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A person in a small circular boat casts a massive fishing net into the water.
Dance in the Sea Fisherman in Hon Yen, Phu Yen, Vietnam. First place in the People in Nature category for our 2019 Photo Contest. © Vinh Le van/TNC Photo Contest 2019

Photo Contest

2021 Global Photo Contest Winners

September 26, 2021

The Nature Conservancy is proud to announce the winners by category of our 2021 contest. Check out the images that amazed our judges the most—and the winner of this year’s People’s Choice Award, selected by you!

Grand Prize Winner

Anup Shah, United Kingdom

Western lowland gorilla female 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai. Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. December 2011.
Malui Western lowland gorilla female 'Malui' walking through a cloud of butterflies she has disturbed in a bai. Bai Hokou, Dzanga Sangha Special Dense Forest Reserve, Central African Republic. December 2011. © Anup Shah/TNC Photo Contest 2021

I like photos that keep dragging you in. The face. Tolerance or bliss. It’s really hard to tell and the insects draw you there.

Ben Folds

Celebrity Guest Judge

People’s Choice Winner

Prathamesh Ghadekar, India
@prathamesh.ghadekar

A tree completely covered in millions of fireflies at night in India.

First Place, Landscape

Daniel De Granville Manço, Brazil
@danieldegranville

Second Place, Landscape

Denis Ferreira Netto, Brazil
@denisfotos

An aerial view of a mountain range emerging above thick clouds.

Third Place, Landscape

Jassen Todorov, United States
@jassensf

Aerial view of colorful salt ponds near San Francisco bay.

Honorable Mention, Landscape

Scott Portelli, Australia
@scott.portelli

Honorable Mention, Landscape

Kim-pan Dennis Wong, Hong Kong

A full moon rises above a bokeh view of highrise buildings in Hong Kong.

First Place, People and Nature

Alain Schroeder, Belgium
@alainschroeder

A baby orangutan lies on a gurney with her limbs stretched out being prepped for surgery. She is surrounded by several pairs of hands wearing medical gloves and various medical devices.

Second Place, People and Nature

Tom Overall, Australia
@tom.overallphotos

A guide in the Sahara Desert during a sand storm. The person's long, unraveled head wrap blows to the side into the sand.

Third Place, People and Nature

Sebnem Coskun, Turkey

An underwater view of a swimmer completely surrounded by trash, some of it medical waste due to Covid-19.

Honorable Mention, People and Nature

Minqiang Lu, China

Two people use a rope and pulley system to cross a raging river with a basket and an animal.

Honorable Mention, People and Nature

Wax Leung, Hong Kong
@waxismine

A black and white view of buildings in Hong Kong. On one side is a person sitting in a stairwell alone, and on the other side is dozens of balconies in a tall building.

First Place, Water

Kazi Arifujjaman, Bangladesh
@kazi_arifujjaman_

A black and white view of water pouring from a spout and the silhouette of a person walking and carrying a large tool.

Second Place, Water

Joram Mennes, Mexico
@jorammennesphotography

An underwater view of swimmers, freedivers, and divers exploring the Cenotes. Sunlight and vegetation can be seen above the water.

Third Place, Water

Man Wai Wong, Hong Kong

An aerial view of an icy waterfall in Iceland.

Honorable Mention, Water

Jorge Andrés Miraglia, Argentina
@yosoytato

Frozen air bubbles on the top layer of ice on a glacier.

Honorable Mention, Water

Manh Cuong Vu, Vietnam

An aerial view of a person in a small boat floating through a pond with lotus leaves in Vietnam.

First Place, Wildlife

Buddhilini de Soyza, Australia
@captures_by_buddhilini

Four cheetahs grimace while swimming across a raging river.

Second Place, Wildlife

Mateusz Piesiak, Poland
@mpwildlife

Several small, colorful birds pick up sunflower seeds in a field of dead sunflowers covered in snow.

Third Place, Wildlife

Viktor Vrbovsky, Czech Republic

Underwater view of a pike with its jaws around the tail of a perch. They are surrounded by underwater vegetation.

Honorable Mention, Wildlife

Kristhian Castro, Colombia
@kristhiancastro

A close up of a Galapagos sea lion calf well camouflaged with sand on its fur.

Honorable Mention, Wildlife

Thomas Vijayan, Canada
@thomasvijayan

An adult orangutan grips broken branches of a felled tree among other small trees.

Honorable Mention, Wildlife

Anup Shah, United Kingdom

A black and white ground level view of leaping wildebeests in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

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