[imagecredit: Ian Ford, Wildlife Photographer of the Year]

A frosted deer, lions in storms, competitive bees and a mid-air stout are just a few of the breathtaking images to feature in the 60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Anticipation is already growing for the renowned photography competition as the organisers unveil a sneak-peek selection of 14 highly commended images, each capturing the breathtaking beauty of nature.

The 60th edition of the contest received a record 59,228 entries from people of all ages and experience levels from 117 countries and territories, according to a press release from organisers, the Natural History Museum, in London.

They were judged by a panel on their creativity, originality and technical excellence. The highly commended images feature in a range of categories, including 10 years and under, natural artistry, animals in their environment, underwater, and oceans: the bigger picture.

Among the images showcased is a poignant photograph of a frosted deer resting on the icy forest floor during a tranquil winter morning. This captivating image marks a milestone as the first-ever photograph taken with a smartphone to receive a highly commended honour at the competition.

Along with the striking image showing the end of a mule deer doe’s life, taken using an iPhone XR, are other photographs showing remarkable scenes of nature.

“In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behavior and conservation issues,” said Kathy Moran, chair of the judging panel, in the release. “These images represent the evolution of the competition through the years, from pure natural history to photography that fully embraces representation of the natural world – the beauty and the challenges. It is a powerful selection with which to kickstart a milestone anniversary.”

Below is ‘The Ancient Mariner’ by France’s Laurent Ballesta, who won the portfolio award, showing a tri-spine horseshoe crab moving slowly over the mud in Pangatalan Island, Palawan, the Philippines.

Then we have ‘Centre of Attention’ by Georgina Steytler (Australia), who observed a ball of male Dawson’s burrowing bees vying for access to a female.

‘Stormy Scene’ by the UK’s William Fortescue uses a backdrop of storm clouds lit by the setting sun to show mating lions in the Serengeti National Park.

‘Twist and Jump’ had Jose Manuel Grandío (Spain) brave below-zero temperatures to witness a stoat jumping high into the air above the snow.

‘Ziggy Spider’ by Lam Soon Tak (Malaysia) shows a vibrantly coloured David Bowie spider carrying an egg sac.

‘The Disappearing Ice Cap’ by Thomas Vijayan in Canada utilised his drone to show the epic scale of the Bråsvellbreen glacier, part of Austfonna, Europe’s third largest ice cap.

Encapsulating the magnificence of the Austfonna ice cap required meticulous planning and favourable weather conditions. Thomas’s image, a stitched panorama of 26 individual frames, provides a spectacular summer view of meltwater plunging over the edge of the Bråsvellbreen glacier. Some scientific models suggest that Svalbard’s glaciers could disappear completely within 400 years due to climate change.

Shreyovi Mehta finds two Indian peafowls “looking perfect for a picture” in Keoladeo National Park, Rajasthan, India for ‘In the Spotlight’.

Tamara Stubbs (UK) spots these crabeater seals taking a nap among the sea ice. ‘Going with the Floe’ was a standout moment on her nine-week expedition for Atlantic Productions in the Weddell Sea.

Samual Stone (UK) watches as a jackdaw brings ‘Precious Rocks’ to its nest.

The winners of each category, as well as the grand title and young grand title awards, will be announced on October 8, and 100 photographs from the competition will be showcased in an exhibition at London’s Natural History Museum from October 11.

[source:discoverwildlife]