13. Winner in the category “Art in Nature”: “Green Basilisk”, Boca Tapada, Costa Rica © Petr Bambushek from Pribram, Czech Republic



“During one of my many walks through the basilisk’s natural habitat, I discovered this male resting on a fallen tree trunk, half submerged in water. I carefully moved closer to capture its magnificence and avoid any distracting elements in the frame. One and“My greatest wishes have come true.”

14. Animal Mischief Winner: Cave/Bunny Owl, Salton Sea Desert, California, USA © Shane Keena of Redlands, California, USA



“I spent several weeks photographing owls from a single burrow at the end of a hot summer in the Southern California desert. As the owlets grew older and bolder, each of them ventured farther away from the hole, jumping and practicing their flight skills. I captured this young owlet's very diligent but failed attempt at flight."

15. High Score Animal Mischief: Alaskan Brown Bears, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA © Amit Eshel from Kfar Hahoresh, Israel



“The small, light-furred bear cub, born to a mother estimated to be around 25 years old, had no other siblings to play with. All this cub wanted to do was play with other bears. I took this shot at eye level using a floating cover to create a sense of intimacy."

16. High Score Animal Mischief: Elk, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson, Wyoming, USA © Dina R. Sveinsson of Estes Park, Colorado, USA



“One morning we woke up and everything around was covered with a blanket of snow. While the photographers were busy photographing the moose, he walked from car to car, licking salt. He licked tires, headlights and hoods of cars. Then he looked into our car and stared at the stuffed moose on the dashboard. The moose nuzzled the jeep and began to lick it. Having achieved nothing, he licked a little more and then left.”

17. High Score Animal Mischief: Polar Bear Greeting, Barter Island, Beaufort Sea, Alaska, USA © Jennifer R. Bellon of Brookline, MA, USA



“The loss of ice cover threatens the polar bear, as it reduces its hunting capabilities. We waited several days to capture polar bears in their natural snow and ice habitat. Finally, towards the end of our trip, it began to snow, and we were lucky enough to see this bear stand on its hind legs, as if waving its paw at us.”

18. Highly Commended Animal Mischief: African Savanna Elephants, Olare Motorogi Wildlife Sanctuary, Kenya © Katie Karn of Campbellville, Ontario, Canada



“I laughed out loud watching this pair of teenage elephants bicker with each other like a pair of rowdy boys on a playground. When one of them got tired of it, he sat down, resisting. But his friend did not want to leave it like that! Deciding to continue the fight, he forced his friend to his feet. Elephants are extraordinary animals, capable of a full range of emotions such as love, grief and compassion. The feeling of joy and fun between these two was contagious. I smile every time I see this photo."

19. High Score Animal Mischief: Rocky Mountain Goats, Mount Evans, CO, USA © Mark Van Lier Raleigh, NC, USA



“I followed a small herd of goats as they climbed the mountainside. The kids were very active and playful throughout the trip. Above the forest line, about 4,000 meters above sea level, there are no trees or shrubs, only short tundra grasses, so the goats can see you. But if you sit rather than stand and give them space, they will see that you are not a threat and you will be able to observe and photograph their natural behavior.”

20. High Score Animal Mischief: Lion Cub, Masai Mara, Kenya © Nisha Purushothaman from Paravur, India and Prince George, British Columbia, Canada



21. High Score Animal Mischief: Emperor Penguin, Snow Hill Island, Weddell Sea, Antarctica © Philip Marazzi from Leatherhead, England, UK



“At the Emperor penguin rookery on Snow Hill Island, one of the adult penguins demonstrated a complete lack of fear of humans by wandering into a group of photographers.”

22. Winner in the category "Youth Photographer of the Year: Polar Bear, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada © Melin Ellwanger, age 18, Reutlingen, Germany



“On a trip to Churchill in November, when sea ice usually begins to form, it is common to see polar bears hunting seals. However, this time there was no sea ice yet, and the bears waited patiently. We followed one of them when he came across an empty hut and disappeared inside. He stuck his head out and I took this humorous photo. We all laughed at this funny and unique moment."

23. Highly Commended Youth Photographer of the Year: Mute Swan, Biel, Bern, Switzerland © Nicolas Stettler, age 18, from Nidau, Switzerland



“This mute swan has just noticed another swan invading its territory. I focused on the swan as it spread its wings and approached the other one to shoo it away. Pollen covered the surface of the water, creating beautiful bokeh orbs against the golden light of the setting sun.”

24. Landscape Winner: Sunrise in the Superstition Mountains, Sonoran Desert, Arizona, USA © Peter Coskun of Gold Canyon, Arizona, USA



“I reached this duo of a plush cholla cactus (Cylindropuntia Bigelow) and a barrel cactus under my favorite peaks in the Superstition Mountains and carefully composed this scene before sunrise. The warm glow of dawn began to color the mountain peak as the sky lit up in various shades of pink and orange, creating a mosaic of color in this desert landscape. The image consists of three consecutive frames, each using a different focus point for optimal detail."

25. Winner, Polar Passion: Polar Bear with Cubs, Wapusk National Park, Canada © Hung Tsui from Hong Kong



“This bear was exhausted from searching for food for her babies and just wanted to snatch a minute to sleep. After feeding, the cubs did not allow the mother to rest and tried to wake her up to play.”