Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
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)
RELATED:
#2
Category Plants And Fungi: "Spirits Of The Bamboo Forest" By Agorastos Papatsanis (Gr)
#3
Category Mammals: "A Quick Sip" By Javier Aznar (Es)
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)
#5
Category Birds: "Following Mum" By Oscar Dewhurst (Gb)
#6
Category Men And Nature: "Crab Road" By Tom Schandy (No)
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.
#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.
#9
Category The Underwater World: Runner Up: "Hitch-Hiking Octopus" By Magnus Lundgren (Se)
#10
Category Birds: "Natural Colours" By Salvador Colvee (Es)
#11
Category The Underwater World: Winner: "Whale Milk" By Mike Korostelev (Ru)
#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
#14
Category Young Photographers To 14 Years: Runner Up: "A Home In Pink" By Carlos Perez Naval (Es)
#15
Category Birds: Winner: "Penguin Defence" By Ben Cranke (Gb)
#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
#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)
#22
Category Men And Nature: Winner: "Empathy" By Marcus Westberg (Es)
#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..."
#24
Category Nature´s Studio: Winner: "Galaxy" By Thomas Hempelmann (De)
#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.
#26
Category Nature´s Studio: "Owl Forest" By Bertold Nagy (Hu)
#27
Category Men And Nature: "Saving Orang-Utans" By Alain Schroeder (Be)
#28
Category Men And Nature: "Busy Lines" By Pere Soler Isern (Es)
#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)
#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.
#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)
#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)
#52
Overall Winner: "A Monkey's Mask" By Jasper Doest (Netherlands)
#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)
#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?
More from this series:
Read next · Part 3 The German Society For Nature Photography Has Chosen The Best Wildlife Photographs In Europe (30 Pics) Previous · Part 1 The Winning Photos From The GDT Nature Photographer Of The Year 2020 Have Been Announced And They're Beautiful
All 8 parts All 8 parts in this series
1The Winning Photos From The GDT Nature Photographer Of The Year 2020 Have Been Announced And They're Beautiful
2 You’re here30 Stunning And Emotional Photos That Won The European Wildlife Photographer Of The Year 2020
3The German Society For Nature Photography Has Chosen The Best Wildlife Photographs In Europe (30 Pics) 4GDT 2024 Photography Winners Unveil Nature’s Beauty (21 Pics) 520 Wildlife Photos From The Finalists Of The 2024 European Photography Contest 6Nature’s Masterpieces: The GDT Photography Competition 2024 Revealed The Winners (20 Pics) 720 Breathtaking Nature Photos That Won The GDT 2026 Competition 825 Captivating Photos That Might Make You See The Natural World Differently, Shared By GDT Add New Image
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!
Related on Bored Panda
