A selection of the winning entries f rom 2023’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Laurent Ballesta / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

OVERALL WINNER & WINNER, PORTFOLIO AWARD

‘The Golden Horseshoe’ Laurent Ballesta (France)

Atri-spine horseshoe crab moves slowly over the seabed, its golden protective carapace hiding the 12 appendages of its body. Above the horseshoe crab, a trio of juvenile golden trevallies are poised to dart down for any edible morsels ploughed up by its passage. The tri-spine horseshoe crab has survived for more than 300 million years but now faces habitat destruction and overfishing for food –and for its blood, which is used in the development of vaccines.

However, in the protected waters off Pangatalan Island in The Philippines, there is hope for its survival. Marine biologist and photographer Laurent Ballesta has dedicated his life to exploring the oceans and revealing their wonder through art, leading a series of major expeditions that resulted in many unprecedented images.

Location: Pangatalan Island, Palawan, The Philippines Technical details: Nikon D5 with 13mm f/2.8 lens; 1/25 sec at f/22, ISO 800; Seacam housing and strobes

Bertie Gregory / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

WINNER, BEHAVIOUR: MAMMALS

‘Whales Making Waves’ Bertie Gregory (UK)

Bertie Gregory tracks a pod of orcas as they prepare to ‘wave wash’ a Weddell seal. These orcas belong to a group that specialises in hunting seals by charging towards the ice, creating a wave that washes the seal into the water. With rising temperatures melting ice floes, seals are spending more time on land and so the behaviour of ‘wave washing’ may soon disappear.