The Natural History Museum in London, England, is no stranger when it comes to reviewing thousands of photo submissions for their annual international Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. However, this year saw a record-breaking number of photographs submitted to the contest. This year, anonymous industry experts reviewed over 50,000 entries from photographers in 95 countries. Now that's a lot!
“It was the overall quality of entries that took us by surprise. With most travel plans cancelled over the past year, photographers seem to have spent extra time considering what gems to submit,” says Roz Kidman Coz, chair of the judging panel and former BBC Wildlife editor.
“There are stand-out pictures of unforgettable scenes and encounters – those unique wild moments, skillfully framed, that result from knowledge, experience and planning – but also fresh, beautiful observations of nature close to home or in close-up. The result is a collection of both thought-provoking images and ones that, in these dark times, remind us of the joy and wonder to be had from nature.”
While the winning images are yet to be announced on October 12, 2021, here are some highly commended images from the competition. The stories behind the stunning photos are told over at BBC Wildlife. Why don't you have a look?
(Image Credit: The great swim by Buddhilini de Soyza (Sri Lanka/Australia)/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
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(Image Credit: The gripping end by Wei Fu (Thailand)/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
(Image Credit: Mushroom magic by Juergen Freund (Germany/Australia)/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)