Nature photographer of the year 2023 – the winning images

Nature Talks presents the results of the nature photographer of the year 2023 competition. Jacquie Matechuk, from Canada, is the winner in the contest, an initiative from the organisation also responsible for the annual Nature Talks photo festival in the Netherlands

Main image: Jacquie Matechuk’s He Looks to the Heavens wins the overall nature photographer of the year 2023 prize as well as the mammals category. It shows a spectacled bear in an ancient tree amid a curtain of Spanish moss, in the Andean mountains of Ecuador. Photograph: Jacquie Matechuk/2023 NPOTY

  • Plants and fungi category - Star Spangled, David Maitland (UK)

    Tin Man Lee, a juror and wildlife photographer, says of this category winner: ‘The photographer unveils a seldom-seen realm through a lens of deep biological insight and inventive artistry. The interplay of red and blue hues, coupled with intricate shapes and patterns, is utterly captivating. These colours are not mere visual delights; they signify the plant’s vitality and its role in carbon fixation. It is remarkable how the photographer wields artistic finesse to weave a narrative about the profound implications of climate change.’
    close up of bright, luminescent blue and red star-shaped fungi forming abstract image

  • Animal portraits category - The Pen and Inkwell, Jonathan Lhoir (France)

    Lee says: ‘The elegant curvature of the flamingo’s pink neck, juxtaposed with the startling contrast of mud splashed across its visage, captures a moment of serendipitous beauty. The scene is masterfully set against a soft veil of clouds, offering a luminous high-key backdrop that accentuates the dark. It is in this decisive moment that the image transcends mere observation, becoming a dance of light, colour, and form.’
    close-up of head and curved neck of pink flamingo with its head covered in black mud, its reflection visible in the water

  • Youth 10-17 years category – Walk on the Hill, Őrsi Ákos (Hungary)

    Marco Gaiotti, a judge, says: ‘An uncluttered image, featuring only the essential elements for a minimal composition, often proves highly effective in terms of visual impact. The judging panel particularly valued this photograph due to its ability to convey a profound sense of artistic maturity, especially when considering the age of the photographer – a young boy. It’s a testament to the remarkable artistic talent demonstrated by someone of his age.’
    black silhouettes of deer against a white sky background with black hill underneath them, creating graphic monochrome image

  • Human and nature category - The Sad Poncho, XJ Toh (Singapore)

    Ellen Cuylaerts, a judge, says: ‘XJ took this image in Anilao, Batangas in the Philippines on a blackwater dive. Usually [nautili] attach to a jellyfish but in this case plastic pollution [was] present in the ocean ... The image was taken with one strobe used as backlight to emphasise the resemblance of plastic and jellyfish.’
    grey nautilus mollusc trails a long piece of discoloured, yellowed transparent plastic, seen against black background

  • Nature art category - Fields of Dreams, J Fritz Rumpf (USA)

    Stefan Gerrits, a judge, says: ‘This striking image immediately caught the jury’s attention with its stunningly vibrant colours and unique patterns. The rich, vivid hues of the gills are beautifully accentuated by the soft forest light creating a mesmerising effect that draws the viewer into this maze of gills. The surreal, or otherworldly, scene is both intriguing and alluring. It provokes the imagination, making the viewer wonder about the origins of such an incredible, mystical, dreamlike, sight of nature.’
    very close-up, zoomed-in view of a section of mushroom, showing the gills in yellow, green, turquoise and blue

  • Underwater category - Paper Nautilus Rider, Renee Capozzola (USA)

    Cuylaerts, a judge and professional underwater photographer, says: ‘While a lot of critters show up attracted by the lights on [black water] dives, it’s still a skill to recognise the endless possibilities of what your eyes can register ... Excellent find of winner Renee Capozzola with this female paper nautilus riding a jellyfish and coming up from the depths at night to feed, and in this case also to aerate their eggs.’
    reddish-coloured female paper nautilus octopus, with its pale shell-like egg case, riding on a transparent jellyfish with trailing tentacles, illuminated against black background

  • Other animals category - December Moth, Imre Potyó (Hungary)

    Lee says: ‘This captivating photo transports us to another realm, presenting an antler-shaped mushroom in a mysterious backlit silhouette reminiscent of a celestial body. The moth, perfectly camouflaged against this backdrop, flaps its wings at a decisive moment, mirroring the pores of the mushroom and creating a spellbinding pattern. This image not only captures the moth’s rare movement but also the ephemeral dispersion of spores, all framed within a dark, enigmatic space that accentuates the artistic interplay between light and shadow.’
    a moth flaps its wings against tall, antler-shaped fungus

  • Birds category - Dawn’s Whispers: Graceful Hoopoe Silhouette at Sunrise, Hermis Valiyandiyil (UAE)

    Gerrits says: ‘This image truly exemplifies artistic brilliance. Its captivating composition harmoniously integrates with the vibrant colours of the sunrise, creating a breathtaking visual spectacle. The interplay between black and orange, alongside the hoopoe’s unmistakable crown and filled beak, within this colour palette, imparts a remarkable vibrancy to the bird’s presence.’
    silhouette of hoopoe bird with striped wings and crested head set centrally against vertically divided background with bright orange sunrise on one side and black on the other

  • Nature photographer of the year 2023 and mammals category winner - He Looks to the Heavens, Jacquie Matechuk (Canada)

    Jacquie Matechuk says: ‘Spanning more than 8,000 km, the Andean mountain range occupies more than a quarter of the land surface in Ecuador. Rich in biodiversity, it’s also home to a unique species called the spectacled bear. Until planning this trip, I knew nothing about them. But as a certified bear guide, I was excited to expand my knowledge and understanding of a new species.’
    a spectacled bear in an ancient tree amid a curtain of Spanish moss, in the Andean mountains of Ecuador

  • Nature of ‘De Lage Landen’ [‘The Low Lands’] category - Big Wing, Alex Pansier (the Netherlands)

    Gheorge Popa, a judge, says: ‘This moment seems so familiar to me. You can always hear the sound of the woodpecker in the forests of Romania and although I have never photographed it, I think its sound will always remind me of home. The dark and mysterious composition leaves the feeling that the photo is black and white even though it is in colour.’
    red-headed woodpecker against a near-black tree trunk, its head and beak the only coloured elements in an otherwise monochrome image

  • Black and white category - Heads or Tails, Jodi Frediani (USA)

    Gerrits says: ‘This image is so remarkably clear that it almost gives the impression of being captured underwater. However, the smooth and soft pattern at the top of the picture reveals that it was actually taken from above the water’s surface ... The cropping of the image is exceptional, creating a striking composition. The absence of colour further allows the viewer to focus solely on the form and details ... A skilful play of various shades of grey adds a timeless quality to the image.’
    monochrome image of silver tail of one dolphin over dark heads of two others

  • Landscape category - Austfonna Ice Cap, Thomas Vijayan (Canada)

    Popa says: ‘Landscape photography, generally speaking, shows the majesty of nature, which is not always easy to highlight. For me a very good picture has two very important ingredients. The subject, in its complexity and relevance, and the simplicity of the composition. This image inspires a stillness, but also a lot of power. The devastating force of the melting glaciers in the context of climate change generated by our lifestyles and the race for profit.’
    thick white tongue of ice cracking and melting into dark blue sea

  • Fred Hazelhoff award (Portfolio) category - Balam, the Endangered King of the Mayan Jungle, Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar (Mexico)

    Gaiotti says: ‘The image of the jaguar taken from above while the animal passes through the door of a building is visually very powerful and at the same time original in terms of point of view.’
    overhead view of a vividly-patterned jaguar, showing its black spots on orange body, as it passes through a doorway

  • Fred Hazelhoff award (Portfolio) category - Balam, the Endangered King of the Mayan Jungle, Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar (Mexico)

    Gaiotti says: ‘This series of images combines a strong message of habitat conservation together with photographs of great visual and technical impact.’
    the jaguar prowls in front of a wooden hut with straw roof

  • Fred Hazelhoff award (Portfolio) category - Balam, the Endangered King of the Mayan Jungle, Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar (Mexico)

    Gaiotti says: ‘The portfolio offers a very complete sequence that well describes the threatened environment and one of the most iconic inhabitants that lives in it, but also the interactions between the jaguar and human activities add strength to this project.’
    the jaguar faces a pig in a wire-framed cage within a barn
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