Stunning wildlife images featured in London's Natural History Museum photography competition

This year marks the 60th competition and will showcase 100 photographs from around the world.

A sneak peek at stunning photos from the Natural History Museum, London’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition are here. 

This year marks the 60th competition and will showcase 100 photographs from around the world

To celebrate the competition’s 60th anniversary, the museum’s flagship exhibition will feature a timeline of key moments in the competition’s history, according to a news release.

Here’s a look at some of this year’s "Highly Commended" images. 

Image 1 of 15

Twist and Jump by Jose Manuel Grandío, Spain Highly Commended, Behaviour: Mammals /Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Jose Manuel Grandío)

Image 2 of 15

Centre of Attention by Georgina Steytler, Australia Highly Commended, Behaviour: Invertebrates/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Georgina Steytler)

Image 3 of 15

Going with the Floe by Tamara Stubbs, UK Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Tamara Stubbs)

Image 4 of 15

The Last Resting Place by Randy Robbins, USA Highly Commended, Natural Artistry/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Randy Robbins)

Image 5 of 15

Ziggy Spider by Lam Soon Tak, Malaysia Highly Commended, Behaviour: Invertebrates/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Lam Soon Tak)

Image 6 of 15

The Disappearing Ice Cap by Thomas Vijayan, Canada Highly Commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Thomas Vijayan)

Image 7 of 15

Precious Rocks by Samual Stone, UK Highly Commended, Behaviour: Birds/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Samual Stone)

Image 8 of 15

Deadly Bite by Ian Ford, UK Highly Commended, Behaviour: Mammals/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.  (Ian Ford)

Image 9 of 15

As Clear as Crystal by Jason Gulley, USA Highly Commended, Underwater/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Jason Gulley)

Image 10 of 15

Stormy Scene by William Fortescue, UK Highly Commended, Behaviour: Mammals/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (William Fortescue)

Image 11 of 15

Strength in Numbers by Theo Bosboom, The Netherlands Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Theo Bosboom)

Image 12 of 15

Moonlight Hunter by Xingchao Zhu, China Highly Commended, Behaviour: Mammals/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Xingchao Zhu)

Image 13 of 15

In the Spotlight by Shreyovi Mehta, India   Runner-Up, 10 Years and Under/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Shreyovi Mehta)

Image 14 of 15

Hooked by Tommy Trenchard, South Africa Highly Commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Tommy Trenchard)

Image 15 of 15

Leaving the Nest by Sasha Jumanca, Germany/Romania Highly Commended, 10 Years and Under/Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. (Sasha Jumanca)

Tens of thousands of entries

This year’s competition attracted a record-breaking 59,228 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels. Entries came in from 117 countries across the world, the museum said. 

Among the entries are the Highly Commended images, which were released by the museum on Thursday.

There are several categories for the competition, which include Grand Title and Young Grand Title, the museum said. 

The winners won’t be announced until Oct. 8 during a ceremony hosted by wildlife TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin. 

This year, there's been an addition of a new award in both the young and adult competitions called the Impact Award. This award recognizes a conservation success story.

"In this selection you see species diversity, a range of behavior 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," said chair of the judging panel, Kathy Moran. 

The exhibit will be open to the public on Oct. 11 and will be available to view until June 29, 2025.

The information for this article was gathered from a Natural History Museum, London, news release.