Photographer: Karine Aigner
Place: South Texas, USA
Category: Behavior – invertebrates (overall winning picture)
Photographer Karine Aigner grabs her lens in the Texas desert to snap a photo of a group of cactus bees vying to mate. Like most bees, cactus bees are threatened by habitat loss, pesticides and climate change.
Aigner submitted the frenetic photo for the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year” photo award. It is one of nearly 40,000 photos from 93 countries that caught the jury’s attention. And finally crowned photo of the year.
The reason for this is that small animals, which are just as important for the environment and climate as the big ones, often don’t get the presence they deserve. In particular, the hard-working pollinators that are essential to our ecosystems and are seriously threatened by habitat loss, pesticides and climate change.
For the fifth time in its 85-year history, the photo award goes to a woman: Karine Aigner, former editor of National Geo Picture. Today she is a freelance photographer living in the US.
She was able to prove herself against 40,000 photos. Here’s a selection of the submitted images, some of which have received awards in subcategories:
Photographer: Judith van de Griendt
Place: Faial Island, Azores, Portugal
Category: Oceans—The Bigger Picture
Photographer: Paul McKenzie
Place: Lake Solai, Kenya
Category: Natural artistry
photographer: Karine Aigner
Place: Havana, Cuba
Category: Photojournalist Story Award (Winning Image)
Photographer: Castle of Samuel
Place: Strait of Lembeh, Sulawesi, Indonesia
Category: 15-17 years
Photographer: Srikanth Mannepuric
Place: Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, India
Category: Oceans — the bigger picture
Photographer: Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn
Place: Upper Gulf of Thailand, Phetchaburi, Thailand
category: 15-17 years (winning photo)
Photographer: Brent Stirton
Place: Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Category: Photojournalism (Winning Image)
Photographer: Daniel Nunez
Place: Lake Amatitlán, Villa Canales, Guatemala
Category: Wetlands – The Bigger Picture (winning photo)
photographer: Dimitri Kocho
Place: Kolyuchin Island, Chukotka, Russia
Category: Urban Wildlife (Winning Image)
Photographer: Tony Wue
Place: Kinko Bay, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
Category: Underwater (winning image)
photographer: Jomtup Charoenlapnumchai
Place: Samut Songkhram, Thailand
category: 11-14 years
Photographer: Theo Allofs
Place: Northwest Spitsbergen, Norway
Category: Behavior — Mammals
Photographer: Junju Takasago
Place: Salar de Uyuni, Daniel Campos Province, Bolivia
category: Natural artistry (winning photo)
Photographer: Alex Mustard
Place: Kimmeridge Bay, Dorset, UK
Category: Plants and fungi
Photographer: Markus Varesvuo
Place: Rohttoaivi fell, Utsjoki, Finland
Category: Behavior – Birds
(cst)
Source: Blick
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