The 2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year contest has kicked off. Organisers are accepting entries in one or all of four categories: Landscape, Environmental Issues, Action and Animal Portraits. The grand-prize winner will receive a 10-day trip for two to the Galápagos.
IBTimes UK presents a small selection of the entries received so far. You can see more – and enter your own photos – at the competition website.
Curious Lions: "Using a wide-angle lens (16mm) on our remote-controlled camera buggy results in the background being smaller in shot and appearing further away. We fire the camera shutter using the same remote-control transmitter that we use to drive the buggy, allowing us a range of a couple of hundred metres although we rarely sit more than 50 metres away from camera."Kym Illman/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearThe Eye Of A GatorNancy Elwood/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearTundra Ghost: "Snowy owls are among my favourite birds on the planet. Their elusive nature and elegant flight make them a crown jewel to photograph. Repetition and persistence proved to be the key with this image. Using a slow shutter speed of 1/50 to create this wing blur effect I took well over 1,000 unusable photos over three weeks in the field to make this one frame. In this case, the high risk came with a high reward."Aaron Baggenstos/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearMoonlightning: "Lightning strikes lower Manhattan as a summer storm approaches a moonlit New York City skyline."Christopher Markisz/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearWildebeest Migration: 'This is a photo of wildebeest during migration in the Serengeti."Hugh McCrystal/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearBull Race: "Pacu Jawi, or bull race, is held in Indonesia where bulls are coupled, with the jockey standing on the plough harnesses attached to each bull, running a short distance of about 100 feet. Whichever pair runs the fastest in a straight direction fetches the highest price (as they are deemed the best workhorse in ploughing the paddy fields)."Yh Lee/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearThe best spot on the savannah: "Female leopard gazing out over the savannah in the Okavango Delta, Botswana."Natashia B/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearSpider Web Rice Fields: "An unusual and intricate spider-web shaped rice field in Cancar, Flores, Indonesia."Wendy Sinclair/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearDaybreak at Monument Valley: "A storm was rolling in from the west and the few of us gathered for sunrise were watching and hoping that day would break before the rains came. The moment the sun peeked above the horizon, we were hit with incredible winds and sideways driving rain. My husband jumped behind me to block the blowing sand and to try to shelter me from the wind. I kept shooting as the skies lit up, while gripping the tripod to keep it steady. This image is the result of those efforts from this memorable sunrise."Lidija Kamansky/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearThrough: "It was amazing to capture China's beautiful mountains with such magnificent morning rays coming through."Kyon J/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearFossil Fuel Galore: "A quarter of a century ago, scientists warned that if we kept burning fossil fuel at current rates we'd melt the Arctic. The fossil fuel industry (and most everyone else in power) ignored those warnings, and what do you know: The Arctic is melting, to the extent that people now are planning to race yachts through the Northwest Passage, which until very recently required an icebreaker to navigate. Midway-Sunset is currently the largest oil field in California. Aerial."Jassen T/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearUFO formation: "Many huge lenticular clouds, looking like a UFO formation."Takashi/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearBear Hug: Brown Bears, Katmai National Park, AlaskaAaron Baggenstos/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearHunting For Fish: "A mature bald eagle drags the tail of a fish across the surface of the water after picking it up out of the Susquehanna river. It was late in the day when the sun was setting casting an orange hue over the water."Eric Esterle/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the YearPriceless: "Two endangered beasts gracing me with their presence under the stars in South Africa. So many of these rhino are now being dehorned to save them from poachers that this moment is even more precious to me. A long exposure for the stars while light painting the rhino as they drank."Alison Langevad/2016 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
