Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018

The famed Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, run by the Natural History Museum in London, has announced its winners for 2018. Below you can see some of the stunning photos that made it through to the final round of selections and took home the much-coveted prizes.

Wildlife photography continues to prove its worth in connecting people with nature, in a world steadily moving away from a connection that we’ve held with the natural world for centuries. And the startling demise of our wild places, joined with the burgeoning threat of climate change and human pollution and destruction, means that any form of inspiration to ensure our love of wildlife continues should be heralded.

Beating over 45,000 entries from 95 countries, the winning images will be on show in stunning lightbox displays. The exhibition at the Natural History Museum opens on 19 October 2018 before touring across the UK and internationally to locations such as Canada, Spain, the USA, Australia and Germany.

Without the endless work and resources that photographers pour into their craft, we wouldn’t see these photos come to fruition. So make sure to visit their websites, follow them on social media, and support their work wherever possible.

Without further ado…

Winner – The Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Story – Alejandro Prieto, Mexico

Grand title winner: Marsel van Oosten, The Netherlands

Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten has won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 title for his extraordinary image, The Golden Couple, which frames a pair of golden snub-nosed monkeys in the temperate forest of China’s Qinling Mountains, the only habitat for these endangered primates. The winning portrait captures the beauty and fragility of life on earth, and a glimpse of some of the extraordinary, yet relatable beings we share our planet with.

Chair of the judging panel, Roz Kidman Cox, says, “This image is in one sense traditional – a portrait. But what a striking one, and what magical animals. It is a symbolic reminder of
the beauty of nature and how impoverished we are becoming as nature is diminished. It is an artwork worthy of hanging in any gallery in the world.”

Winner – Creative Visions – Cristobal Serrano, Spain

Winner – Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles – David Herasimtschuk, USA

Winner – 10 Years and Under – Arshdeep Singh, India

Winner – Behaviour: Birds – Thomas P Peschak, Germany/South Africa

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 – Grand title winner: Skye Meaker, South Africa

Sixteen-year-old Skye Meaker took the award for Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 with his charming portrait of a leopard waking from sleep in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana. Skye has wanted to be a nature photographer since receiving his first pocket camera at the age of seven.

“With precisely executed timing and composition, we get a coveted glimpse into the inner world of one of the most frequently photographed, yet rarely truly seen, animals,” says competition judge and previous competition winner Alexander Badyaev.

Winner – Behaviour: Mammals – Ricardo Nunez Montero, Spain

Winner – Rising Star Portfolio Award – Michel d’Oultremont, Belgium

Winner – Under Water – Michael Patrick O’Neill, USA

Winner – The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio Award – Javier Aznar Gonzalez du Rueda, Spain

Winner – Behaviour: Invertebrates – Georgina Steytler, Australia

Winner – 11-14 Years Old, Carlos Perez Naval, Spain

Winner – Earth’s Environments – Orlando Fernandez Miranda, Spain

Open to photographers of all ages and abilities, the next Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition opens for entries on Monday 22 October. Find out more at NHM’s competition page here.