57th Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition

Images from the 57th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year, run by the Natural History Museum in London, are now on display in an exhibition at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney. The exhibition features over 100 images revealing fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species, and the breathtaking diversity of the natural world. Follow this link to book tickets.

Top row: Beautiful bloodsucker © Gil Wizen (Israel Canada), Deep feelers © Laurent Ballesta (France), Ice bear as sea bear © Martin Gregus (Canada).
Bottom row: Lynx on the threshold © Sergio Marijuan (Spain), Out of the black © Cristobal Serrano (Spain), Stardust © Christian Spencer (Australia).
Beautiful bloodsucker © Gil Wizen (Israel Canada).
Deep feelers © Laurent Ballesta (France).
Ice bear as sea bear © Martin Gregus (Canada).
Lynx on the threshold © Sergio Marijuan (Spain).
Out of the black © Cristobal Serrano (Spain).
Stardust © Christian Spencer (Australia).
Top row: Beautiful bloodsucker © Gil Wizen (Israel Canada), Deep feelers © Laurent Ballesta (France), Ice bear as sea bear © Martin Gregus (Canada). Bottom row: Lynx on the threshold © Sergio Marijuan (Spain), Out of the black © Cristobal Serrano (Spain), Stardust © Christian Spencer (Australia).

The 2021 Wildlife Photographer of the Year was French underwater photographer and biologist Laurent Ballesta for his image, Creation. The image, that captures camouflage groupers exiting their milky cloud of eggs and sperm in Fakarava, French Polynesia

Australian wildlife photographer Justin Gilligan took out the Plants and Fungi category with his portrait, Rich Reflections, which depicts a marine ranger admiring seaweed off the coast of Lord Howe Island.

Adam Oswell won the Photojournalism category, with his image, Elephant in the Room, of a young elephant performing underwater for crowds in Thailand.

© Adam Oswell (Australia). Elephant in the room. Adam Oswell draws attention to zoo visitors watching a young elephant perform under water. Although this performance was promoted as educational and as exercise for the elephants, Oswell was disturbed by this scene. Organisations concerned with the welfare of captive elephants view performances like these as exploitative because they encourage unnatural behaviour. Elephant tourism has increased across Asia. In Thailand there are now more elephants in captivity than in the wild. The COVID-19 pandemic caused international tourism to collapse, leading to elephant sanctuaries becoming overwhelmed with animals that can no longer be looked after by their owners.
© Adam Oswell (Australia). Elephant in the room. Adam Oswell draws attention to zoo visitors watching a young elephant perform under water. Although this performance was promoted as educational and as exercise for the elephants, Oswell was disturbed by this scene. Organisations concerned with the welfare of captive elephants view performances like these as exploitative because they encourage unnatural behaviour. Elephant tourism has increased across Asia. In Thailand there are now more elephants in captivity than in the wild. The COVID-19 pandemic caused international tourism to collapse, leading to elephant sanctuaries becoming overwhelmed with animals that can no longer be looked after by their owners.

Australians receiving Highly Commended awards included Caitlin Henderson (Behaviour: Invertebrates), Douglas Gimesy (Behaviour: Mammals), Juergen Freund (Plants and Fungi), Christian Spencer (Natural Artistry), Douglas Gimesy (Photojournalism).

Check out the category winners from the 57th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year at this link.

Upcoming Events Submit an Event

August

Sydney: The exhibition delves into the State Library of NSW's vast collection of two million images, showcasing 400 photos – many displayed for the first time.

Canberra: The works by the 34 selected finalists provide a powerful visual record of the year, reflecting a particular time in Australian culture, both socially and artistically.

Sydney: The exhibition features over 90 photographs that shine a light on the astonishing array of flora, fauna and landscapes that can be found across the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea bioregion.

Sydney: The exhibition brings together close to 100 of the artist’s most important works dating from the 1970s through to the present day.

Sydney: The photographs in Max Dupain: Student Life were taken at the University of Sydney in the early 1950s, a period of rapid change marked by the politics of the Cold War.

Sydney: First exhibited at the Museum of Australian Photography (MAPh) in 2023, ZAHALKAWORLD – an artist’s archive brings together key bodies of work from Zahalka’s renowned photographic practice.

September

Canberra: This collection-in-focus display highlights William Yang’s photography of Sydney Mardi Gras festivals between 1981 and 2003.

Melbourne: Featuring 50+ prints by some of the most important photographers of the 20th Century including Cartier-Bresson, Weegee, W Eugene Smith and Arnold Newman.

Melbourne: The William and Winifred Bowness Photography Prize 2024 features more than 70 images including digital and analogue photography, large-scale installations and daguerreotypes.

October

Melbourne: Come celebrate the thought-provoking work of 10 talented members of the Club's Conceptual Photography Group. Their collective exhibition, "Interesting Times," showcases a wide range of unique and diverse artistic perspectives through the medium of conceptual photography.