Winners 2017

2017 prize-winners

Here you can find the winning photographs in this year’s “European Treasures of Nature” photography competition, organised in cooperation with ‘natur’ magazine, the NaturVision film festival and Gelsenwasser AG. Our warm thanks go to all those photographers who took part!  

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Pay Day

1. Place: Giuseppe Bonali

Phew, done it! He’s negotiated the wobbly blade of grass and got what he’s after:  some refreshment in the form of a drop of water. The just rewards for this hard-working ant at the end of a long day.

Underwater

2. Place: Felipe Foncueva Rodriguez

Northern Gannets shooting through the North Atlantic like torpedoes. These smartly turned out birds pierce the surface of the water at a speed of around 100 km/h on their hunt for their favourite food – herring and mackerel.

Whooper swans

3. Place: Olli Immonen

Intruders not welcome: this pair of whooper swans unite their forces to drive off an unwanted guest. In late March, there were very few ice-free spots on this lake in eastern Finland, so the fervour with which they defended it is not surprising.

High noon

4. Place: Julian Rad

What might these two foxes have to say to each other? They’re certainly not swapping small talk; after all, this tussle is actually about a fight for territory. On the other hand, this rarely results in any serious injuries to either party.

Harvestman

5. Place: Bernd Liedtke

With their slender filigree legs, harvestmen look incredibly fragile. And even more so when they are clambering over delicate plant structures.  This specimen posed briefly for a photo completely motionless on the seed heads of a clematis.

Bearded Vulture

6. Place: Bearded Vulture

What a magnificent sight: a bearded vulture gliding majestically over the French Alps. With a wingspan of almost three meters, the bearded vulture is the largest bird of prey in Europe – and one of the rarest.

Bank vole

7. Place: Folkert Christoffers

The garden gourmet: this bank vole is obviously really enjoying these blackberries. This injection of vitamins will have done the little rodent a power of good as the autumn sets in.

David and Goliath

8. Place: Bruno De Lorenzo

An unsuccessful attempt like this is bound to ruffle your feathers! This little egret must have expected it to be easier than this to get his breakfast. Time and time again, the fish managed to escape the onslaughts from his feathered attacker by jumping out of the water...

Three peaks and the Milky Way

9. Place: Gabor Takacs

Diligence rewarded: this photographer prepared meticulously for this picture by doing his homework with a rotating star chart, enabling him to capture the perfect moment:  the setting sun and rising stars create a magical backdrop to the rock formations of the Dolomites.

Up in the air

10. Place: Javier Herranz Casellas

"Keep calm and carry on", seems to be this minstrel bug’s motto. He’s obviously reached a dead end and is now determined to reach the other side of the twig by taking a hair-raising short cut.

Take-off

11. Place: Susanne Wunn

The wings are in position, permission to take off has been granted, and the journey can start: it’s off on the honeymoon. These 30 or so may bugs were discovered by the photographer on her evening walk as they assembled on an oak tree ready to set off on their honeymoon.

Great Skua

12. Place: Christian Schmaler

Look out, skua! If an intruder comes too close to their nest, these great skuas won’t see the joke.  They keep any unwelcome visitors away with a low pass.  With their powerful beaks and sharp claws, these belligerent birds have some forceful “arguments” to deter others.