The Nature inFocus Photography Contest recently announced its winners for the year 2021. The competition, which began in 2015, attempts to showcase unique wildlife moments and important conservation issues through their incredible winning images every year.
Nature inFocus has gone on to become Asia’s premier nature and wildlife competition, and it features some extremely talented nature photographers. Despite the pandemic, more than 2,000 photographers from 40 countries submitted nearly 18,000 photographs to the contest this year. The amazing award-winning images of nature from this year’s edition include a leopardess trying to catch a Malabar Giant Squirrel, a tiger chasing away a crocodile, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies on a tree.
Check out 15 of the best winning photos from the contest below.
Related: Winners of the 2021 Nature Conservancy Photo Contest
#1 Tag, You Are It! by Priyanka Rahut Mitra – Winner: Animal Behaviour
A leopardess attempts to catch a Malabar Giant Squirrel at Bandipur National Park, Karnataka.
#2 City Lights by Mohammad Murad – Winner: Animal Portraits
An Arabian Red Fox in the Kuwait region.
#3 The King’s Feast by Panos Laskarakis – Runner-up: Animal Portraits
A lone lion feeding on a buffalo carcass at Okavango Delta, Botswana.
#4 Pay Through The Nose by Lakshitha Karunarathna – Second Runner-up, Animal Portraits
A Yellow-billed Oxpecker is seen perched on the nose of an African Water Buffalo at Masai Mara National Park, Kenya. These birds get an endless supply of insects and parasites from the giant bovids. The buffaloes, meanwhile, gain protection from ticks.
#5 The Resting Monarch by Lakshitha Karunarathna – Winner: Wildscape & Animals in Habitat
"A gigantic kaleidoscope of Monarch butterflies sits huddled together on Oyamel Fir trees in the overwintering grounds in the mountains of central Mexico."
#6 Bear In The Woods by Divya Dwaraknath – Runner-up, Wildscape & Animals in Habitat
A Sloth Bear at the Nagarahole National Park, Karnataka.
#7 Northern Lights by Prathamesh Ghadekar – Winner: Creative Nature Photography
Fungi growing on a dead tree log create amazing colors at Ajoba Parvat, Maharashtra.
#8 Rush Hour by Magnus Lundgren – Runner-up: Creative Nature Photography
An underwater shot of a pack of Chum Salmons running up a cold Alaskan creek in Prince William Sound, Alaska.
#9 Blue Symphony by Kallol Mukherjee – Special Mention: Creative Nature Photography
A flock of Grandalas is seen flying over the Lachen River in Sikkim. These rare birds are a stunning royal blue in color and are found in the high mountain passes and alpine forests from India to Tibet.
#10 Hop Into The Limelight by Anagha Mohan – Winner: Young Photographer
A surreal image of a grasshopper resting on a flowering plant in Bangalore, Karnataka.
#11 Spider Dreams by Anirudh Kamakeri – Runner-up: Young Photographer
An orb-weaver spider clicked during the evening on the terrace of the photographer's house at Dharwad, Karnataka.
#12 Evicted by Mahisin Khan – Winner: Conservation Issues
A lone Gharial, also known as the fish-eating crocodile, is portrayed against the backdrop of construction work in Bihar, India. Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, this image highlights their changing habitats.
#13 Going Astray by Karamjeet Singh - Second Runner-up: Conservation Issues
#14 After ‘While Crocodile! by Rajat Subhra Pramanick - Runner-up: Animal Behaviour
A crocodile is ousted from the felid territory of a tiger in Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan. Tigers are adept swimmers and can cross large water bodies with ease.
#15 Cut To The Chase by Kushal Guttedar- Special Mention: Animal Behaviour
A piglet runs for its life as a lioness closes in on it at the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
Share these stunning photos with all nature lovers!
