The winning and honored images in this year’s Nature Conservancy photography competition were just announced. Entries from more than 80,000 individual photographers in 191 different countries and territories were judged across 12 different categories. Contest organizers were once again kind enough to share some of their top images with us. The captions were written by the photographers and lightly edited for style.
Winners of the 2023 Nature Conservancy Photo Contest
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![Three wolves play and jump over one another in a field.]()
Read moreWolf Trinity. First Place, Mammals. Here you can see three Indian wolves leaping through the air, showcasing their enthusiasm and companionship. Photographed in Bhigwan, Maharashtra, India. #
© Siddhartha Ghosh / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
-
![An aerial photograph of a residential settlement built in the middle of a field, which is blooming yellow at the moment.]()
Read moreLiving Inside the Yellow Fields. First Place, Aerials. Inspired by yellow color, I decided to take a photo with a drone showing an aerial perspective of a small settlement of the city of Świdnica, Poland, which was built in the middle of a field. #
© Agnieszka Wieczorek / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![An elk leans over to drink from a shallow river in a forest.]()
Read moreA Cool Drink. Second Place, Freshwater. A bull elk stops in the Oconaluftee River in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a refreshing drink. #
© Alan Taylor / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![A wide line of short flames burns across a farm field at night, reflected in a nearby lake.]()
Read morePlanned Burn at Chase State Fishing Lake. Honorable Mention, Lands. This is the late evening on April 17, 2014, with a planned pasture burn creeping along the ridge of the hill at the end of the lake. Driving back from a ranch outside Elmdale, Kansas, I spotted the red glow. It looked like there might be a chance it would be reflecting in the lake, and it was! #
© Bruce Hogle / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
-
![An orca attacks two seals on a beach.]()
Read moreMorning Attack. Second Place, Mammals. An orca attacks two seals in the morning on a beach. #
© HJ Yang / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![An aerial view of people standing along the shoreline of a dried-up pond with many shallow holes filled with green, brown, or yellow water]()
Read moreDry Fish Pond. First Place, Freshwater. The holes dug by fish for spawning can be seen after a pond has dried up. Tai Sang Wai, Yuen Long, Hong Kong. #
© Jeanny Tang / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![An underwater view of dozens of jellyfish swimming in the ocean]()
Read morePhantoms Adrift. First Place, Underwater Life. Pacific sea nettles (Chrysaora fuscescens) swarm in the murky waters off Monterey, California. #
© Russell Laman / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
-
![Several pine trees and bushes with autumn-colored foliage, seen in a heavy snowstorm]()
Read moreSound and Vision. First Place, Lands. This picture represents one the most intense moments I can remember during my life. It was September; after a two-week wait, I was lucky enough to experience an amazing mix of extraordinary elements, which I will never forget: the impressive display of the autumn colors at their peak, and the first snow of the season. #
© Alessandro Carboni / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![The head of a brown bear pokes out of a body of water, shaking water from its fur.]()
Read moreShaking Off. Third Place, Mammals. Free yourself. The bear. #
© Luisa Pericoli / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![A single pine tree stands on a snow-covered hillside.]()
Read moreLost in Snow Waves. Second Place, Plants & Fungi. A lonely conifer tree in the Dolomites highlands in wintertime, Fanes-Sennes-Braies Regional Natural Park, Italy. #
© Vittorio Ricci / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
-
![A close view of the surface of a coral, showing many greenish-colored plates]()
Read moreLiving Texture. Honorable Mention, Underwater Life. Macro photo of a hard coral of the genus Mycetophyllia. Guatemala is not well known for its coral reefs, yet there are very interesting corals around Cabo Tres Puntas. This coral was found at 12 meters' depth. Cabo Tres Puntas, Guatemala, March 2023. #
© Juan Carlos Huitrón Baca / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![Visitors stand in several parked jeeps, taking photographs as two tigers spar in front of them.]()
Read moreFighter Jets. Honorable Mention, People & Nature. I was lucky to capture these two male tigers fighting in the air. Taken in Tadoba Tiger Reserve, India. #
© Narayan Malu / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
![Shepherds guide a flock of sheep along a winding mountain path, stirring up clouds of dust.]()
Read moreDusty Ride. Honorable Mention, People & Nature. This is Anatolia, Turkey. Here, people are engaged in animal husbandry for their livelihood. After a harsh winter, the valleys overflow with lush grass, but it is not easy to reach this food source in rough terrain. The shepherds and their flocks, who walk 10 kilometers every day to the foot of Mount Nemrut, leave a dusty story behind their journey. #
© Fatih Yilmaz / TNC Photo Contest 2023 -
-
![A large wave crashes as it approaches the shore, with low sunlight shining through splashes at the top.]()
Read moreRough Sea 12. Third Place, Oceans. A big sea wave charges toward the shore during a fierce storm. November 2012, Varigotti, Italy. #
© Giovanni Allievi / TNC Photo Contest 2023
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.