We're delighted to announce we've partnered with the team at the Australian National Maritime Museum as they bring the world-renowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition to Sydney.
The exhibition opens at the Australian National Maritime Museum on May 15 and runs until October 19.
Considered the premiere wildlife photography contest in the world, in 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year attracted an astounding 59,228 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 117 countries and territories.
The exhibition will feature exceptional images that capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world.
Canadian Marine Conservation Photojournalist, Shane Gross, was awarded Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 for his image The Swarm of Life, a breathtaking photograph that shines a light on the magical underwater world of western toad tadpoles.
Tadpole Migration, Shane Gross, Aquatic Life Winner. Every summer day in the lakes of Vancouver Island, hundreds of paperclip-sized western toad tadpoles (Anaxyrus boreas) wriggle their way from the relatively safe depths of the water into sunlit shallows, where algae thrives and dinner awaits. Veteran underwater photographer Shane Gross had heard of the tadpoles’ great migration and spent a summer morning exploring a lake in the northern part of the island, only to learn from a local that the tadpoles tended to surface en masse in the late afternoon. Returning to the lake some hours later, camera in tow, Gross was amazed by the numbers of tadpoles he witnessed dancing in the water, their quick movements revealing little flecks of gold on their otherwise opaque black skin. Using a tilted fish-eye lens, Gross was able to capture both the tadpoles’ rapturous journey to find sustenance and glimpses of the lake’s thicket of lily pads and towering forest-covered mountains.
Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas from Germany was awarded Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 for his up-close image Life Under Dead Wood, depicting the fruiting bodies of slime mould on the right and a tiny springtail on the left.
The teenage photographer, whose image also won the 15-17 years category, rolled over a log to take the shot, and had to act fast as springtails can jump many times their body length in a fraction of a second. He focus-stacked a total of 36 images, to achieve enough depth of field in his shot. Springtails are barely two millimeters long (less than a tenth of an inch), and are commonly found alongside slime molds and leaf litter worldwide. They feed on bacteria and fungi, and play a valuable role in improving soil by helping organic matter to decompose. (Image credit: Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In addition, three Australian photographers were recognised in the competition, Jannico Kelk winner of the Animals in their Environment category with his image Hope for the Ninu, showcasing a greater bilby (Ninu) in a fenced reserve, a method that has eradicated predators so that the greater bilby can thrive.
Hope for the Ninu by Jannico Kelk, Australia – Winner, Impact Award. Jannico spent each morning walking the sand dunes of a conservation reserve, searching for footprints that this rabbit-sized marsupial may have left the night before. Finding tracks near a burrow, he set up his camera trap. The greater bilby has many Aboriginal names, including ninu. It was brought to near extinction through predation by introduced foxes and cats. Within fenced reserves where many predators have been eradicated, the bilby is thriving.
Justin Gilligan, Winner of Oceans: The Bigger Picture with A Diet of Deadly Plastic, creating a mosaic from the 403 pieces of plastic found inside the digestive tract of a dead flesh-footed shearwater, and Matthew Smith, Winner of Underwater, for his image Under the Waterline, photographing a curious leopard seal beneath the Antarctic ice.
Justin Gilligan (Australia) creates a mosaic from the 403 pieces of plastic found inside the digestive tract of a dead flesh-footed shearwater. Justin has been documenting Adrift Lab’s work for several years, often joining them on beach walks at dawn to collect dead chicks. The team brings together biologists from around the world to study the impact of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems. Studies found that three quarters of adult flesh-footed shearwaters breeding on Lord Howe Island – and 100% of fledglings – contained plastic. The team, including a Natural History Museum scientist, discovered it causes scarring to the lining of the digestive tract, a condition called plasticosis. A Diet of Deadly Plastic by Justin Gilligan, Australia – Winner, Oceans: The Bigger Picture (Image credit: Justin Gilligan / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)Matthew Smith carefully photographs a curious leopard seal beneath the Antarctic ice. Matthew used a specially made extension he designed for the front of his underwater housing to get this split image. It was his first encounter with a leopard seal. The young seal made several close, curious passes. ‘When it looked straight into the lens barrel, I knew I had something good.’ Though leopard seals are widespread and abundant, overfishing, retreating sea ice and warming waters mean that krill and penguins – their main food sources – are both in decline.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.
