Winning Nature Photographs Capture the Gripping Intensity of Animal Life

Nature is scary at all scales. Look no further than the winners of the Nature inFocus photography competition, whose winning photographs for 2024 were recently announced.

Life of all sorts are constantly vying for another day on this Earth. Now, the Nature inFocus photography contest winners showcases the environs and interactions of a selection of Earth’s remarkable residents. From insect larvae and tiny seedlings to orca whales and sharks, the photos showcase life on scales small and large. The competition’s photographers captured gripping interactions between species fighting to survive while also addressing critical issues like conservation and pollution.

Supun Dilshan won the Photographer of the Year Portfolio for “Trapped Between Worlds,” a set of images capturing the plight of Sri Lankan elephants living on the perimeters of human’s expansive footprint on the island. The images feature both living and dead elephants, so be forewarned.

The captivating images belong to one of the following categories: Animal Portraits, Animal Behavior, Conservation Photography, Creative Nature Photography, Wildscape & Animals in Their Habitat, and Photographer of the Year — Portfolio. There was an additional award for photographers aged 17 and younger.

You can see the full set of winning images below.

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Nature isn’t always so self-serious. Nikon releases an annual set of comedy wildlife photos, which you can check out here. But taken together, the images show just how much goes on beyond our human perspectives. From the deep sea to the miles of sky above us, life has found ways to evolve and adapt to new environments.

The inFocus images showcase a select few of the amazing species that call our planet home, as well as interactions between them. True to its name, it reveals intimate aspects of those creatures’ lives, but also how much goes on when we’re not around. Except for the photographers, of course.