Adorable hippos and a golden crab: The 19 stunning Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 winners
Wonders of wildlife on show as the winner's of this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition are announced.
A tri-spine horseshoe crab moves slowly over the mud in the waters of Pangatalan Island, Palawan, the Philippines. Just above, a group of juvenile golden trevallies follow in order to pick off any food that might be uncovered by the crab’s movement. Photo by Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners have been announced, with a stunning image of a golden horseshoe crab taking the top prize.
The picture was taken by photographer Laurent Ballesta. Ballesta is only the second-ever double winner of this prestigious competition in its 59-year history. He previously won in 2021 with an image of camouflage groupers exiting a milky cloud of eggs in French Polynesia.
Chair of the jury Kathy Moran said of this year's winning image: "To see a horseshoe crab so vibrantly alive in its natural habitat, in such a hauntingly beautiful way, was astonishing. We are looking at an ancient species, highly endangered, and also critical to human health".
Carmel Bechler from Israel won Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image Owls’ road house, with barn owls photographed resting in an abandoned roadside building, lit by light trails of passing traffic.
The top images and winners from this year's competition will be displayed at the Natural History Museum London from 13 October 2023.
10 years and under category winner – The wall of wonder
An ornamental tree trunk spider (Herennia multipuncta) prevents its prey from escaping. Photographed at Nallur Heritage Tamarind Grove, Karnataka, India. Photo by Vihaan Talya Vikas/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
11-14 years category winner – Out of the blue
Some common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) swim next to a boat at Portree, Isle of Skye, United Kingdom, creating some interesting patterns on the surface of the water. Photo by Ekaterina Bee/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
15-17 years category winner – Owl's road house
A pair of barn owls (Tyto alba) rest on a ledge in an abandoned concrete building as a car passes by. Photographed at Hof HaSharon, Israel. Photo by Carmel Bechler/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Amphibians and reptiles behaviour category winner – The tadpole banquet
Toad tadpoles feast on the dead body of a fledgling sparrow (Passeridae), in Ojén, Málaga, Spain. Photo by Juan Jesús Gonzalez Ahumada/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Urban wildlife category winner – Birds of the midnight Sun
In an abandoned fish factory in the town of Vardø, Troms og Finnmark, Norway, some kittiwake chicks (Rissa) are being fed by their parents. Bird numbers have declined sharply in recent years, and some have headed for urban areas due to shortages of food caused by warming oceans and pollution. Photo by Knut-Sverre Horn/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Rising star portfolio category winner – Alpine exposure
An Alpine ibex (Capra ibex) braves the icy-cold conditions of Vercors Regional Natural Park, Rhône-Alpes, France. Photo by Luca Melcarne/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Mammals behaviour category winner – Whales making waves
A pod of orcas (Orcinus orca) prepare to ‘wave wash’ a Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) into the water in order to hunt it. Photographed at the Antarctic Peninsula using a drone. Photo by Bertie Gregory/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Long exposure image of firefly flashes in the night sky. Fireflies (Lampyridae) such as these are in fact beetles, and attract mates using bioluminescence. Photographed in the forest of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. Photo by Sriram Murali/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Photojournalist story award – The unprotected
WARNING THIS IMAGE MAY UPSET YOUNG CHILDREN
People participating in a bobcat hunt line up to have their kills weighed. The West Texas Big Bobcat Contest is an annual event in Texas, USA. Photo by Karine Aigner /Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Wetlands: The bigger picture category winner – The dead river
This is a sad view of one of the most polluted rivers in the world, the Ciliwung river. It flows through Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, carrying plastic pollution, fertilisers and human waste. Photo by Joan de la Malla/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Animal portraits category winner – Face of the forest
A lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) steps cautiously out of the swampy Brazilian rainforest at São Paulo, Brazil. Photo by Vishnu Gopal/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Photojournalism category winner – The tourism bulldozer
The path of a new railway line cuts through a forest at Paamul, Quintana Roo, Mexico. This new line brings economic benefits to Mexico’s southeast, but it also threatens protected reserves and archaeological sites. Photo by Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Bird behaviour category winner – Silence for the snake show
A group of grey-winged trumpeters (Psophia crepitans) watch as a boa constrictor slithers harmlessly past them. Photographed in the rain forest surrounding Guiana Space Center, French Guiana. Photo by Hadrien Lalagüe/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Animals in their Environment category winner – Life on the edge
Two Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) clash in the cliffs of the Zin Desert, Israel, fighting in the run-up to mating season. The fight lasted 15 minutes before one male surrendered without suffering serious injury. Photo by Amit Eshel/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Oceans: The bigger picture category winner – Last gasp
The last few moments of a beached Orca (Orcinus orca) on the beach at Cadzand-Bad, Zeeland, the Netherlands. The whale had initially been rescued but became stranded on the beach again soon after. Photo by Lennart Verheuvel/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Natural artistry category winner – The art of courtship
A pair of gannets (Morus) are framed against the guano-painted sandstone cliffs in Noss National Nature Reserve, Shetland, United Kingdom. Photo by Rachel Bigsby/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Underwater category winner – Hippo Nursery
A hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibious) and her two offspring rest in the shallow clear-water lake at Kosi Bay, South Africa. Photo by Mike Korostelev/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Plants and fungi category winner – Last breath of autumn
A parasol mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) releases spores into the forest at Mount Olympus, Pieria, Greece. Photo by Agorastos Papatsanis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
Portfolio category winner – The ancient mariner
A tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) moves slowly over the mud in the waters of Pangatalan Island, Palawan, the Philippines. Just above, a group of juvenile golden trevallies follow in order to pick off any food that might be uncovered by the crab’s movement. Photo by Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023
James Cutmore is the picture editor of BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked on the magazine and website for over a decade, telling compelling science stories through the use of striking imagery. He holds a degree in Fine Art, and has been nominated for the British Society of Magazine Editors Talent Awards, being highly commended in 2020. His main areas of interest include photography that highlights positive technology and the natural world. For many years he was a judge for the Wellcome Trust's image competition, as well as judging for the Royal Photographic Society.
