People’s Choice – Winning Image:

Winner: Jamie Smart

‘Love Birds’

Northern gannets mate for life. I managed to capture this image of the love between a pair at sunrise during breeding season by getting my dad to lift me up so that I could get a better view of them, as I was too short to see it!

Location: Bempton Cliffs, United Kingdom
Camera/Lens: Nikon Z9, 400mm F4.5 Nikkor lens

Highly Commended: Wasu Vidayanakorn

‘Morning Hunt‘
Ospreys are one of my favourite subjects to photograph, and during a morning boat ride in the Kaeng Krachan Dam, this individual came down right in front of the boat to catch its first meal of the day. A stunning moment that will stay with me forever.

Location: Kaeng Krachan Dam, Phetchaburi, Thailand
Camera/Lens: Sony a1, FE 600mm f/4 lens

Finalist: John Peters

‘Fiery Eyes‘

The red, fire-like eyes of this black swan became fixated on my lens, giving me a look of might while posing with elegance, showing off its impressive, long neck.

Location: Darling Downs, Queensland, Australia
Camera/Lens: Canon 90D (Body), Tamron 150-600mm lens

Finalist: Jessica Zanca

‘Eyes On The Horizon‘

A female cheetah and her two cubs get a higher vantage point to better observe their surroundings in Hwange National Park. This image was taken in the morning, and because cheetahs hunt during the day, it is likely that this trio was searching for their next meal.

Location: Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Camera/Lens: Nikon Z9, Nikkor Z 400mm lens

Finalist: Jake Wilton

‘Zebra Shark‘
A leopard shark cruises through the protected lagoon area of the Ningaloo Reef. The striking patterns change throughout the life of the shark starting as black and white stripes before changing to the leopard pattern you see here giving them the names zebra and leopard sharks respectively.

Location: Ningaloo Reef, Australia
Camera/Lens: Nikon Z8, Nikkor 8-15mm fisheye lens