AS THE WORLD has reeled in the grip of a pandemic, many of us have discovered new ways of living, seeing the planet and engaging with nature. For some, that meant clinging close to our families. Many sought solace in nature’s beauty. Others—including the more than 4,300 photographers who entered our 50th annual photo contest—chose to share the beauty they’ve found in the world.
This year's winners and honorable mentions, chosen from more than 40,400 entries, reflect that beauty with tenderness, power and emotional punch. “It’s always a thrill to see the powerful, inspiring images submitted to our contest,” says Lisa Moore, editorial director of National Wildlife® magazine. “Some photos may make you weep or wince. Others may evoke wonder, a laugh or a peaceful breath. All help illustrate the vast diversity of wild animals and the places they call home.”
Their home is our home. Their fate and ours are entwined. Perhaps the greatest power of photography is to help us feel that shared connection and to inspire us to help it endure.
BABY ANIMALS
Qiang Zhang, Xi’an City, Shaanxi, China
Golden snub-nosed monkey hugs her baby, Qinling Mountains, China
BIRDS
Mark Bradley, Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Bohemian waxwings feeding en masse, Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada
MAMMALS
Celia Kujala, Milan, Michigan
Steller sea lion, Norris Rocks, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada
MOBILE
Toni Owens, Poplar Grove, Illinois
Godzilla’s Portrait (beloved educational show reptile), Poplar Grove, Illinois
BIRDS
Kevin Morgans, Birkenhead, England
Atlantic puffin “Wings of Gold” Fair Isle, Shetland, Scotland
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Jake Mosher, Bozeman, Montana
“Small Wonders,” Single milkweed seed, Irasburg, Vermont
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Sergey Savvi, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Territorial bull elephant, Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
BIRDS
Tze Siong Tan, Singapore
Stork-billed kingfisher, Dairy Farm Nature Park, Singapore
OTHER WILDLIFE
Glenn Ostle, Charlotte, North Carolina
Crane fly reflections, Charlotte, North Carolina
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Edward Yang, Matthews, North Carolina
Female golden-fronted woodpecker on scarlet firethorn, a nonnative ornamental shrub, Edinburg, Texas
BABY ANIMALS
Megan Lorenz, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Wild Canada lynx kitten, North Bay, Ontario
BIRDS
Linda Bennett, Riverview, Florida
Flamingos, ZooTampa, Tampa, Florida
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Laura Hedien, Grayslake, Illinois
Mammatus, lightning and towering cumulus on the Great Plains, Tilden, Nebraska
MAMMALS
Jami Bollschweiler, Clinton, Utah
Desert big horn battle, Clark County, Nevada
PORTFOLIO
Lorenzo Terraneo, Milan, Italy
Ocean Pollution, Ligurian Sea, Capo Noli, Italy
MOBILE
Alex Ciambrone, Kihei, Hawaii
Haleakalā Crater sunset, Maui, Hawaii
BIRDS
Donna Bourdon, Ooltewah, Tennessee
Indigo bunting singing on a sunflower, Ooltewah, Tennessee
OTHER WILDLIFE
Cheryl Johnson, Victoria, Texas
Spiny glass frog, Costa Rica
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Joshua Asel, Sebastopol, California
Biologist gently holds a California condor, Ventana Wilderness, Big Sur, California
BIRDS
Judi Dressler, Louisville, Colorado
Red-winged blackbird in motion, McAllen, Texas
MAMMALS
Talib Almarri, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Hippopotamus group from above, Botswana
BABY ANIMALS
Sergey Savvi, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Critically endangered baby indri lemur covered in its mother's fur, Toamasina Province, Madagascar
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Beth Tetterton, Camden, South Carolina
Water lilies adorned with shed egret feather, Camden, South Carolina
BIRDS
C. Samantha Prugsamatz. Beaverton, Oregon
Snow Geese in flight, Skagit Valley, Washington
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Mustafa Ghulam Samdani, Mladíkov, Czech Republic
Portrait of an African elephant, Amboseli National Park, Kenya
BABY ANIMALS
Claudio Contreras Koob, Mexico City, Mexico
Caribbean flamingo chick held under the wing of a parent, Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
MAMMALS
Spencer Kagan, San Clemente, California
Leapin' lion, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
BIRDS
Karen Guyton, Quilcene, Washington
Anna’s hummingbird collecting nesting material, Quilcene, Washington
OTHER WILDLIFE
Chamara Amarasinghe, Deraniyagala, Sri Lanka
Scorpion chased out by rainwater that has filled in though its burrow, Yala, Sri Lanka
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Jake Mosher, Bozeman, Montana
Afternoon sun on Moon Lake, Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains, Montana
BIRDS
Randy Wei, Hacienda Heights, CA
Mandarin duck in flight, Los Angeles, CA
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Jennifer Guyton, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Wildlife veterinarian with endangered pangolin, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
BIRDS
Adam Kot, Mszana, Slaskie, Poland
Yellow wagtail hunting flying insects on rapeseed flowers, Marklowice, Poland
MAMMALS
Thomas Vijayan, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Cheetah targeting small gazelle, Maasai Mara, Kenya
PORTFOLIO
Oddgeir Sagerup, Longyearbyen, Svalbard
The Urban Arctic Fox, Longyearbyen, Svalbard
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
John Fortener, Allen Park, Michigan
Bald eagle coming in for a landing, Pellston, Michigan
BABY ANIMALS
Katie Murray, Riverview, Florida
Greater One-horned Rhino mother & son, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Tampa Bay, Florida
BIRDS
Talib Almarri, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Aerial view of heron surrounded by small grasses, Okavango Delta, Botswana
OTHER WILDLIFE
Sue Borg, Menlo Park, California
Non-native domesticated honey bee on a mint leaf, Menlo Park, California
MAMMALS
Geoffrey Reynaud, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
Birds-eye view of caribou, Northwest Territories, Canada
BIRDS
Katherine Davis, Rowley, Massachusetts
Male pileated woodpecker excavating a nest cavity, Amesbury, Massachusetts
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Richard Jacobs, S. Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Cormorants inbound, Falkland Islands
BABY ANIMALS
Daniel D’Auria, Tabernacle, New Jersey
Brown bear cubs arm in arm, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
BIRDS
Anna Reposa, Moab, Utah
American white pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Utah
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Laura Hedien, Grayslake, Illinois
Arcus cloud stretches across the sky, Faith, South Dakota
MAMMALS
Jeff Kauffman, Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Bull elk, Benezette, Pennsylvania
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Edward Yang, Matthews, North Carolina
Hooded oriole, Edinburg, Texas
OTHER WILDLIFE
Sharon Samford, Tucker, Georgia
Fly on purple coneflower bud, Tucker, Georgia
BIRDS
Hal and Kirsten Snyder, Fernandina Beach, Florida
Roseate Spoonbills, Florida
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Jennifer Hess, Marana, Arizona
Death Valley dunes at sunset, Death Valley National Park, California
MOBILE
Patricia Schildkamp, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Jumping spider on Asclepias syriaca, Greensburg, Pennsylvania
MAMMALS
Prince Eleazer, Allentown, Pennsylvania
Lioness in a Tree, Zimanga Private Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
BIRDS
Thomas Vijayan, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Emperor penguin with chicks, Antarctica
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Elizabeth Gomez, Lansdale, Pennsylvania
Portrait of roaring jaguar, Elmwood Zoo, Norristown, Pennsylvania
BABY ANIMALS
Daniel D’Auria, Tabernacle, New Jersey
Cuddling brown bear cubs, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska
MOBILE
Gabriele Guay, Harker Heights, Texas
Anole on flower, Harker Heights, Texas
BIRDS
David Morring, Richardson, Texas
Roseate spoonbills at dusk, High Island, Texas
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Preston Ballard, Ocala, Florida
Green tree frog in the swamp, Ocala, Florida
MAMMALS
Danny Kimberlin, Paris, Tennessee
Young snow monkeys in a huddle, Hokkaido, Japan
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Alexandra Hicks, Temecula, California
Milky Way arch, Joshua Tree National Park, California
OTHER WILDLIFE
Bill Ravlin, Okemos, Michigan
Banded-legged golden orb-web spider (Nephila senegalensis), Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique
BIRDS
Jami Bollschweiler, Clinton, Utah
American Kestrel, Davis County, Utah
BABY ANIMALS
Chuck Amore, Salem, New Hampshire
Black Bear Cub stealing eggs, Yellowstone National Park
MAMMALS
Mark Peters, Ephrata, Washington
Bobcat, Bison Range, Montana
MOBILE
Jane Koenig, Forsyth, Illinois
Storm rolling in during the golden hour on the prairie, Decatur, Illinois
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
Caleb Peterson, Battle Lake, Minnesota
Diving beaver, Battle Lake, Minnesota
OTHER WILDLIFE
Damith Danthanarayana, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Three craneflies resting on a thread of a spider’s web, Elpitiya, Sri Lanka
PORTFOLIO
Tom Shlesinger, Melbourne Beach, Florida
Coral Spawning, Gulf of Aqaba and Eilat, the Red Sea, Arabian Peninsula
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
James C. Swartz, Toronto, Ontario
Lighthouse with storm approaching, Southampton, Ontario, Canada
BABY ANIMALS
Christopher Baker, Madison, Alabama
Mallard Duckling, Madison, Alabama
MAMMALS
Keith Betterton, Humble, Texas
Brown bear, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Alaska
BIRDS
Bonnie Masdeu, Cutler Bay, Florida
Female painted bunting on a birdbath in front of invasive lantana, Cutler Bay, Florida
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Beth Tetterton, Camden, South Carolina
Bioluminescent mushrooms, State of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo
BIRDS
Dennis Greenhill, San Diego, California
Adelie penguins on an iceberg, Weddell Sea, Antarctic
OTHER WILDLIFE
Bill Ravlin, Okemos, Michigan
Sweat bee (Halictus ligatus) collecting pollen on non-native tropical milkweed, Okemos, Michigan
YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
George Burtless, Bradenton, Florida
Small bird lands on a twig, Celery Fields, Florida
MOBILE
Jonathan Richardson, Burlington, Vermont
Spring dew on a dewberry blossom, Delaware
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