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BigPicture: Natural World Photography
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Hope in a Burned Plantation by Jo-Anne McArthur // Grand Prize winner
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Barracuda by Yung-Sen Wu // Aquatic Life winner
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Boss by Michelle Valberg // Terrestrial Wildlife winner
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Beak to Beak by Shane Kalyn // Winged Life winner
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Another Planet by Fran Rubia // Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora winner
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The Goblet of Fire by Sarang Naik // Art of Nature winner
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Sign of the Tides by Ralph Pace // Human/Nature winner
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Klukshu Ice Bears by Peter Mather // Photo Story winner
Good nature photography makes you wish you were there. BigPicture makes you feel like you are. Journey to where life is wild, beauty is bizarre, and animals inspire us to be more human—beginning October 16.
A kangaroo pauses in a burned eucalyptus plantation to gaze at the camera, her joey just visible in her pouch. A flashlight-lit mushroom puts on an otherworldly show as it releases a golden swirl of spores. A sea lion’s underwater acrobatics are interrupted by the sign of our times: a discarded face mask.
In the eighth annual BigPicture: Natural World Photography exhibit, the 49 winning images from the Academy’s nature, wildlife, and conservation photography competition tell a captivating, complex story of Earth’s animals, plants, and ecosystems. Accompanied by thought-provoking context and illuminating insights from the artists, judges, and Academy scientists, the photographs compel viewers to revel in our planet’s beauty—and feel moved to protect it.
BigPicture: Natural World Photography opens to the public on Saturday, October 16. The exhibit of 2020’s competition winners will remain on view through October 10. Members see it first: Join or renew today to attend the member preview on October 15!
The winners' gallery
This year’s 49 winning photographs were selected from a pool of nearly 8,400 submissions from 68 countries. Head to the BigPicture website to view the winning images from all seven competition categories, learn about our Emerging Photographer Grant and Women in Wildlife Photography initiatives, and subscribe to BigPicture news.
Above: Tough Negotiation by Ayala Fishaimer // Terrestrial Wildlife finalist
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Eyes on the prize
Chaired by award-winning wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas, BigPicture's esteemed panel of eight judges includes international photo editor Sophie Stafford, filmmakers Inka Crewswell and Morgan Heim, and award-winning nature and conservation photographers Michael Aw, Shem Compion, Claudio Contreras Koob, Jasper Doest, and Rathika Ramasamy.
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Dive deeper
A picture is worth a thousand words—but a picture plus words is even better. Visit bioGraphic, the Academy’s online magazine about nature, conservation, and regeneration, for a curated gallery of 12 winning images paired with their fascinating backstories.
Above: Orcas Under the Arctic Sun by Andy Schmid // Aquatic Life finalist
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Print matters
Experience the exhibit at home: Wonders, a photography book of more than 100 remarkable images from past BigPicture competitions, is on sale at the Academy Store and other fine booksellers.
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Hours & location
The 2021 BigPicture: Natural World Photography exhibit opens October 16—catch the 2020 exhibit, open daily, through October 10. Find it in the Piazza on the Main Floor.
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