Photography

Wondrous wildlife: The 2020 Nature inFocus photo award winners

Wondrous wildlife: The 2020 Nature inFocus photo award winners
Winner - Animal Portraits. The Last Stand, Nayachar, West Bengal
Winner - Animal Portraits. The Last Stand, Nayachar, West Bengal
View 33 Images
Photograph of the Year. Winner - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. The Dark Knight, Bangalore, India
1/33
Photograph of the Year. Winner - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. The Dark Knight, Bangalore, India
Special Mention - Young Photographer. Catch the Sun, Indian Ocean, Maldives.
2/33
Special Mention - Young Photographer. Catch the Sun, Indian Ocean, Maldives.
2nd Runner Up - Animal Behavior. Water Wars, Jhalana Forest, Jaipur
3/33
2nd Runner Up - Animal Behavior. Water Wars, Jhalana Forest, Jaipur
Winner - Animal Portraits. The Last Stand, Nayachar, West Bengal
4/33
Winner - Animal Portraits. The Last Stand, Nayachar, West Bengal
2nd Runner Up - Animal Portraits. Rhino's Day Out. Manas National Park, Assam
5/33
2nd Runner Up - Animal Portraits. Rhino's Day Out. Manas National Park, Assam
Special Mention - Animal Portraits. I Spy, You Spy, Irrawaddy Dolphin, Chilika Lake, Odisha
6/33
Special Mention - Animal Portraits. I Spy, You Spy, Irrawaddy Dolphin, Chilika Lake, Odisha
Winner - Animal Behavior. The Hitchhiker, Balayan Bay, Luzon, Philippines
7/33
Winner - Animal Behavior. The Hitchhiker, Balayan Bay, Luzon, Philippines
Runner up - Animal Behavior. Rainmaker, Bannerghatta National Park, Karnataka
8/33
Runner up - Animal Behavior. Rainmaker, Bannerghatta National Park, Karnataka
Special Mention - Animal Behavior. Paleo Diet, Cooch Behar, West Bengal
9/33
Special Mention - Animal Behavior. Paleo Diet, Cooch Behar, West Bengal
Special Mention - Animal Behavior. Chorus of Cicadas, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra
10/33
Special Mention - Animal Behavior. Chorus of Cicadas, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra
Special Mention - Animal Behavior. Breed The Red, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
11/33
Special Mention - Animal Behavior. Breed The Red, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Runner Up - Animal Portraits. The Boxer, Qatif, Saudi Arabia
12/33
Runner Up - Animal Portraits. The Boxer, Qatif, Saudi Arabia
Special Mention - Animal Portraits. Madre, Los Llanos, Casanare Department, Colombia
13/33
Special Mention - Animal Portraits. Madre, Los Llanos, Casanare Department, Colombia
Special Mention - Animal Portraits. Monsoon Matchmaking, Cooch Behar, West Bengal
14/33
Special Mention - Animal Portraits. Monsoon Matchmaking, Cooch Behar, West Bengal
Runner Up - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Who Decides Where Elephants Sleep? Valparai, Tamil Nadu
15/33
Runner Up - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Who Decides Where Elephants Sleep? Valparai, Tamil Nadu
2nd Runner Up - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Cinderella of the Ghats, Coorg, Karnataka
16/33
2nd Runner Up - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Cinderella of the Ghats, Coorg, Karnataka
Special Mention - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. A Nemo, An Anemone, Indonesia
17/33
Special Mention - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. A Nemo, An Anemone, Indonesia
Special Mention - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Uber Underwater, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia
18/33
Special Mention - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Uber Underwater, Triton Bay, West Papua, Indonesia
Special Mention - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Home is Where the Hole is, Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh
19/33
Special Mention - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. Home is Where the Hole is, Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh
Winner - Young Photographer. Dust to Dust, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand
20/33
Winner - Young Photographer. Dust to Dust, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand
Runner Up - Young Photographer. Choked, Ernakulam, Kerala
21/33
Runner Up - Young Photographer. Choked, Ernakulam, Kerala
2nd Runner Up - Young Photographer. Harmony In Faith, Jaipur, Rajasthan
22/33
2nd Runner Up - Young Photographer. Harmony In Faith, Jaipur, Rajasthan
Special Mention - Young Photographer. At the Water Hole, Northern Tuli Block, Botswana
23/33
Special Mention - Young Photographer. At the Water Hole, Northern Tuli Block, Botswana
Special Mention - Young Photographer. Of Life and Death, Nagarahole National Park, Karnataka
24/33
Special Mention - Young Photographer. Of Life and Death, Nagarahole National Park, Karnataka
Runner Up - Conservation Issues. A Bag of Plastic, Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal
25/33
Runner Up - Conservation Issues. A Bag of Plastic, Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal
2nd Runner Up - Conservation Issues. Plastic Surfer, Balayan Bay, Luzon, Philippines
26/33
2nd Runner Up - Conservation Issues. Plastic Surfer, Balayan Bay, Luzon, Philippines
Special Mention - Conservation Issues. Life in the City, Kolkata, West Bengal
27/33
Special Mention - Conservation Issues. Life in the City, Kolkata, West Bengal
Winner - Creative Nature. A Mirage in the Night, Manas National Park, Assam
28/33
Winner - Creative Nature. A Mirage in the Night, Manas National Park, Assam
Runner Up - Creative Nature. Bear Necessities, Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
29/33
Runner Up - Creative Nature. Bear Necessities, Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
2nd Runner Up - Creative Nature. Part of the Light, Bhandardara Dam, Maharashtra
30/33
2nd Runner Up - Creative Nature. Part of the Light, Bhandardara Dam, Maharashtra
Special Mention - Creative Nature. Order in Chaos, Vadodara, Gujarat
31/33
Special Mention - Creative Nature. Order in Chaos, Vadodara, Gujarat
Special Mention - Creative Nature. Stilt Off! Rajkot, Gujarat
32/33
Special Mention - Creative Nature. Stilt Off! Rajkot, Gujarat
Special Mention - Creative Nature. Spiral of Death, Pune, Maharashtra
33/33
Special Mention - Creative Nature. Spiral of Death, Pune, Maharashtra
View gallery - 33 images

The winning images from this year’s Nature inFocus Photography Awards illustrate the remarkable variety of ways wildlife inhabit the natural environment, from a striking face-off between a hyena and a leopard to a beautiful snap of a silhouetted dolphin leaping out of the ocean in front of a setting sun.

Asia’s largest and most prominent nature and wildlife photo contest, the Nature inFocus Photography Awards. gathered around 14,000 submissions this year. The main focus of the awards is to promote environmental conservation issues, and this messaging is reflected in the contest's entry rules.

Special Mention - Young Photographer. Catch the Sun, Indian Ocean, Maldives.
Special Mention - Young Photographer. Catch the Sun, Indian Ocean, Maldives.

The contest does not allow images of farmed animals, pets, or any photographs of captive animals (unless the pictures are highlighting an important animal justice issue). Animals photographed for the contest cannot be baited with food or generally influenced in any way by the photographer. There are four categories covering Animal Portraits, Habitats, Behaviors, and Conservation Issues, plus a fifth broad Creative Nature category.

Photograph of the Year. Winner - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. The Dark Knight, Bangalore, India
Photograph of the Year. Winner - Wildscape and Animals in Habitat. The Dark Knight, Bangalore, India

The overall Photograph of the Year award went to Yashpal Rathore, a nature photographer based in Bangalore. Rathore’s incredible winning image of a Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat took months of planning after he first noticed the swooping bats when he was picking his son up from school one evening.

“I visualize the image that I am hoping to achieve and then I keep working on it for weeks, sometimes even months,” says Rathore. “I only stop once I have executed the desired result.”

Divya Mudappa, a conservation scientist on this year’s jury, says the eye-catching image is timely, considering bats have been recently scorned as the source of the current viral pandemic, and technically impressive.

“This image caught my attention the minute I saw it,” says Mudappa. “There were multiple aspects about it – that it is literally in our backyard, a species that is usually in the news for the wrong reasons, but still fascinates many people – and this photographer had gone to lengths to capture it in such a beautiful way that it can only evoke awe and affection towards it”

2nd Runner Up - Animal Behavior. Water Wars, Jhalana Forest, Jaipur
2nd Runner Up - Animal Behavior. Water Wars, Jhalana Forest, Jaipur

Another highlight comes in a wonderful, and rare, glimpse at the Ganges River Dolphin from photographer Ganesh Chowdhury. There are thought to be around 3,000 of these endangered dolphins left, and jury member Dhritiman Mukherjee suggests it is unusual to see such a boisterous performance from this usually shy animal.

“A photograph that is new and unique, showcases a rare natural history moment and makes an emotional connect at the same time checks all boxes for me,” says Mukherjee. “Ganesh Chowdhury’s stunning photograph of a sub-adult Ganges River Dolphin does all that and more. I have never seen such an intimate portrait of this shy animal, featuring almost its entire body, with such an adorable expression to boot.”

Take a look through our gallery at more top shots from this stunning nature photography contest.

Source: Nature inFocus

View gallery - 33 images
1 comment
1 comment
ljaques
Rhino's Day Out is my favorite, followed by the leopard giving the jackal a raspberry.