Nature is splendid and nothing can ever defeat it when it comes to beauty. From the tiniest thing to the biggest ones, Earth is full of wonderful and amazing creations. Somehow, we cannot be able to witness everything, so some prestigious competitions are held around the world to cater wildlife photography.
One of these events is the BigPcture, a photography contest sponsored by the California Academy of Sciences which has attracted about 6,300 entrants this year 2014.
According to the CAS literature, the exhibit “illustrates, and celebrates, the incredible diversity of life on Earth through 45 stunning works from professional-level nature and conservation photographers.”
Check out the deserving winners of the said competition:
Grand Prize Winner: “The Luckiest Penguin”
Photographer: Paul Souders (Seattle, Washington)
First Place Winner, Birds: “Attack”
Photographer: Pål Hermansen (Oslo, Norway)
First Place Winner: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals – “The Ice Bear”
Photographer: Paul Souders (Seattle, Washington)
First Place Winner, Conservation Imagery: “Beast in the Garden”
Photographer: Morgan Heim (Boulder, Colorado)
First Place Winner, Land Mammals: “Curvy king”
Photographer: Emanuele Biggi (Genova, Italy)
Second Place Winner, Birds: “Leap to Safety”
Photographer: Ben Cranke (London, England)
First Place Winner: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Snow Mountain”
Photographer: Ray Collins (Thirroul, Australia)
Second Place Winner: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Mammoth Dream”
Photographer: Connor Stefanison (Burnaby, Canada)
Second Place Winner, Conservation Imagery: “The Future Lies in Our Hands”
Photographer: Steffen Binke (Buderim, Queensland, Australia)
Second Place Winner, Land Mammals Land Mammals: “Staring Black Macaques”
Photographer: Simone Sbaraglia (Rome, Italy)
Second Place Winner: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals – “Tra le Branchie (Between the Gills)”
Photographer: Filippo Borghi (Siena, Italy)
Honorable Mention, Conservation Imagery: “Freedom Soon!”
Photographer: Denis Palanque (Montcarra, France)
Honorable Mention, Conservation Imagery: “Threatened”
Photographer: Luciano Candisani (Ilhabela, Brazil)
Honorable Mention, Conservation Imagery: “Ancient Cedar Stump”
Photographer: TJ Watt (Victoria, Canada)
Honorable Mention, Conservation Imagery: “A Shared Destiny”
Photographer: Angel Fitor (Alicante, Spain)
Honorable Mention, Conservation Imagery: “Rhino Bodyguards”
Photographer: Emmanuel Rondeau (Lyon, France)
Honorable Mention, Conservation Imagery: “Deadly Trap”
Photographer: Pierre Gleizes (Saint-Mandé, France)
Honorable Mention, Land Mammals: “Keep Distance Save Tiger”
Photographer: Baiju Patil (Aurangabad, India)
Honorable Mention, Land Mammals: “Fox Pups at Play”
Photographer: Sandesh Kadur (Bangalore, India)
Honorable Mention, Land Mammals: “On Top of the World”
Photographer: Radomir Jakubowski (Saarbrüecken, Germany)
Honorable Mention, Land Mammals: “Female Orangutan With Baby”
Photographer: George Grubb (New York City)
Honorable Mention, Land Mammals: “The Chase”
Photographer: Rachel Wegh (London, England)
Honorable Mention, Land Mammals: “Leap of Faith”
Photographer: Scott Marmer (Mountain View, California)
Honorable Mention: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Sunbeam in Hang En”
Photographer: Ryan Deboodt (Kimball, Nebraska)
Honorable Mention: Waterscapes, Landscpaes and Plant Life – “Reach for the Stars”
Photographer: Ben Cranke (London, England)
Honorable Mention: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Egyptian Sacred Lily”
Photographer: Dick Lavine (Austin, Texas)
Honorable Mention: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals – “Eye of the Toad”
Photographer: Ronan Donovan (Helena, Montana)
Honorable Mention: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Iceberg – Jökulsárlón – Iceland”
Photographer: Milko Marchetti (Ferrara, Italy)
Honorable Mention: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Aurora over Lagoon”
Photographer: Josh Anon (San Francisco, California)
Honorable Mention, Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals: “King of the Arctic”
Photographer: Florian Schulz (Wilhelmsdorf, Germany)
Honorable Mention: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Marine Mammals – “The Boxer and Its Eggs”
Photographer: Alex Varani (Imola, Italy)
Honorable Mention: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals – “Bobtail Symmetry”
Photographer: Todd Bretl (Seattle, Washington)
Honorable Mention: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals – “Anyone Seen a Dentist?”
Photographer: Andrew Peacock (Santa Barbara, California)
Honorable Mention, Birds: “True Love”
Photographer: Steve Race (Scarborough, England)
Second Place Winner, Youth Category: “Feed Me!”
Photographer: Courtney Moore (Vestal, New York)
Honorable Mention, Birds: “Master of Disguise”
Photographer: Graham McGeorge (Jacksonville, Florida)
Honorable Mention, Birds: “Splash of Blue”
Photographer: Jamie MacArthur (Nottingham, England)
Honorable Mention, Birds: “Guardians of the Offspring”
Photographer: Claudio Contreras (Mexico City, Mexico)
Honorable Mention: Waterscapes, Landscapes and Plant Life – “Under a Glacier”
Photographer: Jonathan Tucker (Whitehorse, Canada)
Honorable Mention, Birds: “Deep Hunting”
Photographer: Maurizio Pasi (Pavia, Italy)
Honorable Mention: Invertebrates, Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles and Marine Mammals – “Stand Out from the Crowd”
Photographer: Octavio Aburto (San Diego, California)
Honorable Mention, Birds: “The Cassowary”
Photographer: Tony Trupp (Thousand Oaks, California)
Second Place Winner, Kids Category: “Grand Canyon North Rim”
Photographer: Atharva Rao (Scottsdale, Arizona)
First Place Winner, Youth Category: “Seals on Iceberg”
Photographer: Russell Laman (Lexington, Massachusetts)
First Place Winner, Kids Category: “Heath Fritillary Butterfly”
Photographer: Stephen Josef Brown (Faversham, England)
Source Credit: aPlus