Check out the cute and funny winners of The Nature Photography Contest

Tea Nature Photography Contest has revealed the winners of its first international award edition, a competition which aims to bring together photographers of all levels to share the wonders of the natural world.

“Nature photography is a great way to raise awareness on how crucial it is to protect our planet,” the awards organization explains. “This international photo awards are a chance for photographers of all levels to show off their work and share the wonders of the natural world.”

The contest was open to 10 categories: Natural Landscape, Wildlife, Macro Photography, Funny Nature, Underwater, Birds, Plant Life, Night World, Environmental Impact and Sharing the Planet.

The Photography Of The Year Award was given to the “Sea Lion in Los Islotes” image by photographer Glenn Ostle. (See below)

“Ostle's photo captures the exact moment when the sea lion seems to be posing for him in front of a school of fish that forms an inimitable natural backdrop,” the jury explained.

“Not surprisingly, the naturalness of the animal and the complexity of the image perfectly illustrates the importance of our seabed and the care of its species.”

The Photographer of the Year award went to Alain Schroeder for “his powerful and engaging images.”

“Alain Schroeder's photographs stand out for his commitment to the environment, with captures such as the one that have led him to win the “Sharing the Planet” category.”

It is also worth nothing that this online photo competition is putting the awards to good use: “Each of the participants of our photo competition will become a tree and the winner of our contest decides in which country they will be planted.”

So, Schroeder will be, in this first edition, responsible for deciding where the almost 400 trees will be planted.

Feast your eyes on the other winners of this first edition:

Natural Landscape

Winner: Marek Biegalski – “Burning Flower”

“One of my favorite things when exploring Iceland is the incredible glacial river perspective seeing from up high. They're called 'braided river' systems, as they often resemble an intricate jumble of patterns, intertwining in an almost inexplicable fashion.”

Wildlife

Winner: Soumya Ranjan Bhattacharyya – “Stories in the sand”

“The scorpion is widely distributed across various terrains in India. In Jaisalmer once the evening falls, the scorpions emerge across the dunes to feed for the night. I shot this image of the scorpion in the sand dunes at jaisalmer.. The scorpions when lighted by faint uv light, emit bright blue luminescence from its body. The image was captured using flashlight which lit up the wind created streaks of the dunes. The scorpion was illuminated by a UV flashlight.”

Macro Photography

Winner: Adrian Truchta – “The Dreamer – Philaeus chrysops”

“Morning dew, sun and beautiful Philaeus chrysops female walking around her nest. Photo shoot in natural environment. Natural light.”

Funny Nature

Winner: Panisara Sripratoom – “Monday”

“A spotted owlet (Athene brama) emerging from a hollow within a yellow flame tree situated in the university campus. This species of owl is characterized by its small size, primarily nocturnal feeding behavior, and frequent occurrence in urban environments.”

Underwater

Winner: Yi Lin Tseng – “Tangle”

“Larval Moray Eel when feeling threatened.”

Birds

Winner: Alessio Calviani – “Puffin in Iceland”

“Puffin walking on the cliff in Iceland.”

Plant Life

Winner: Marcio Cabral – “Pandora”

“This panorama shows the beauty of Chapada dos Veadeiros, a Brazilian national park that hosts a rich biodiversity and breathtaking landscapes. The white flowers that stand out in the foreground are a rare species of Paepalanthus, a genus of plants endemic to the region. They were illuminated by a scurion lamp to create a contrast with the dark sky. In the background, the Milky Way curves over the hills, revealing the colors and shapes of stars and nebulae.”

Night World

Winner: Marc Marco – “Los arcos y la cueva”

“Panoramic night photograph in which I could capture the arch of the Milky Way passing behind the natural arch called Es Pontàs. In the photograph I could also capture a small cave in front of the arch.”

Environmental Impact

Winner: Muhammad Hossain – “Fatigue Sleep”

“Many homeless people in Bangladesh have lost their homes and properties due to frequent floods, river erosion, and other natural calamities. They were forced to migrate to the Dhaka city in search of a better future. These people have no place to take shelter in big cities. Their day starts in dump hills and streets in roads or boats to nowhere. The concrete-covered street and dirt hills is a flower bed for these refugees who practically do not have any identity. They live by working as street hawkers, boatmen, laborers, and doing other odd jobs.”

Sharing the Planet

Winner: Alain Schroeder – “Saving Orangutans 01”

“Sibolangit, SOCP Quarantine Centre, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The whole SOCP team works together to prepare Brenda, an estimated 3-month-old female orangutan (she has no teeth yet), for surgery. A sedative is administered, the arm is shaved, her temperature is taken, while others hold her head or her hand out of compassion for the baby.”

Finally, one extra one – a favorite here at Euronews Culture – “Oh my Tongue”, by Ashane Marasinghe, a finalist in the Funny Animals category:

For more on The Nature Photography Contest and their finalists, visit their website here.