From a mystical flooded forest to a pod of humpbacks on the hunt, the winning images in this year's GDT Nature Photographer of the Year competition provide a stunning snapshot of our planet's incredible biodiversity. The competition is exclusive to members of the German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) and showcases an array of remarkable images of the natural world grouped into a variety of categories.
Overall winner
Dieter Damschen / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
The top prize this year went to photographer Dieter Damschen for his image of a riparian forest in the Elbe River Landscape, Germany's largest inland UNESCO biosphere reserve. The photo was selected from a field of just under 8,000 entries captured by 481 GDT members from 13 different countries.
"I often visit this hardwood riparian forest in the foreland of the dyke to take photographs at fixed points with lines of sight that reveal carefully selected compositions," Damschen explained in a press release. "Although I claim to know this location very well and sometimes get the feeling that I have seen and photographed everything here many times, I am regularly surprised by how different a supposedly familiar place can appear. After several years with extremely low water levels, a long awaited winter flood inundated the old oak trees in January 2024. On this particular morning, the trunks and branches of the trees were plastered with snow on one side, thanks to snowfall in combination with strong winds during the previous night. The resulting contrasting lines emphasise the time-worn structures of the mighty trees, creating the special graphic effect of this fleeting moment."
Also on the winners list was a shot of a gentoo penguin gliding through the surf in the Falkland Islands taken by Levi Fitze from Switzerland, and a beautiful aerial image by Australian photographer Scott Portelli showing hunting humpback whales using bubbles to herd krill.
Here's a look at some of 2024's winners and finalists:
Winner in the Birds category
Levi Fitze / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Finalist in the Birds category
Jens Kählert / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Finalist in the Birds category
Peter Lindel / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Runner-up in the Mammals category
Flurin Leugger / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Finalist in the Mammals category
Monika Morlak / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Winner in the Landscapes category
Felix Wesch / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Winner in the Plants and Fungi category
Heike Odermatt / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Runner-up in the Plants and Fungi category
Sigi Zang / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Winner in the Special category
Silke Hüttche / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Winner in the Nature's Studio category
Marte Engelbrecht / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Winner in the Other Animals category
Dr Gerald Haas / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Runner-up in the Other Animals category
Kai Kolodziej / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Finalist in the Other Animals category
Thomas Kirchen / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Header image: Dr Gerald Haas / GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024
Natural World
Natural World
Natural World
