First look at Wildlife Photographer of the Year images
A manatee and a calf, sleeping seals and a disappearing glacier, are among extraordinary images entered into the 2024 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition from London's Natural History Museum.
A selection of highly commended photographs have been released ahead of an exhibition which will showcase 100 photographs, selected from a record 59,228 entries from 117 countries and territories.
Those featuring water capture the distressing moment a shark was hauled aboard a Spanish longliner in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, crabeater seals taking a nap among the sea ice in the Antarctic, clusters of mussels bound together to avoid being washed away in the Portugal, the epic scale of the Bråsvellbreen glacier, Norway and mother-and-calf manatee adrift among the eelgrass in Hunter Springs, Florida.
Competition winners will be announced on 8 October 2024 at a ceremony hosted by wildlife TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin.
Chair of the judging panel Kathy Moran says, “In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behaviour and conservation issues.
"These images represent the evolution of the competition through the years, from pure natural history to photography that fully embraces representation of the natural world - the beauty and the challenges. It is a powerful selection with which to kickstart a milestone anniversary.”
Director of the Museum Doug Gurr says, “As we celebrate sixty years of Wildlife Photographer of the Year, we also celebrate the generations of visitors who have been inspired by the beauty and majesty of its images, and the millions of connections made with nature.
"Over the decades, Wildlife Photographer of the Year has pushed the boundaries of wildlife photography as the competition evolved alongside technological advancements.
"But still today, the competition remains true to one of its founding objectives: to enhance the prestige of wildlife photography in the hope that ultimately the awards would benefit animals by creating greater public interest in them - and in that all-important topic – conservation.”
The 60th Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition opens at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington on Friday 11 October until Sunday 29 June 2025, after which it will embark on a UK and international tour.