Striking photo series of cricket hunt in Uganda wins 2021 Fritz Pölking Prize

Fritz Pölking Prize is a special prize of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year, awarded annually for extraordinary work in the field of wildlife photography. Its 2021 winners have just been announced, and the first prize was awarded to Jasper Doest from the Netherlands. His photo series Nsenene shows cricket hunt in Uganda, and it’s a series of photos that are as striking as the story they tell.

Nsenene is a Ugandan word for crickets, hence Jasper’s name for the project. His winning series tells a captivating tale of catching crickets (Ruspolia differens) in Uganda. These insects appear in huge swarms twice a year at night after the rains in search of food and breeding partners. This is when the locals, mainly the rural population, catch them and sell by large. Crickets are considered a delicacy and are highly sought after, so this old tradition in Uganda creates jobs and provides a considerable income.

Other than the Fritz Pölking Prize, there’s also the Fritz Pölking Junior Prize. This year, the winner is Emile Séchaud from France with a portfolio on the icon of the Alpine fauna, the ibex.

The two winners will be honored at the award ceremony of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 competition. Sadly, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the event will take place without an audience as it did last year. The award ceremony will be broadcast live on Facebook and YouTube on Thursday, 28 October 2021 at 8:00 p.m. local time. Make sure to visit the Fritz Pölking Prize website for more information and for more images from the two winning series.