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30 Stunning And Emotional Photos That Won The European Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2020
More than 19,000 photos from 38 countries were submitted to this year’s contest held by The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT). The winners of the prestigious European Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest were awarded on Thursday, October 22 in the first virtual award ceremony.
And one photograph stood out from the rest. It was Jasper Doest’s “A Monkey’s Mask,” a moving snap that shows a Japanese macaque removing a human mask in between performances for a human crowd. Photographed at a sake house in north Tokyo, the picture “silently talks to us by questioning humans dealing with wild animals and nature.” Thus, it justly won the award of the overall winner.
Scroll through the rest of the winner photographs down below to see the ever-changing beauty (and pain) of the living world around us.
More info: GDTfoto.de
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Category Birds: "Night Hunter" By Jonas Classon (Se)
Idk Katniss Potter 5 years ago
Yes, yes it does, or Poppy, if it was a movie...
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Nagawa (Cofa) Kishiki 5 years ago
Fine, your rock beat my scissors. You don't have to be so smug about it.
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#2
Category Plants And Fungi: "Spirits Of The Bamboo Forest" By Agorastos Papatsanis (Gr)
Caroline Driver 5 years ago (edited)
Aaah, suddenly the Spongen fungi in Aion make sense. Amazing photo too
#3
Category Mammals: "A Quick Sip" By Javier Aznar (Es)
Angel Little 5 years ago
Perfect shot, skimming the water drinking it in and the silhouette in the water. Perfect and beautiful.
The overall winner, Jasper Doest, took the moving photograph of a monkey wearing a human mask in a traditional Japanese sake house north of Tokyo. The artist explained that after dinner, the tavern’s guests can watch Japanese macaques performing tricks with various props on a makeshift stage.
“In the old days, the Japanese macaque or snow monkey was a sacred religious symbol, known to mediate between gods and humans. Today, the animal has been reduced to a secular scapegoat, a defaced outcast, and target of mockery.”
This photo is part of Jasper’s larger series of photos that he shot for National Geographic called “Sacred No More.” According to the artist’s website, “The Japanese macaque, best known as the ‘snow monkey,’ is revered as a bridge between man and the gods, but it has become so habituated to humans in recent years that its population has increased tenfold.”
#4
Category Mammals: "Hareball" By Andrew Parkinson (Gb)
Downunderdude 5 years ago
Mum, am I an arctic hare? Yes, dear of course you are. Why do you ask? Because s**t, I'm cold.
Patty Stier 5 years ago
Makes you want to put a warmed blanket around it and pick him up and away from the frigid cold!
Call Me Mars 5 years ago
Having lived in Alaska, we were warned to look in the snow for hares. I never stepped on one, but this picture is cool!
Angelfinn2181 5 years ago
They are called cecotropes and are very nutritional for them!
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#5
Category Birds: "Following Mum" By Oscar Dewhurst (Gb)
#6
Category Men And Nature: "Crab Road" By Tom Schandy (No)
Sherry Hart 5 years ago
It also looks like they are both wearing flip flops? I don’t know about you guys but if I had to walk through that, I’d make sure that I’m covered up with some tall rain boots or something. Too scared 🦀🦀🦀
Lucas 5 years ago
Hahaha - yes! I'd be wearing my steel toe capped boots!
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Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
This is on Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, situated south of Java, Indonesia. Here is footage from October 23, just a couple of days ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DtVtQBKXn0
Fieke Engelen 5 years ago
From school, a long long time ago. Do they travel from one side of the island to the other side?
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One member of the jury, Angel Fitorthis, said that Jasper’s photo is, in fact, the icon of our time. On behalf of the jury, he stated: “A macaque on stage takes off his mask in front of a fake forest. As the mask slips, the wall of arrogance that we have built between us and nature over many centuries suddenly collapses. Never before has a portrait of an animal mirrored us like this: a naked monkey behind a human mask.”
#7
Category Plants And Fungi: Winner: "Blooming Desert" By Marco Gaiotti (It)
Turnip and a Frog 5 years ago
This pink is shocking against the bleak background. And it makes sense colour-wise. I like it very much.
Glynna Bowood 5 years ago
This looks like a painting rather than a photo- the colors are so muted!! I really like that pink stubby tree/bush !
Angel Little 5 years ago
Love it the variety of colors of the desert and the splash of pink. Gorgeous photo.
#8
Category The Underwater World: "Constellation Of Eagle Rays" By Henley Spiers (Gb)
Turnip and a Frog 5 years ago
I love this one. It’s hard to tell whether it’s a pencil sketch or a photo. It could be butterflies or bird as well. And I love the air of mystery and calmness of the underwater world.
Among Us 5 years ago
Um... These are all photos... And they are Eagle rays...
Load More Replies... Karina Andersen 5 years ago
https://www.catersnews.com/stories/amazing/a-sea-of-rays-manta-ray-migration-creates-mind-boggling-images/
Maureen Peters 5 years ago
Oh, what a beautiful world! Thank you for showing me Henley Spiers.
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Why spend all that money exploring space when we hardly know anything about life on Earth, even as we are fast destroying it.
#9
Category The Underwater World: Runner Up: "Hitch-Hiking Octopus" By Magnus Lundgren (Se)
Carole Dose 5 years ago
To fall in love with the octopus read "Soul of an Octopus" by Sy Montgomery--and it's even better as an audiobook!
Angel Little 5 years ago
Stunning, was able to get the eye, all the details of the creature. Beautiful.
#10
Category Birds: "Natural Colours" By Salvador Colvee (Es)
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
"Over several months, Salvador watched different species of bird use the dead flower spike of this agave in Valencia, Spain as a perch before descending to a small pond to drink." https://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy/community/peoples-choice/2019/13/the-unwelcome-visitor.html
Anja Schmidt 5 years ago
these are "bee eaters" Merops apiaster ... never seen them in nature before ...
Tracy Flavelle 5 years ago
Photo shopping nature is just wrong. 😔 As a picture, this makes me very sad. Presented as a painting it would be striking in it's stark contrast. Ad a photo it falis. So sad 😔
Angel Little 5 years ago
Love the white background highlights the wispy tree limbs and the various colors of the birds. Great shot.
#11
Category The Underwater World: Winner: "Whale Milk" By Mike Korostelev (Ru)
Teresa Groth 5 years ago
I love being able too see this beautiful pic of a baby during it’s feeding, this was the only time I have experienced this wonderful blessing!
#12
Category Other Animals: "Firefly Light Trails In The Rainforest" By Konrad Wothe (De)
#13
Category Fritz Pölking Junior Prize: "A Flurry Of Snow" By Florian Smit
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
Gorgeous and ethereal-- this young photographer has a great eye!
#14
Category Young Photographers To 14 Years: Runner Up: "A Home In Pink" By Carlos Perez Naval (Es)
Bardhi's Dad 5 years ago
I like that title, "A Home in Pink"! Beautiful, same as a photo. Especially when you see that it's made by an 14 years old
#15
Category Birds: Winner: "Penguin Defence" By Ben Cranke (Gb)
Bardhi's Dad 5 years ago
"Don't even try to do or to say something! We have job to do and an penguin have to do what an penguin have to do! Understood?"
Patty Stier 5 years ago (edited)
"Sorry, my friend, we have not seen your team members, however, you are welcome to come with us - we know well the destination you seek - for it is ours also!"
#16
Category Birds: "Storm Brewing" By Oscar Diez (Es)
#17
Category Mammals: "A Study Of Art" By Klaus- Peter Echle (De)
#18
Category Plants And Fungi: "Swamp Colours" By Mauro Battistelli (It)
Bardhi's Dad 5 years ago
This is so impressive and powerful! I almost can't believe it's real. Great work of nature and beautiful photo... I admire both of them - Nature and Art
Angel Little 5 years ago
Beautuful all the gray tones, the silhouettes in the water with the salmon color splashes of the trees. Stunning.
#19
Category Young Photographer 15 To 17 Years: Runner Up: "Musketeers" By Grzegorz Dlugosz (Pl)
#20
Category Other Animals: Runner Up: "Curious Glances" By Manuel Plaickner (It)
#21
Category Men And Nature: "The New Lighthouse Keepers" By Audun Rikardsen (No)
Aunt Messy 5 years ago
They're molting. Anyone who yammers about the "noble" eagle has never seen them in person. In reality, they're a fairly scruffy bunch that will eat anything they find....and squabble about it endlessly.
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Category Men And Nature: Winner: "Empathy" By Marcus Westberg (Es)
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
More about the photographer here: https://www.marcuswestberg.photo/about
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
You can also see a different shot of the same gorilla receiving treatment there.
Load More Replies... #23
Category Young Photographers To 14 Years: Winner: "Backlight" By Andres Domingues Blanco (Es)
Bardhi's Dad 5 years ago
"Latest report from the ground: Everything's under control in my area. Nothing to worry about here..."
Jaybird3939 5 years ago
Didja get it? I can't hold this pose much longer. Was it OK? You good? Great picture!
#24
Category Nature´s Studio: Winner: "Galaxy" By Thomas Hempelmann (De)
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
He is only 22 years old and a seasoned photographer. This is his site: http://thomashempelmann.de/gallery/
#25
Category Birds: "Strange Encounters" By Hannes Klostermann (De)
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Some fish can fly and some birds are great underwater swimmers. And some humans are very good photographers.
Mary Rose Kent 5 years ago
Cormorants don’t have preening oil since it would make them too buoyant for deep diving, which is why they’re always sitting on rocks or logs with their wings outstretched.
#26
Category Nature´s Studio: "Owl Forest" By Bertold Nagy (Hu)
Mary Rose Kent 5 years ago
I love how the extreme close up on the owl creates an impressionistic background.
Bardhi's Dad 5 years ago
Aquarelle on paper, or maybe on canvas, obviously. P.s. I know it's not, but looks like that, you must agree. And, the photo - it's beautiful!
#27
Category Men And Nature: "Saving Orang-Utans" By Alain Schroeder (Be)
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Limit your use of palm oil if you want to help the Orangutans. "Not only is Palm Oil bad for the environment, and a major cause of climate change, but it is also the leading cause of orangutan extinction." https://orangutan.org/palmoil/
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
Must read! https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/how-to-wean-yourself-off-palm-oil/
Load More Replies... Mary Rose Kent 5 years ago
Orangutans are fascinating creatures. I’ve watched so many videos of them and am always looking for more.
#28
Category Men And Nature: "Busy Lines" By Pere Soler Isern (Es)
Monika Soffronow 5 years ago
I went up to the bedroom late in the evening and before I fell asleep, I realized that there were strange sounds coming from outside, like heavy breathing, or rather more like heavy inhaling. At first, I told myself that it was a fidget of my imagination, that my mind must have misinterpreted something - and then I heard it again. And again. And again. I am not going to lie. It did take me a while to get the courage up to very, very slowly open the balcony door to have a look outside. There were five owls sitting on the line across the street, having a hushed conversation. It went from horror movie to nature-on-your-doorstep documentary in no time flat.
Mary Rose Kent 5 years ago
What a treat! One night when I was on the road and sleeping in my car I was awakened by a Western Screech Owl hooting. The best reason to be awakened...well, other than kitty kisses.
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#29
Category Other Animals: "In A Hat" By Katarzyna Gubrynowicz (Pl)
Bardhi's Dad 5 years ago
Wow! This looks to me like some creature with the face of rhino, eyes of snail, and the pearl shell in the back. I'm not high, I swear
#30
Category Plants And Fungi: "Wrapped" By Theo Bosboom (Nl)
Karina Andersen 5 years ago
in the north of Australia we have a season when trees are covered in spider webs it's amazing
#32
Category Birds: "Beautiful Plumage" By Jan Pederson (Se)
#33
Category Mammals: Winner: "So Big And Yet So Small" By Cristoph Kaula (De)
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
Now that's some clever use of negative space. I'm really curious how the photographer achieved this affect.
Janet Bird 5 years ago
I thought my laptop was playing up again... couldn't see a thing initially.
#34
Category Mammals: "A Wild Chase" By Vladislav Kostylev (Ru)
Neil Srivatsa 5 years ago
They almost both look like rabbits! Though one of them is the arctic fox.
#35
Category Landscapes: "Alienscape" By Fortunato Gatto (Gb)
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
The landscape looks otherworldly-- really lovely textures in the sand and water.
#36
Category Nature´s Studio: "God's Power" By Leonardo Papera (It)
#37
Category Other Animals: Winner: "A Father And His Offspring" By Jaime Culebras (Es)
#38
Category Landscapes: "Waterfall In A Storm" By Luis Manuel Vilarino Lopez (Es)
#39
Category Landscapes: "Moonlight" By Riccardo Marchegiani (It)
Andrei Anghel 5 years ago
The mountains are lit from the right, as the moon is. I presume is the setting sun
#41
Category Birds: "Courting At The Onset Of Winter" By Manuel Plaickner (It)
#42
Category Mammals: "The End Is Near" By David Lloyd (Gb)
#43
Category Mammals: "Black & White" By Christoph Kaula (De)
#44
Category Mammals: "Dust Bath" By Bence Mate (Hu)
#46
Category Other Animals: "Underground Sky" By Javier Tur (Es)
#47
Category Plants And Fungi: "A Sheet Of Music" By Juan Garcia Lucas (Es)
#48
Category Landscapes: "Elements" By Marijin Heuts (Nl)
#49
Category Nature´s Studio: "Jellyfish Trails" By Henley Spiers (Gb)
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
I love this photograph! It looks like some alien creature soaring past a planet in some far-off galaxy.
#50
Category Plants And Fungi: "The White Tree" By Felipe Foncueva (Es)
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
I honestly thought that this was some abstract oil painting or wall mural.
#51
Category Men And Nature: Runner Up: "Fighting No Matter What" By Alvaro Herrero Lopez- Beltran (Es)
jevais 5 years ago
Brings yes we are not damaging the seas, we are very efficient in doing much more, brooks rivers, the forests, jungles, mountains, and the sky. We even invaded planets with our junk. We are surely the most destructive creatures that ever walked on this Earth.
Load More Replies... Angela-Jayne Linford 5 years ago
I dont care who's watching Terry, I'm going to have my say! 😉
#52
Overall Winner: "A Monkey's Mask" By Jasper Doest (Netherlands)
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago (edited)
For people who are saying that this photograph is not worthy of of the grand prize because it does not depict wildlife, I urge you to read the story behind the photograph from the photographer: "In contemporary Japan, the Japanese macaque has grown from a revered religious symbol to a secular scapegoat, a defaced outcast and target of mockery – sacred no more." At Utsonomiya's Kayabuki Tavern, Japanese macaque Fuku-chan takes off its papier-mâché mask during a performance with Yume-chan, one of the proprietor’s oldest monkeys. Following dinner in the tavern, customers have the opportunity to watch the macaques perform tricks on a makeshift stage with the help of a variety of stage props. It reminds me of a Japanese poem from the 17th century by Matsuo Bashō: "year after year / the monkey wears / a monkey’s mask", referring to a monkey doing the same tricks over and over, or people making the same mistakes over and over in an unchanging life. When will we ever learn?
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago (edited)
Part of this contest was to also demonstrate humanity's impact (whether good or bad) on animal populations. This is such a powerful image not for its beauty, but because it is jarring and elicits feelings of disgust from many of us. It should make us sad and angry. Photos like this are important because it makes us aware of how horrible practices like this are still going on and how we need to take a stand to protect wildlife. There is nothing "wild" about the animals in this photo and that is why it is so disturbing.
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A Dumbo Octopus 5 years ago
The worst part about this is that they were probably raised in captivity due to some factors not limited to being orphaned at a young age in the wild, being injured severely at a very young age and needing rescue, being born in captivity in the first place, their habitat being destroyed, and so much more that can lead to them forget how to survive in the wild without humans. They probably can never be released into the wild ever again. So why take a picture of them in an uncomfortable costume where they're obviously unhappy? At least show us if they're happy during their day to day lives!
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
I urge you to read the photographer's comment regarding this photograph in my comment above. Sometimes truly powerful photography doesn't always show the "bright side of things". I know that we want all animals to be happy and live free from captivity, but sadly, that is not always the case. I believe that the photographer wanted to bring attention to this antiquated practice and how humans can sometimes destroy natural habitats and the lives of animals. Photographs like this are draw awareness, elicit feelings of anger and sadness, and ultimately makes us want to learn more about how to stop these practices and protect animals.
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Z Alexi 5 years ago
Chimpanzees & gorillas share 98.3% of their genetic code with humans~~so if they can't be returned to the wild, let them act for their upkeep. That’s what actors & actresses do~~put on costumes & pretend for a living. [Some of us wish they couldn’t speak as few have more than room-temperature I.Q.s.]
#54
Category Landscapes: Winner: "Mammutus Clouds Over The Dolomites" By Georg Kantioler (It)
#56
Category Men And Nature: "Five Metres Eighty" By Miguel Rubio (Es)
A Dumbo Octopus 5 years ago
I'm pretty sure these giraffes are just walking through the city while people would normally be asleep...Because of habitat loss they have to migrate through cities to find their usual feeding areas again. Elephants do this a lot, too.
#57
Category Nature´s Studio: "The Forest" By Manuel Enrique Gonzalez Carmona (Es)
#59
Category Mammals: Runner Up: "Scratching" By Wolfgang Veeser (De)
#61
Category Plants And Fungi: "Alpine Spirites" By Leonardo Papera (It)
#62
Category Landscapes: "Navarra" By Thomas Wester (De)
#63
Category The Underwater World: "Vitruvian Frog" By Kai Kolodziej (At)
#66
Category Young Photographer 15 To 17 Years: Winner: "Tiny Details" By Lili Sztreharszki (Hu)
#68
Category Other Animals: "Levitation" By Csaba Daroczi (Hu)
Loki’s Lil Butter Knife 5 years ago
Gorgeous- it reminds me of a traditional Chinese or Japanese ink painting.
#71
Category Landscapes: "Blue Mountains" By Miguel Angel Artus Illana (Es)
#72
Category The Underwater World: "Croc Impresionism" By Jacob Degee (Pl)
Angela-Jayne Linford 5 years ago
I dont know about taking a picture I'd have been off in a shot seeing that coming out of the gloom towards me!
#78
Category Nature´s Studio: "Foam" By Sergio Tapia (Es)
#80
Category Fritz Pölking Prize: "Another Excluded Migrant" By Alejandro Prieto
#82
Category Men And Nature: "Agricultural Art" By Paolo Crocetta (It)
#83
Category Nature´s Studio: "The Bird" By Jan Piecha (De)
#87
Category Men And Nature: "Dead Toad Fashion" By Britta Jaschinski (Gb)
Turnip and a Frog 5 years ago (edited)
WTF? What would one even keep in a shape like that? Another dead frog?
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What do you think ?
Jovy Jergens 5 years ago
This priceless, irreplaceable, unique crown jewel of a planet. PROTECT HER!
Jovy Jergens 5 years ago
This priceless, irreplaceable, unique crown jewel of a planet. PROTECT HER!
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