Whimsical Tadpole Swarm Wins Prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 Contest

Photographer Shane Gross is the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024,” besting a record-breaking 59,227 other entries from photographers in 117 countries and territories.

The Canadian conservation photographer took top honors in this year’s competition, the 60th year of the Natural History Museum’s prestigious wildlife photo contest, for his breathtaking underwater photo, The Swarm of Life. The award-winning image shows the magical water world of western toad tadpoles as they swim through the frame.

Gross captured the image while snorkeling through the lily pads in Cedar Lake on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Gross carefully swam for hours in the area, ensuring not to disturb the layers of silt and algae along the lake bottom.

The western toad is a near-threatened species due to habitat destruction and natural predators. The tadpoles transform into toads four to 12 weeks after hatching, but about 99% never make it to adulthood.

“The jury was captivated by the mix of light, energy and connectivity between the environment and the tadpoles. We were equally excited by the addition of a new species to the Wildlife Photographer of the Year archive,” remarks Kathy Moran, Chair of the Jury and Editor. “Over the last few years, the competition has highlighted environments and species that are often overlooked yet provoke the same wonder and delight when shared as the more typically photographed wildlife and wild places.”

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024

German youth Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas won Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2024 for his macro photo, Life Under Dead Wood. The image shows the fruiting bodies of slime mold and a tiny springtail.

Tinker-Tsavalas had to work quickly after rolling over a log, as springtails are very fast, super small, and can jump many times their body length in a split second. The photographer combined 36 different images to create this focus-stacked final shot.

“A photographer attempting to capture this moment not only brings great skill, but incredible attention to detail, patience, and perseverance. To see a macro image of two species photographed on the forest floor, with such skill, is exceptional,” Moran explains.

Impact Awards

Alongside Gross and Tinker-Tsavalas, the jury also named two photographers as Impact Award winners to celebrate the contest’s 60th anniversary.

The Adult Impact Award has gone to Australian photographer Jannico Kelk for Hope for the Ninu, while Polish photographer Liwia Pawłowska is the Young Impact Award winner.

Kelk’s image shows the greater bilby, a small marsupial commonly called the “ninu.” This creature was nearly extinct because of the introduction of foxes and cats in its native home. However, the species has some protection thanks to special reserves.

Pawłowska’s winning shot, Recording by Hand, shows a scientist holding a common whitethroat while recording data as part of a wildlife survey. Scientists use bird ringing, which includes recording a bird’s size, sex, condition, and age, to help monitor populations and track migration.

Category Winners

Beyond the four photographers above, winners were selected across 18 categories. Gross won the “Wetlands: The Bigger Picture” category, while Tinker-Tsavalas earned the crown in the “15-17” category. The remaining 16 category winners are featured below.

All winning photographs will be shown in a long-term exhibit at the Natural History Museum in London. The exhibition begins on October 11, 2024, and runs through June 29, 2025. Guests can also take a new guided tour, where they will learn more information about how the amazing winning images were captured. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

Image credits: All photographs provided courtesy of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Photographers are credited in the individual image captions.