The bioregion of Australia has been captured beautifully in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2022, which is a partnership between the South Australian Museum and Australia Geographic. Through photography of this region’s nature and landscapes, Australian Geographic is spreading awareness to save the endangered biodiversity of the continent.
A picture of a humpback whale carcass being circled on the ocean floor has won the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2022. The illustration of life and death, harsh rules of nature, and the food chain in one frame won Ashlee Jansen the grand prize. Here are the best and winning pictures from the contest that give glimpses into the beautiful Land Down Under.
Nature’s Rule: Bear witness to the cycle of life and death in one frame which is the overall winner of the contest.
Image: Ashlee Jansen
Simply Magical: Each spring bioluminescent fireflies emerge from the darkest corners of the forest of the Great Dividing Range for a short time.
image: Jannico Kelk
Alien Land: Lake Crosby with its pink salt creates an eerie atmosphere in this picture.
Image: James Dorey
Lethargic: This whale shark devours a bait ball of fish that was created by tuna as these sharks are too lazy to do all the work.
Image: Jake Wilton
Landing Mishap: Kangaroos get stuck in wires while jumping them and consequently die if humans don’t free them.
Image: Alan Kwok
Too Tired to Work: In the Great Sandy Desert, the long-nosed dragon sleeps tonight.
Image: Gary Meredith
Sun Bath: This magpie is enjoying a sprinkler bath in an urban setting in Clare Valley, South Australia.
Image: Sandy Horn
The striking beauty of Monarch butterflies is known worldwide, but their caterpillars are equally mesmerizing with yellow, black, and white stripes.
Image: Rosa Dunbar
Going for Dentist Appointment: A charismatic white shark was captured grinning in South Neptune Islands, South Australia
Image: Matty Smith
On Night Prowl: A knobby seahorse sits still among seagrass waiting for prey in waters off Kettering, Tasmania.
Image: Matt Testoni
Where Earth and Sky Meet: The Pelverata Falls seem as if flowing directly from the heavens above.
Image: Luke Tscharke
Endangered Land: The plateau of Mount Gower is home to many endemic and endangered plants.
Image: Justin Gilligan
Foreign Land: This beautiful Lost World is located on the north-eastern slopes of kunanyi / Mount Wellington, Tasmania.
Image: Joe Shemesh
The Calm: Taken an hour before dawn, the beauty of the milky way and the silence of the surroundings is marvelous.
Image: Jason Perry
Thunderous Beauty: A thunderstorm and lightning strike captured in a single frame depicting the ferocity of nature’s forces.
Image: Jarrod Koh
A Stormy Fall: A storm creates clouds dropping to the ground before rain and hail arrive in Western Australia.
Image: Ellie Morris
Trash Trap: An Indo hermit crab (Coenobita) was caught inside a broken glass in Raja Ampat, Indonesia.
Image: Dan Jones
The Abstract: This abstract picture of a running kangaroo exhibits the fleeing beauty of a landscape and its inhabitants.
Image: Cian O’Hagan
The Survivor: A sprouting mangrove sapling in the harsh environs of Port Kembla, New South Wales.
Image: Alex Pike