Coexistence, Highly commended, Mammals category. Elephant bulls interact at a water hole during the dry season.
George Dian Balan, Romania – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
The renowned European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for nature photography, organized by the German Society for Nature Photographers (GDT), has unveiled this year’s winners — chosen by 1,000 amateur and professional photographers from 38 countries who considered many thousands of images.
This year’s overall winner of the contest honoring the talents of Europe’s wildlife photographers was Spanish photographer Jaime Rojo for his photo “In the Forest of the Monarchs” taken in Mexico’s El Rosario butterfly sanctuary.
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The image of the fragile ecosystem helps to put the plight of these insects into focus. Every autumn, millions of monarch butterflies travel thousands of kilometers from North America to pass winter in the branches of oyamel firs. The dense clustering of butterflies and the protection of the tree canopy provide a crucial microclimate for their survival. However, even small changes to the forest can disrupt this delicate balance.
“The future of these butterflies, like that of so many other species, is threatened,” Sabine Riewenherm, President of the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and patron of the competition, remarked. “Monarch habitats are in peril: Intensive agriculture combined with the use of herbicides is destroying the milkweed plants essential for their voracious caterpillars, illegal logging is destroying their roosting sites, and increasing storms in winter related to climate change are causing monarchs to perish en route.”
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The exhibition showing all the winning images goes on tour through Germany and several other European countries.
Participation in the 2025 competition starts on January 15, 2025.
See all the winners, runner ups and highly commended images here.
Monarch Butterflies blanket fir trees in El Rosario Sanctuary, Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Michoacan, Mexico
Jaime Rojo Spain – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
Streaked with sunlight and crowded together for warmth in winter, Monarch Butterflies blanket fir trees in El Rosario Sanctuary.
“I requested special permits to work outside the sanctuary’s operating hours and made this photograph shortly before sunset,” Jaime Rojo explained.
Huddled together at these cool and relatively humid high altitudes, the monarch butterflies have adapted to the same ecological conditions as the trees, mostly Oyamel firs.
The butterflies are well protected from the elements by the tree canopy and also by their congregation in huge numbers, but even the smallest changes in the forest cover can have a negative impact on the sensitive microclimate. A Mexican-led international coalition of government and non-profit conservation organizations established a trust fund to work with local communities to reduce the rate of deforestation, which has been steadily declining since 2009.
Birds
Approach, Winner, Birds category.
Luca Melcarne, France – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
After observing a pair of nesting black woodpeckers for several days, Luca Melcarne decided to set up a camouflage hide behind a fir tree at a suitable distance so as not to disturb the birds while photographing through the branches. Here, the male approaches with food for the hungry offspring in the brood cave.
Angry bird, Runner-up, Birds category
Kjell Vikestad, Norway – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
At the ferry terminal in Hella, Norway, the birds have become accustomed to being fed bread crumbs by waiting motorists. Conditioned to be fearless, they often land directly on cars hoping for a small snack. “I took the opportunity to take a few shots of this wet and hungry great tit,” said Kjell Vikestad.
Gannet with nesting material, Highly commended, Birds category
Danny Green, UK – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
A gannet with nesting material on Great Saltee Island, Republic of Ireland. With beaks chock-full of vegetation, these seabirds – always somewhat clumsy-looking on land – were simply hilarious.
Mammals And Other Animals
Affection, Highly commended, Mammals category
Vanessa Beadling, Singapore – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
A hyena cub spends quality time with its mother. Of all the animals that roam the African savannah, spotted hyenas get the most “bad press.” They are often derided as scavenging opportunists.
For Vanessa Beadling, however, hyenas are extremely interesting creatures and she has taken countless pictures capturing various aspects of their behaviour. This photo shows the gentle side of these often misunderstood, highly social animals: A hyena cub snuggles up lovingly to its dishevelled and battered-looking mother.
On the prowl, Highly commended, Mammals category
Andrew Skinne, uK – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
“While cruising the river systems of the Pantanal in Brazil, I spotted two young jaguar brothers moving upstream,” Andrew Skinne explains.
The two felines were wading through the reeds and bushes in search of a meal. “As they approached, I anticipated a magical opportunity if one of the two were to come out of the bushes and pause in a patch of sunlight. And indeed, one of the jaguars did stop in the golden light for just a short moment.”
Christo was here, Winner, Other Animals category
Theo Bosboom, The Netherlands – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
In June 2023, Theo Bosboom heard about an explosive proliferation of willow ermine moth caterpillars along the river Waal near Boven-Leeuwen, Netherlands, not far from his hometown.
A giant old willow tree and much of the surrounding vegetation was wrapped in white silk as millions of caterpillars crawled everywhere.
The work of these caterpillars is often compared to that of the famous artist Christo, who covered the Reichstag in Berlin and countless other buildings as well in silk. After a few months, the webs disappeared and the willows sprouted new foliage. The caterpillar invasion left no permanent damage.
About turn, Highly commended, Other Animals category
Norbert Kaszás, Hungary – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
Norbert Kaszás photographed this greater bee fly in spring in the Hungarian Danube-Ipoly National Park. It was early in the morning and the animal was still sluggish after a cold night.”The little insect with its furry body looks so funny from behind,” he recalls.
Safety in Numbers, Highly commended, Other Animals category
Alex Hyde, UK – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
On the underside of a leaf in the rainforest in the Danum Valley in the north of Borneo, a group of recently-hatched giant bug nymphs shield one last individual still in the process of emerging.
By staying in a tight group, the nymphs increase the effectiveness of their striking defensive aposematic coloration to ward off would-be predators.
Plants, Fungi And Landscapes
Curtain, Winner, Plants and Fungi category
Svetlana Ivanenko, Russia – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
During a visit to the Lossiny Ostrov National Park (Russia), Svetlana Ivanenko found several parasol mushrooms. “The pronounced lamellae under the cap of one of the mushrooms immediately caught my attention,” she says. “With the help of a flashlight, I lit their elegant structures. I deliberately underexposed the shot slightly to emphasize the beautiful curves of the lamellae. The result reminds me of the front curtain in a theater.”
Algae pizza, Highly commended, Plants and Fungi category
Csaba Daroczi, Hungary – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
On a hike through the Mikla Puszta in Kiskunság (Hungary), Csaba Daroczi noticed a dried-up puddle with interesting formations. After a rainfall, filamentous green algae had thrived in a depression. As the water evaporated, the algae formed colorful and geometric patterns on the mud.
Blaze of colours, Winner, Landscape category
European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
The famous Sugar Dunes, named after the white color of the sand, shimmer on the coast of the Arabian Sea in the scenic Sultanate of Oman.
Sunrise in the mist, Highly commended, Landscape category
Alexey Kharitonov, Russia – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
It was a glorious morning in the Boloto Ozernoye nature reserve near Leningrad. Although June, night-time temperatures were still below zero degrees Celsius, and ice crunched under Alexey Kharitonov’s feet as he walked through the swamp: “Then the sun rose and the morning light was reflected in the mist rising from the water while dew glistened on the fruiting cotton grass.”
Underwater World
Attack, Highly commended, Underwater category
Francesco Visintin, Italy – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
Francesco Visintin discovered this Mediterranean moray eel on a dive off Italy’s Argentario peninsula. “I wanted to create a portrait that emphasizes the fish’s intense gaze and menacing jaws,” he says. The image reveals a moment of power and beauty in the depths of the Mediterranean.
Men and Nature
Healing therapy, Highly commended, Men and Nature category
Gerard Carbonell , Spain – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
Twiggs, an orphaned female lowland gorilla, was rescued from being sold as a pet at a Cameroon market in 2003. She was traumatized and had a disabled arm due to a lesion that probably occurred when her mother was killed by hunters.
Since her arrival at Limbe Wildlife Centre, Twiggs has been rehabilitated by a devoted team of caregivers. In the photograph, the now-adult gorilla is receiving physiotherapy from Cyrile, one of the few people she trusts. Cyrile also found refuge at the sanctuary after being forced to flee his village with his little brother and quit his university studies when a rebel group caused disruptions. Cyrile was studying forestry engineering with the aim of working in wildlife conservation.
Unwanted, Highly commended, Men and Nature category
Jose Fragozo, Portugal – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
There are fewer than 500 wild cheetahs in the Horn of Africa. Around 300 cheetahs cubs are poached and trafficked every year. Although the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild and Flora prohibits the trade of live cheetahs, these felines are trafficked mainly to the Middle East, where the wealthy show them off as prized possessions in pictures and postings on social media.
In the Somali region of Ethiopia, farmers and poachers regularly offer illegally captured cheetah cubs for sale. If these cubs do not find a buyer quickly, they become too large to be sold. Tragically, some of them are then killed and sold in parts. Cheetah bones are shipped to Yemen and then on to Asian markets where they are sold as “tiger bones” and used to make Chinese bone wine.
The repercussion of this trade on the wild cheetah population and ecosystem is huge. Cheetahs play a key role in maintaining the natural balance of some herbivores in the ecoregion of the Horn of Africa, where the Abyssinian hares can be found.
The ranges of these herbivores, that eat many types of vegetation, are thought to be expanding fast. By removing cheetahs from their natural habitat, local communities are fostering overpopulation of hares and promoting overgrazing, which most likely causes erosion in the region.
Currently the price that local farmers get from smugglers varies from $100 to $500 per cub. The final buyers in the Arabian Peninsula may pay up to $25,000 per cheetah cub.
Farmers and poachers usually catch cubs when they’re just a few weeks old, still dependant on their mother’s milk. They transport them for days on camels through harsh environments in poor conditions.
In order not to call attention from the authorities, they smuggle them inside plastic jerrycans that are usually used to transport water. Older women are occasionally used to smuggle them.
My pet tiger, Highly commended, Men and Nature category
Aaron Gekoski, UK – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
Pakistan has a growing network of big-cat owners. The cubs generally come from tiger and lion farms in South Africa and end in the homes of wealthy exotic pet owners on the Indian subcontinent.
Once the cats become too large to handle and begin to pose a threat to their owners, they’re moved to special facilities for use as breeding stock. The resulting cubs are then sold to a well-organized network of dealers and brokers. Every day, videos of people with their dubious pets receive millions of views on social media, adding to the allure of owning a dangerous animal such as a lion or tiger.
Fritz Pölking Prize
Invisible killers, Category winner, Fritz Pölking Prize
Hector Corderom Spain – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
The special Fritz Pölking Prize is awarded to special photo stories and portfolios. Hector Cordero from Spain won the award with his story about the impact of light and glass on migratory birds.
Urban jungle, Category winner Fritz Pölking Junior Prize
Gianluca Damiani, Italy – European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024
The Fritz Pölking Junior Prize went to Gianluca Damiani’s portfolio “Urban Jungle,” which explores the diverse wildlife around the ancient ruins of Rome.
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Publish date : 2024-11-01 05:00:00
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