PICTURED: Stunning images of wildlife and natural beauty captured by Nature Photographer of the Year competitors

• This year’s winner, Jacquie Matechuk, from Canada, stole the show with her image of the Spectacled Bear

Magnificent images of wildlife and natural beauty captured by Nature Photographer of the Year competitors have been revealed.

The images, taken all over the world, encapsulate the most beautiful aspects of our planet – from animals thriving in their extreme habitats to forests creating stunning silhouettes in the sky. 

The annual competition is an initiative of Nature Talks, the organisation responsible for the Nature Talks Photo Festival that takes place in the Netherlands. 

This year’s winner, Jacquie Matechuk, is a photographer from Canada and stole the show with her photo of the Spectacled Bear. 

Chairman Marco Gaiotti explained why her photo was chosen as the winner: ‘The Spanish moss hanging from this centuries-old fig tree gives an incredible sense of three-dimensionality while the soft light filtering through the colors highlights the profound connection between species and habitat in this image. 

‘Finally, the pose of this spectacled bear fits perfectly into the texture of the photograph.’ Congratulations to Jacquie Matechuk for this outstanding photograph of the spectacled bear. ‘ 

He Looks to the Heavens by Jacquie Matechuk in Canada. This stunning photo is the winning image of the year 

Runner-up – Mammals Shaking Off The Cold by Jeffrey Kauffman, USA. This stunning image was runner-up 

Highly commended – Animal Portraits The Look by Henley Spiers, United Kingdom

Runner-up – Green triplets by Johan de Ridder, Belgium. This stunning photos shows three lizards on some leaves 

Highly commended – Mammals Wolf and Iceberg by Christophe Vasselin, Luxembourg. This piece was highly commended by the jury 

Highly commended – Follow the Leader by Torie Hilley, USA. This image was highly commended by the jury 

Runner-up – Landscapes Sunset by Jens Lax, Finland. This image displays a stunning silhouette of forest 

High commended -nature art Psychedelic Snowdrops by Simone Baumeister. This image was highly commended by the judges 

Category Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award – category winner. Balam, the endangered king of the Mayan jungle by Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar, Mexico

Highly commended – Human and Nature Threatened by the highway Geoffrey Reynaud, Canada

Category winner – Nature Art Fields of Dreams by J Fritz Rumpf, USA

Highly commended- Underwater The Marriage of Moon jellyfish by Mayumi Takeuchi-Ebbins

Highly commended – landscapes Inferno by Radomir Jakubowski from Germany

Category winner – Animal Portraits The Pen and Inkwell by Jonathan Lhoir, France

Highly commended – Human and nature Ghost In The Darkness by Wim van den Heever, South Africa

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