The BigPicture 2024 winners are here! Celebrating its eleventh edition, the BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition continues to highlight the beauty and fragility of our natural world. The 2024 competition received entries from 69 countries across the globe, showcasing stunning images that capture the essence of wildlife and nature. Here, we celebrate the winners who have impressed the judges with their remarkable talent and creativity.
The BigPicture competition serves as a platform to highlight the beauty and complexity of nature through the lens of talented photographers. It aims to inspire a deeper appreciation for the natural world and to encourage conservation efforts. The competition’s emphasis on storytelling through imagery helps to convey the urgent need to protect our planet’s biodiversity.
BigPicture 2024 Grand Prize Winner: Jaime Rojo
The Grand Prize winner was Jaime Rojo, who will receive $5,000 for the best overall image in the 024 BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition and will participate in the California Academy of Sciences annual exhibition. His photograph The Forest of the Monarchs, taken in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Michoacán, Mexico, is a stunning photographic representation of a situation with much more background than may appear at first glance.
Photographer: Jaime Rojo
Location: Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Michoacán, Mexico
Description: Marvel at the breathtaking sight of countless Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) resting in Mexico, their temporary home after migrating 3,000 miles from the United States and Canada. These butterflies spend their eight-month cycle here, resting, reproducing, and preparing for the return journey. Alarmingly, their future is threatened by climate change, deforestation, pesticide exposure, and loss of milkweed plants, their only egg-laying site. However, conservation efforts in the US and Mexico are showing promise, leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature to classify this phenomenon as vulnerable rather than endangered.
BigPicture 2024 category winners
The competition features several categories, each celebrating different aspects of the natural world. Here are some notable winners and finalists:
Terrestrial Wildlife Winner
Hema Palan, from Mumbai, India, was the winner of the BigPicture 2024 in the Terrestrial Wildlife category with her photograph Beauty Of Thar Desert.
Photographer: Hema Palan
Location: Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India
Description: An Afro-Asian sand snake (Psammophis schokari) found resting in a Phog shrub (Calligonum polygonoides) within the Thar Desert, contrary to its name which suggests diurnal habits. This ambush predator, with its slender, brown physique, blends seamlessly with the shrub, particularly at night.
Aquatic Life Winner
Tadpole Migration, by Shane Gross of Nanaimo, Canada. This image captures a moment when the sheer number of migrating tadpoles form a truly striking and visual ensemble.
Photographer: Shane Gross
Location: Vancouver Island, Canada
Description: Western toad tadpoles (Anaxyrus boreas) embark on a daily mass migration from the lake’s deepest zones to the shallows bathed in sunlight to graze on algae. Although shallower waters offer less safety, these tadpoles reportedly showed no fear of the camera, allowing for close-up shots. In a fascinating observation, if the photographer remained motionless, the tadpoles even began to nibble on the camera and his skin.
Winged Life Winner
With Underwater Harmony And Chaos, Franco Banfi won the title of Winged Life Winner.
Photographer: Franco Banfi
Location: Shetland Islands, Scotland, United Kingdom
Description: Northern gannets (Morus bassanus) are remarkable divers, boasting a wingspan that can reach up to seven feet. Their exceptional diving skills are attributed to their remarkable eyesight, which is not only naturally acute but has also evolved for plunge-diving. Coupled with their powerful vocalizations, these attributes make them proficient in hunting fish. These birds spend the majority of their lives at sea, capable of diving to depths of approximately 72 feet to secure their food. The photographer likens observing these birds to witnessing torpedoes as they burst through the cold Scottish waters at speeds close to 60 mph to capture their prey. Remarkably, their exceptional vision enables them to do so without colliding into each other.
Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora
Geo Cloete, from Yzerfontein, South Africa, was the winner of the BigPicture 2024 in the Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora category with her photograph In Celebration.
Photographer: Geo Cloete
Location: Cape Peninsula, South Africa
Description: This photograph is the culmination of a patient pursuit by the photographer, who aimed to capture the vital role that tidal and wave movements play in the existence of Sandy anemones (Bunodactis reynaudi). Indigenous to the South African coast, these anemones often cluster together, their survival dependent on the water supply brought by tides and waves, and their contractile sphincter muscles to seize passing food. Anemones exhibit their vibrant, assorted colors only when there’s a probability of feeding, transforming the ordinary seascape into a stunning spectacle. For the photographer, it’s a tribute to the rhythmic harmony of nature.
Art of Nature
From Yamagata Prefecture, in the Tohoku region of Japan, comes Kazuaki Koseki, who has taken the title of BigPicture 2024 winner in the Art of Nature category with his photograph Stardust Forest.
Photographer: Kazuaki Koseki
Location: Forest in Yamagata prefecture, Tohoku region, Japan
Description: Every summer, countless visitors are drawn to Japan, captivated by the enchanting glow of the Himebotaru. These indigenous Japanese fireflies, Luciola parvula, are unique to Japan, yet their family extends across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Intrigued by these fireflies’ ecology, the photographer meticulously studied their habits and mapped their routes over years. This photographer then endeavored to immortalize their remarkable illumination through a sequence of long camera exposures, ultimately creating this spellbinding image.
Human/Nature
Good Fire, by Maddy Rifka of Arcata, California, USA. This image shows how a controlled burn is carried out for ecological and cultural revival purposes.
Photographer: Maddy Rifka
Location: Yurok Ancestral Lands, Humboldt County, California
Description:We’re conditioned to associate the terms “wildfire” and “California” with destruction. However, fire is also a catalyst for renewal, a force that has shaped North American landscapes for centuries. Before the 20th century, lightning strikes regularly ignited natural fires, and Indigenous communities used intentional burning to manage the land. Regrettably, federal fire restrictions have limited these communities, including those on the Klamath River like the Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa Tribes, from practicing their ancestral burning techniques. This has led to an increase in severe and destructive wildfires. Efforts are underway to restore the right to burn, such as this cultural burn facilitated by Hoopa Valley Tribal member, Steven Saiz, and the Cultural Fire Management Council. These burns foster cultural revival and enhance forest health, benefiting both vegetation and wildlife.
Photo Story: Unusual Perspectives
Peter Mather, from Whitehorse, Canada, was the winner of the BigPicture 2024 in the Photo Story: Unusual Perspectives category with his photograph Ghosts of the North.
Photographer: Peter Mather
Location: Alaska, United States & Northern Canada
Description: Northern ecosystems, akin to deserts, are striking and robust, yet they experience significant shifts due to climate change and industrialization. These regions are characterized by sparse wildlife populations, with animals that inhabit these areas often being elusive and seldom spotted, much like apparitions. By utilizing camera traps and long exposure techniques, we capture rare images of bears, caribou, Arctic foxes, and wolves, setting them against a backdrop of stark, icy landscapes. These brief moments, captured in an instant, reveal that these animals possess more than just transient traces in the snow—they are thriving wildlife, each exhibiting distinct personalities and intentions.
Finalists of the BigPicture 2024
The contest also recognizes numerous finalists whose works stand out for their technical and narrative excellence. Here are some examples of the incredible images that can be found in these photo contests:
AQUATIC LIFE FINALIST Dennis Corpuz | Mabini, Batangas, Philippines
ART OF NATURE FINALIST Daisy Gilardini | Vancouver, Canada
HUMAN:NATURE FINALIST Marcus Westberg | Fanadia, Portugal
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST Georgina Steytler | Goode Beach, Australia
LANDSCAPES, WATERSCAPES, AND FLORA FINALIST Joshua Galicki | Claiborne, Maryland, United States
TERRESTRIAL WILDLIFE FINALIST Kathleen Borshanian | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
WINGED LIFE FINALIST Baiju Patil | Aurangabad, India
For a more extensive collection of high-quality images, please visit the BigPicture 2024 page, where you can explore the Winners Gallery 2024, filled with an exceptional array of photographs.
BigPicture Winners 2024 Exhibition and Public Viewing
The winning and finalist images will be displayed in an exhibition at the California Academy of Sciences, providing an opportunity for the public to view these incredible works up close. This exhibition not only celebrates the photographers’ achievements but also raises awareness about the importance of conservation and the protection of our natural world
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