WHY TAKE PICTURES? For most of us, it’s a way to log our memories and share our lives. For wildlife photographers, it’s a passionate mission—to reveal what’s often unseen and ignite human compassion for the natural world we’re all bound to protect. Nature lovers from around the world entered more than 23,000 images in the 48th annual National Wildlife® Photo Contest. Our panel of judges selected the photos displayed below as honorable mentions. These images, and the winning photographs, reflect the passion and craft of photographers whose vision brings nature to life. Some painstakingly planned a shot, using trial, error and patience to capture it. Others transformed a lucky moment into something unforgettable. And all of them help us see and feel that the natural world is worth our vigilant care.
BIRDS
Sandra Rothenberg, Warren, PA
Bananaquit and green-crowned brilliant, Highlands region, Costa Rica
MAMMALS
Daniel D’Auria, Tabernacle, NJ
Woodland caribou, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba
BIRDS
Kallol Mukherjee, West Bengal, India
Blue-tailed bee-eater, Damodar River, West Bengal, India
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
David DesRochers, Somerset, NJ
Black-speckled palm pit viper, Costa Rica
MAMMALS
Sonalini Khetrapal, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Lioness and newborn cub, Maasai Mara, Kenya
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Jeff McDonald, Pittsburgh, PA
Monarch butterfly on goldenrod and aster, Upper St Clair, PA
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Sean Landsmen, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Male brook trout, Maine
YOUTH
John Fortener, Allen Park, MI
Great horned owl with two owlets, Ann Arbor, MI
MAMMALS
Adam Jewell, Conshohocken, PA
Moose cow and calf, Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, WY
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Renee Capozzola, Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Mating green sea turtles, Maui, HI
BIRDS
Sandy Richards-Brown, Brookings, OR
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Boca Raton, FL
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Douglas Steakley, Carmel Valley, CA
Anaconda Ice Cave, Vatnajökull Glacier Field, Iceland
MAMMALS
Douglas Croft, San Jose, CA
Breaching humpback whale, Monterey Bay, CA
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Barbara Saffir, McLean, VA
Handsome meadow katydid, Alexandria, VA
MAMMALS
Ly Dang, Poway, CA
Arctic fox, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba
BIRDS
Charles Felz, Missoula, MT
King penguin surrounded by chicks, South Georgia Island
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
James Picardi, Franktown, CO
Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, WY
MAMMALS
Manoj Shah, Nairobi, Kenya
Chimpanzee baby, Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Guenter Weber, Summerville, SC
American alligator and red-bellied water snake, Charleston, SC
BIRDS
Liz Hart, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Red-billed oxpecker, Amboseli National Park, Kenya
MAMMALS
Fred O’Hearn, Kodiak, AK
Kodiak brown bear, Kodiak Island, AK
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Anne Grimes, Ayden, NC
Coralbean flower, Ayden, NC
PEOPLE IN NATURE
William Lee, Tempe, AZ
Camping, Havasupai Tribe Territory, AZ
YOUTH
Caleb Brown, Christiana, TN
"Picture Perfect,” Christiana, TN
BIRDS
Csaba Tokolyi, Budapest, Hungary
Preening Atlantic puffin, Skomer Island, Wales, UK
MAMMALS
Prince Eleazer, Allentown, PA
Oryx on sand dune, Namib Desert, Namibia
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
James Bodkin, South Barrington, IL
Sally Lightfoot crab, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Kellie Carter, Newcastle, OK
Dandelion, Newcastle, OK
BIRDS
Kathrin Swodoba, Vienna, VA
Common tern chicks, Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, FL
MAMMALS
Douglas Croft, San Jose, CA
Gray whale mother and calf, Big Sur, CA
MAMMALS
Victoria Hilley, Ventura, CA
Lions, Livingstone, Zambia
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Brandon Güell, Long Beach, CA
Red-eyed tree frog embryos, Gamboa, Panama
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Rachael Innes, Torrance, CA
Pink anemonefish on sea anemone, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
MAMMALS
Bence Mate, Pusztaszer, Csongrád, Hungary
European rabbits, Kiskunság National Park, Hungary
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Matt Meisenheimer, Janesville, WI
Self portrait, Coal Mine Canyon, Navajo Nation Territory, AZ
BIRDS
Mike Whear, Howell, MI
Rufous-tailed hummingbird and purple-throated woodstar, Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Cindy Croissant, San Diego, CA
Jumping spider on rose petal, Scripps Ranch, CA
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Lorenzo Terraneo, Milan, Italy
Marine feather worms, Capo Noli, Savona, Italy
YOUTH
Vishal Subramanyan, Fremont, CA
Female bobcat, California
Don Wuori, Columbia, SC
Group of trees in mist, Lake Mattamuskeet, Hyde County, NC
BIRDS
Bruce Boswell, Normal, IL
Eastern bluebird feeding chicks in maple tree, Merwin Preserve, IL
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Florent Gooden, Hem, Nord, France
Great white shark, Guadalupe Island, Mexico
MAMMALS
Thomas Vijayan, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Pallas's cat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Leigh Ayres, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Water strider, Heber Down Conservation Area, Oshawa, ON
PEOPLE IN NATURE
April Brosius, McKees Rocks, PA
Ice climbing, Matanuska Glacier, AK
BIRDS
Paul Vitucci, Greenlawn, NY
Two bald eagles fight over a fish, Darlington, MD
MAMMALS
Richard Davidson, Haverford, PA
Orca, Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Brandon Güell, Long Beach, CA
Gliding tree frog reproductive frenzy, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
BIRDS
Kathrin Swoboda, Vienna, VA
Red-winged blackbird on a cold morning, Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, VA
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Lalith Ekanayake, Kotte, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Common albatross puddling, Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
MAMMALS
Brittany Crossman, Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada
Red foxes, Riverview, New Brunswick
BIRDS
Ramesh Chandar, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Eastern screech owl, Markham, Ontario
BIRDS
Leigh Ayres, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Peacock feather, Oshawa, Ontario
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Stephen Paternite, Akron, OH
Young girl walking in the dunes, Lake Michigan, Frankfort, MI
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Jennifer Strom, Roseville, MN
Bumble bee on iris, Roseville, MN
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Lynne Guenther, Murphy, TX
Bow Lake and Canadian Rockies, Alberta
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Yong Miao, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Ant larvae care,” Zhejiang Province, China
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Rachael Innes, Torrance, CA
Clown anemonefish in sea anemone, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia
YOUTH
Devin DePamphilis, Harrisburg, PA
American bullfrog, Harrisburg, PA
MAMMALS
Marc Costermans, Perbais, Namur, Belgium
Endangered European ground squirrel, Pusztaszer, Hungary
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Jessica Tremblay, Carlyle, Saskatchewan, Canada
Prairie crocus, Kannata Valley, Saskatchewan
PEOPLE IN NATURE
James Ramakka, Aztec, NM
Hiker in the dunes, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, CO
MAMMALS
Jean-Simon Bégin, Pont-Rouge, Québec, Canada
Red fox (cross fox color morph), Anticosti Island, Québec
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Perry Hoag, Mt Juliet, TN
Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta
MAMMALS
Daniel D’Auria, Tabernacle, NJ
Polar bear and cub, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Pamela Javran, Kent, CT
“Ant in Between,” Jakarta, Indonesia
MAMMALS
Florian Ledoux, Courbevoie, France
Polar bear leaping between sea ice, Lancaster Sound, Nunavut
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Jun Liang, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
Damselfly on water lily blossom, Guang Zhou, China
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Ken Renk, Long Beach, CA
Seahorse, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Yong Miao, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Spider hiding on leaf,” Zhejiang Province, China
MAMMALS
Jenny Lutzhoff, Claremont, CA
Polar bear and cubs, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba
PEOPLE IN NATURE
James Eklund, Morris, MN
Red-breasted nuthatch in glove, Morris, MN
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Rich Kirchner, Bozeman, MT
Female green sea turtle digging nest, Isabela Island, Galápagos, Ecuador
MAMMALS
Scott Dere, Cedarhurst, NY
Kermode “spirit” bear,” Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia
BIRDS
Pamela Javran, Kent, CT
Zitting cisticola parent feeding chicks, Jakarta, Indonesia
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
David Romea, Lambertville, NJ
Brown-eyed tree frog, Ecuador
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Don Raridon, Idyllwild, CA
Humboldt’s lily, Idyllwild, CA
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Laura Storm, Esher, Surrey, England
Ghost goby swimming over hard coral, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Guanghui Giu, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Pink World,” Zhejiang Province, China
MAMMALS
Emory McGinty, Cumming, GA
Brown bear, King Salmon, AK
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Charles Robertson, Beach City, TX
Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, WY
MAMMALS
Anand Khandwala, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Male lion, Marataba, Marakele National Park, South Africa
BIRDS
Xiaolin Xu, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Feeding the Family” Jiangxi, China
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Serge Melesan, Juan-les-Pins, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
Lemon sharks, French Polynesia
YOUTH
Carter Rutledge, Murfreesboro, TN
“Micro droplets,” Great Smoky Mountains, TN
YOUTH
Dakota Lamberson. Atascadero, CA
Bald eagle, Grand Teton National Park, WY
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Lorenzo Terraneo, Milan, Italy
Marine feather duster worms, Anilao, Philippines
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Vincze Balint, Paks, Tolna Megye, Hungary
Giant singer cicadas, Kövesd, Hungary
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