Here is a collection of photos from 2017 national geographic nature photographer of the year contest. National Geographic’s annual photo competition is still open, with the deadline for submissions coming up on November 17.
The Grand Prize Winner will receive $7,500, publication in National Geographic Magazine, and a feature on National Geographic’s Instagram account. Contest runners have allowed me to choose a few more of this year’s contest entries for display here. The captions below were written by the individual photographers.
#1
Hidden Gates. “An amazing floating iceberg with a beautiful arch, seen while sailing in western Greenland. One of the best days spent in the Arctic, with no wind and no clouds; almost still water allowed us to see great reflections.” © Marek Biegalski / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#2
Green Turtle and Sunset – Sea Turtle. “A green turtle going to breathe just after sunset.” © Gaby Barathieu / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#3
Wanderer. “Sandstorm on the singing sand dune in Altyn-Emel National Park, Kazakhstan.” © Alesya Osadchaya / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#4
Wild Emotions. “A pair of foxes in Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge take in the surrounding scenery.” © Joshua Blouin / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#5
Patterns of Glacial River. “Aerial view of the bridge and the Glacial River in Iceland. The ground-up rock from the mountain below the glacier mixes in the water giving it color that you see in this image.” © Manish Mamtani / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#6
Animals Crossing Bridge. “Singapore, also called a city in the forest, has built the first ecological bridge in Southeast Asia to restore the ecological connection between two nature reserves which were divided by the expressway, allowing wildlife to expand their habitat, genetic pool and survival chances. It helps animals to cross over to the other side to find food or mate without risking death.” © Son Tong / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#7
Dewy Dragonfly. “On a cool morning in August, I was out looking for insects and came across this very dew-covered wandering glider dragonfly. He was a captive model that gave me a fair amount of time to get some nice shots. I was in heaven!” © Teri Zandi / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#8
Fast Food. “After many hours with this mother fox, I gained her trust. I noticed her posture changed all of a sudden and in the blink of an eye she pounced into a hole and came out with a rabbit for her kits. As she left to deliver the food, she looked back at me as if to show off her catch—an amazing wildlife experience.” © Shane Kalyn / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#9
First Rains. “Situated on the boundary of Amboseli National Park’s Lake Amboseli in Kenya. During the dry season it is completely dried out—cracked earth as far as the eye can see. It is an amazing sight. Searching for elephants crossing the pan, I witnessed this amazing storm sweeping over the parched landscape.” © Ken Dyball / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
#10
Curious Calf. “It’s somewhat impossible to describe what it was like being in the water with humpback whales. It felt like it was just a dream and there were times, like when this calf swam directly towards me, the time seemed to slow. I could have sworn we made eye contact, and the curiosity emitting from this beautiful being was palpable. Maybe he was trying to figure out what we were. He must have been thinking: ‘What could these tiny creatures be that just descended into the water with me and my mom?'” © Daina Buchner / 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year