2024's winning photographs were selected from more than 7,300 submissions from 70 countries. Visit BigPicture to learn more about the eight winning images and 40+ finalists from all seven competition categories.
BigPicture: Natural World Photography
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Grand Prize winner: The Forest of the Monarchs by Jaime Rojo
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Aquatic Life winner: Tadpole Migration by Shane Gross
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Terrestrial Wildlife winner: Beauty of Thar Desert by Hema Palan
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Winged Life winner: Underwater Harmony And Chaos by Franco Banfi
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Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora winner: In Celebration by Geo Cloete
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Art of Nature winner: Stardust Forest by Kazuaki Koseki
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Human/Nature winner: Good Fire by Maddy Rifka
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Photo Story winner: Ghosts of the North by Peter Mather
The winning images in the Academy’s 11th-annual BigPicture exhibition are a love letter to the natural world. Journey to where life is lush, unusual is beautiful, and animals inspire us to be more human.
Golden light bathes a monarch butterfly-cloaked forest. A school of tadpoles becomes a soaring squadron when seen from below. A long exposure transforms an Alaskan wolf into an ethereal specter.
Each of the winning images in the BigPicture: Natural World Photography exhibition enshrines a fleeting moment that might otherwise escape our attention. Visit the exhibition at the Academy to embark on a visual odyssey around the world, where the triumphs, tragedies, and textures of our planet are on dazzling display.
BigPicture: Natural World Photography is open daily through April 13, 2025. Find it in the Piazza.
The votes are in...
This year's competition included an all-new category: People's Choice. Nearly 5,000 total votes were cast for the 20 finalists, with Hunting Cape Gannet by Wayne Lai receiving the most votes. Congratulations, Wayne!
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Beyond the captions
Visit bioGraphic, the Academy’s online magazine about nature, conservation, and regeneration, for a showcase of 11 winning images paired with captivating backstories about the science behind the scenes.
Above: Terrestrial Wildlife finalist A Moment in the Sun by Kathleen Borshanian
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Eyes on the prize
Chaired by world-renowned wildlife photographer Suzi Eszterhas, BigPicture's esteemed panel of seven judges includes international photo editor Sophie Stafford and award-winning nature and conservation photographers Jahawi Bertolli, Sandesh Kadu, Karen Kasmauski, Jo-Anne McArthur, and Kiliii Yuya.
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Buy the books
Bring BigPicture home with you in hardcover. Seeing It All and Wonders are now on sale at all major booksellers.
A colorful new exhibition reveals the surprising ways people, places, and species are connected in California.
Expect the unusual as art and nature collide at this NightLife celebrating the new BigPicture exhibition.
Live animals and hands-on exhibits reveal the significant role color plays across a vibrant spectrum of species.
Marvel at nearly 400 dazzling and dramatic gem and mineral specimens from the Academy's geology collection.
Come face-to-fin with nearly 60,000 animals—from deep-sea oddities to Claude, our alligator with albinism.
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