Preview: Wildlife Photographer Of The Year

M@
By M@ Last edited 149 months ago
Preview: Wildlife Photographer Of The Year
Spider goat, spider goat, does whatever a spider goat does.
Spider goat, spider goat, does whatever a spider goat does.
Um, like, where's the wildlife? Cool shot, though.
Um, like, where's the wildlife? Cool shot, though.
Ant rickshaw.
Ant rickshaw.
Nice beaver. Mel Gibson not pictured.
Nice beaver. Mel Gibson not pictured.
Winner of the junior category.
Winner of the junior category.
Overall winner.
Overall winner.

The Natural History Museum's annual must-see showcase of wildlife photography opens today. This year's selection includes over 100 images in 17 categories – best Instagram shot is not one of them.

The overall winner, Still Life in Oil by Daniel Beltrá of Spain, offers a heartbreaking scene of bedraggled pelicans coated in crude oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill. The champion in the junior category, Poland's Mateusz Piesiak, captured a much more cheering image of two oystercatchers jostling for a morsel.

Other categories include Behaviour: Mammals, Behaviour: Birds, Urban Wildlife, the Underwater World, and more. Sadly, there's no prize for 'Cutest Animal', surely a rare instance where dumbing down would be welcome.

Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2011 runs at the Natural History Museum until 11 March 2012. Adults £9, children/concessions £4.50.

Last Updated 21 October 2011