In a world of screens, it’s easy to forget that we actually live on a lush green planet filled with diverse wildlife.
But the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is here to remind you that nature will forever be more impressive and beautiful than even the most advanced CGI.
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This year’s winner is a portrait of two golden snub-nosed monkeys. The photo, entitled “The Golden Couple,” was shot by Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten in the forest of China’s Qinling Mountains, the only habitat for this endangered species.
The photo was selected because it celebrates “the majestic and otherworldly presence of nature, and reminds us of our crucial role in protecting it,” Natural History Museum Director Sir Michael Dixon said in a press release.
Image: Marsel van oosten/wpy
16-year old South African photographer Skye Meaker took the award for Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year with a photo of a leopard relaxing in Botswana.
Image: Skye meaker/WPY
Other winning photos in the competition are pretty impressive too. Like this photo of two mud-dauber wasps in Australia.
Image: Georgina Steytler/WPY
Or this one of a treehopper mother and her babies in Ecuador.
Image: Javier Aznar González de Rueda/WPY
This beautiful jaguar in Mexico, too.
Image: Alejandro Prieto/WPY
You can see more of this year’s award winning wildlife photos here.
