Stunning photo of “jellyfish ballet” wins 2021 European Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) has just announced the winners of the 2021 European Wildlife Photographer of the Year. And as always, they don’t disappoint. The incredible image of “jellyfish ballet” has won the overall first place, and in this article, we bring you all of the stunning category winners.

This year, the contest has received more than staggering 19.000 photos from 36 countries. The winning image is titled Medusa ballet, and the photographer behind it is Angel Fitor from Spain. It shows jellyfish in the Spanish lagoon of Mar Menor, Europe’s largest saltwater lagoon.

The eleven jellyfish you see in the photo are, in fact, only two: captured by triggering the flash eleven times. Prof Dr. Beate Jessel, the patron of the competition and President of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BFN), explains:

“Through the illusion of a swarm of jellyfish, [the photo] evokes associations with a trend we can observe everywhere in heavily overexploited seas. Marine ecosystems that are no longer unimpaired and the warming seas as a result of climate change are promoting the increase of individual species.”

Other than the overall winner, the contest recognizes winners in ten different categories:

1. Birds
2. Mammals
3. Other Animals
4. Plants & Fungi
5. Landscapes
6. The Underwater World
7. Man and Nature
8. Nature’s Studio
9. Young Photographers to 14 years
10. Young Photographers from 15 to 17 Years

There are also two special categories: Fritz Pölking Prize and Junior Prize. The winners in these categories were announced in September. Keep scrolling to see them again, and of course – to see the remaining category winners of this year’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year.