Photography

The breathtaking winners of the 2019 Nature Conservancy Photo Contest

The breathtaking winners of the 2019 Nature Conservancy Photo Contest
Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A storm comes over Varadero, Cuba, 2019.
Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A storm comes over Varadero, Cuba, 2019.
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The view of the world famous Victoria Harbour (Hong Kong) under the clouds in the early morning.
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The view of the world famous Victoria Harbour (Hong Kong) under the clouds in the early morning.
First Place, Water. A whale shark swimming in the depths off of Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.
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First Place, Water. A whale shark swimming in the depths off of Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.
Honorable Mention, Landscape. Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. January, 2019.
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Honorable Mention, Landscape. Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. January, 2019.
First Place, People in Nature. Fisherman in Hon Yen, Phu Yen, Vietnam.
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First Place, People in Nature. Fisherman in Hon Yen, Phu Yen, Vietnam.
Wildlife. Botswana, July 2019.
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Wildlife. Botswana, July 2019.
First Place, Wildlife. Polar Bear in Svalbard, Norway June 2019.
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First Place, Wildlife. Polar Bear in Svalbard, Norway June 2019.
Honorable Mention, Landscape. Sunset at Piedras Rojas in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
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Honorable Mention, Landscape. Sunset at Piedras Rojas in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Honorable Mention, Landscape. Water in quicksand, Iceland.
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Honorable Mention, Landscape. Water in quicksand, Iceland.
Volcán De Fuego.
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Volcán De Fuego.
First Place, Landscape. Skier heading down a mountain slope in Slovenia.
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First Place, Landscape. Skier heading down a mountain slope in Slovenia.
Third Place, Wildlife. A Grevy's zebra staring at the camera in Lewa, Kenya.
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Third Place, Wildlife. A Grevy's zebra staring at the camera in Lewa, Kenya.
Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A storm comes over Varadero, Cuba, 2019.
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Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A storm comes over Varadero, Cuba, 2019.
First Place, Cities and Nature. Golden Gate Bridge during a low fog event.
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First Place, Cities and Nature. Golden Gate Bridge during a low fog event.
Honorable Mention, Water. Adelie penguin on an iceberg.
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Honorable Mention, Water. Adelie penguin on an iceberg.
Honorable Mention, Wildlife. A White-Tipped Sicklebill stand completely still as hummingbirds lower their metabolism during night time to avoid starvation.
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Honorable Mention, Wildlife. A White-Tipped Sicklebill stand completely still as hummingbirds lower their metabolism during night time to avoid starvation.
Honorable Mention, Water. An anemonefish shelters in the tentacles of a closed up reef anemone.
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Honorable Mention, Water. An anemonefish shelters in the tentacles of a closed up reef anemone.
Grand Prize Winner. California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) framed by kelp beds in Monterey Bay, California.
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Grand Prize Winner. California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) framed by kelp beds in Monterey Bay, California.
Third Place, Cities and Nature. Docks in Astoria taken over by California Sea Lions.
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Third Place, Cities and Nature. Docks in Astoria taken over by California Sea Lions.
Third Place, Landscape. Trolltunga, Norway.
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Third Place, Landscape. Trolltunga, Norway.
Third Place, People in Nature. Two swimmers enjoy the water. West Bengal, India.
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Third Place, People in Nature. Two swimmers enjoy the water. West Bengal, India.
Third Place, Water. A large grouping of Cownose Rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) taken on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.
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Third Place, Water. A large grouping of Cownose Rays (Rhinoptera bonasus) taken on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.
Second Place, Cities and Nature. Mestia, a small city in Georgia, at night.
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Second Place, Cities and Nature. Mestia, a small city in Georgia, at night.
Second Place, Landscape. Drone photo showing the pink hues of a pink lake called Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia.
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Second Place, Landscape. Drone photo showing the pink hues of a pink lake called Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia.
Second Place, People and Nature. A young African refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo floating in the waters of Guanabara Bay, Ramos Beach.
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Second Place, People and Nature. A young African refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo floating in the waters of Guanabara Bay, Ramos Beach.
Second Place, Water. A flock of flamingos fly over the colorful salt lake, the floating foam pattern looks like lightning on the lake.
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Second Place, Water. A flock of flamingos fly over the colorful salt lake, the floating foam pattern looks like lightning on the lake.
People's Choice Award Winner. A small waterfall and stream in Wasior, West Papua.
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People's Choice Award Winner. A small waterfall and stream in Wasior, West Papua.
Second Place, Wildlife. A Chestnut-sided Warbler sings out.
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Second Place, Wildlife. A Chestnut-sided Warbler sings out.
Honorable Mention, Wildlife. Three damselflies after a storm in Italy.
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Honorable Mention, Wildlife. Three damselflies after a storm in Italy.
Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A jump into the iconic lake Eibsee in southern Germany on a hot summer day.
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Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A jump into the iconic lake Eibsee in southern Germany on a hot summer day.
Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A surfer enjoying a good wave in Copacabana.
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Honorable Mention, People in Nature. A surfer enjoying a good wave in Copacabana.
View gallery - 30 images

The annual Nature Conservancy Photo Contest goes from strength to strength, with a record number of entries this year and a series of winning photographers showing off some truly astonishing perspectives on our natural world, from erupting volcanos to peaceful landscapes.

The Nature Conservancy is a global non-profit organization working to conserve and protect nature. Its annual photo competition is of course dedicated to spotlighting the beauty of our natural world across five main categories: Cities, Landscape, People, Water and Wildlife. The competition is undergoing extraordinary growth, with this year gathering over 120,000 entries, more than double last year’s tally.

Grand Prize Winner. California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) framed by kelp beds in Monterey Bay, California.
Grand Prize Winner. California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) framed by kelp beds in Monterey Bay, California.

“The natural world inspires a sense of wonder in all of us,” says Richard Loomis, Chief Marketing Officer for The Nature Conservancy. “Indeed, at the very soul of conservation is a deep awe of nature. These photographs are a powerful reminder of the importance of sharing our vision of nature and of working together to save the lands and waters on which all life depends.”

The overall Grand Prize-winning shot this year went to US photographer Tyler Schiffman for a gorgeously composed shot of a Californian sea lion (above). Schiffman framed the shot and then waited for the sea lion to move into the perfect position before snapping this instantly iconic image.

“I had framed this shot waiting for a sea lion to swim by. After five minutes, one swam up and paused for a few seconds, I took three photos and as rare as it was, the moment left in a blink of an eye,” says Schiffman.

Volcán De Fuego.
Volcán De Fuego.

The winners offer an extraordinary array of magically timed images spanning dozens of countries. Highlights include a group of Cubans floating in the ocean while a massive storm approaches, a solitary penguin standing on an iceberg, and an incredibly psychedelic shot of an active volcano in Guatemala (above).

Check out the gallery to see all the amazing winners in this year’s competition.

Source: The Nature Conservancy

View gallery - 30 images
1 comment
1 comment
ljaques
Ye GADS! The grand prize winner was of a noxious pest in CA, which is also on the endangered species list. See pic 18 for confirmation. // Who judges these contests, anyway, H Keller? Many of them were so much like stock photos we see in the newspapers every day. Clownfish in anemone/babboon teeth/fisherman/skier on mtn/storm over ocean/ precarious rock in Norway/pink lake/mtn stream waterfall/bird on bush/macro big-eyed insects/penguin on ice/GoldenGate fog, etc. The only pics which were different were the perspective on the volcano and the surfer/hillside. // To me, the real winner in the display was the shot of the rays. My goodness, the clear detail and shadows were stunningly real. You could almost feel the texture of he rays' backs and smell the salt water in that wondrous picture. Another great shot was the near perfect description of a watershed in the pic of quicksand, #8. // And to my surprise, we finally found a pic of a drowned polar bear in #6. Oh, wait a minute, they can swim over 100 miles per day when they choose, so the bear is OK. /// So, how can I get a print of those rays? Wow!