![A western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) female ‘Malui’ walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai. Bai Hokou, Dzanga-Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. [Anup Shah, United Kingdom]](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20210927005156/en/909432/5/Grand_Prize_ANUP_SHAH.jpg?download=1)
![This picture document the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Indonesias orangutan. They are under threat from the ongoing depletion of the rainforest due to palm oil plantations, logging, mining, hunting. The whole SOCP team works together to prepare Brenda, an estimated 3-month-old female orangutan (she has no teeth yet), for surgery. [Alain Schroeder, Belgium]](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20210927005156/en/909435/4/People_1_ALAIN_SCHROEDER.jpg "This picture document the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Indonesias orangutan. They are under threat from the ongoing depletion of the rainforest due to palm oil plantations, logging, mining, hunting. The whole SOCP team works together to prepare Brenda, an estimated 3-month-old female orangutan (she has no teeth yet), for surgery. [Alain Schroeder, Belgium]")
![Incessant rains in Masai Mara had caused the Talek river to flood. This unusual coalition of five male cheetahs (Tano Bora – Fast Five), were looking to cross this river in terrifyingly powerful currents. It seemed a task doomed to failure and we were delighted when they made it to the other side. This was a timely reminder of the damage wreaked by human induced climate change. [Buddhilini de Soyza – Australia]](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20210927005156/en/909434/4/Wildlife_1_BUDDHILINI_DESOYZA.jpg "Incessant rains in Masai Mara had caused the Talek river to flood. This unusual coalition of five male cheetahs (Tano Bora – Fast Five), were looking to cross this river in terrifyingly powerful currents. It seemed a task doomed to failure and we were delighted when they made it to the other side. This was a timely reminder of the damage wreaked by human induced climate change. [Buddhilini de Soyza – Australia]")
![Carcass of a Pantanal alligator (Caiman yacare) in the dry soil on the banks of the Transpantaneira highway, municipality of Poconé (Mato Grosso). Photo taken with a drone on October 4, 2020, at the height of the droughts that hit the Pantanal that year. [Daniel De Granville Manço, Brazil]](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20210927005156/en/909433/4/Landscape_1_DANIEL_DE_GRANVILLE_MANO.jpg "Carcass of a Pantanal alligator (Caiman yacare) in the dry soil on the banks of the Transpantaneira highway, municipality of Poconé (Mato Grosso). Photo taken with a drone on October 4, 2020, at the height of the droughts that hit the Pantanal that year. [Daniel De Granville Manço, Brazil]")
![Just before Monsoon, these fireflies congregate in certain regions of India and on a few special trees like this one, they are in crazy quantity which can range in millions. This particular image is a stack of 32 images (30 seconds exposure each) of this tree taken on a tripod. Later the images were stacked in Adobe Photoshop. This image contains 16 minutes of viewing time of this amazing tree. [Prathamesh Ghadekar, India]](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20210927005156/en/909407/4/Peoples_Choice_PRATHAMESH_GHADEKAR.jpg "Just before Monsoon, these fireflies congregate in certain regions of India and on a few special trees like this one, they are in crazy quantity which can range in millions. This particular image is a stack of 32 images (30 seconds exposure each) of this tree taken on a tripod. Later the images were stacked in Adobe Photoshop. This image contains 16 minutes of viewing time of this amazing tree. [Prathamesh Ghadekar, India]")
![Water and people. [Kazi Arifujjaman, Bangladesh]](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20210927005156/en/909408/4/Water_1_KAZI_ARIFUJJAMAN.jpg "Water and people. [Kazi Arifujjaman, Bangladesh]")
ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, The Nature Conservancy unveiled the winners of its 2021 Photo Contest. The images captured for the annual competition inspire both wonder and exploration of the amazing and incredible world around us. Even experiencing nature from your desk has benefits for human health, as studies have shown, just looking at photos of nature lowers stress levels.
This year’s winning images were selected by a panel of judges that included renowned American singer-songwriter Ben Folds, who is himself an avid photographer and a member of the prestigious Sony Artisans of Imagery. From more than 100,000 entries, a photo of a western lowland gorilla walking through a cloud of butterflies in the Central African Republic, taken by photographer Anup Shah of the United Kingdom, won the Grand Prize. Celebrity judge Ben Folds said of the winning image: “I like photos that keep dragging you in. The [gorilla’s] face. Tolerance or bliss. It’s really hard to tell and the insects draw you there.”
The People’s Choice award went to Prathamesh Ghadekar of India for a photograph of fireflies congregating around a tree before a monsoon.
“These images are a gorgeous and unforgettable reminder of the vibrancy and awe-inspiring power of nature,” said Meg Goldthwaite, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for The Nature Conservancy. “Year after year, we are amazed, delighted, and moved by these scenes from around the world. They remind us how connected we all are on this planet, and they energize us as we continue the important work of conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.”
After a one-year hiatus due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s photo contest returned with 100,190 photo submissions from a record-breaking 158 countries. In addition to the grand prize of a camera package valued at $4,000, first and second-place category winners will receive gift cards.
Additional awards in the following categories were given to:
Landscape
1st place – Daniel De Granville Manço, Brazil (@danieldegranville)
2nd place – Denis Ferreira Netto, Brazil (@denisfotos)
3rd place – Jassen Todorov, United States (@jassensf)
Honorable mention – Scott Portelli, Australia (@scott.portelli)
Honorable mention – Kim Pan and Dennis Wong, Hong Kong
People and Nature
1st place – Alain Schroeder, Belgium (@alainschroeder)
2nd place – Tom Overall, Australia (@tom.overallphotos)
3rd place – Sebnem Coskun, Turkey
Honorable mention – Minqiang Lu, China
Honorable mention – Wax Leung, Hong Kong (@waxismine)
Water
1st place – Kazi Arifujjaman, Bangladesh (@kazi_arifujjaman_)
2nd place – Joram Mennes, Mexico (@jorammennesphotography)
3rd place – Man Wai Wong, Hong Kong
Honorable mention – Jorge Andrés Miraglia, Argentina (@yosoytato)
Honorable mention – Manh Cuong Vu, Vietnam
Wildlife
1st place – Buddhilini de Soyza, Australia (@captures_by_buddhilini)
2nd place – Mateusz Piesiak, Poland (@mpwildlife)
3rd place – Viktor Vrbovsky, Czech Republic
Honorable Mention – Kristhian Castro, Colombia (@kristhiancastro)
Honorable Mention – Thomas Vijayan, Canada (@thomasvijayan)
Honorable Mention – Anup Shah, United Kingdom
You can view all of the winning images at https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/photo-contest/2021-winners/
The Nature Conservancy is a global conservation organization dedicated to conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends. Guided by science, we create innovative, on-the-ground solutions to our world's toughest challenges so that nature and people can thrive together. We are tackling climate change, conserving lands, waters and oceans at an unprecedented scale, providing food and water sustainably and helping make cities more sustainable. Working in 72 countries, we use a collaborative approach that engages local communities, governments, the private sector, and other partners. To learn more, visit www.nature.org or follow @nature_press on Twitter.
