
Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest always brings us some stunning photos, and the 2018 contest was no exception. The winners from 19 categories were selected and their photos show the beauty, versatility and sometimes harsh reality of the world around us.
Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten won the overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 title. The winning photo titled “The Golden Couple” frames a pair of golden snub-nosed monkeys. It was taken in the temperate forest of China’s Qinling Mountains, the only habitat for these endangered primates.

Grand Title Winner 2018, Animal Portraits
© Marsel van Oosten – Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2018 title was awarded to sixteen-year-old Skye Meaker from South Africa. His winning photo depicts a leopard waking from sleep in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Grand Title Winner 2018, 15-17 Years Old
© Skye Meaker – Wildlife Photographer of the Year
There were in total 19 category winners, along with van Oosten and Meaker. These are the categories of the contest:
- Animal Portraits
- Animals in their environment
- Amphibians and Reptiles
- Behaviour: Birds
- Behaviour: Invertebrates
- Behaviour: Mammals
- Black and White
- Creative Visions
- Earth’s Environments
- Plants and Fungi
- Rising Star Portfolio Award
- Under Water
- Urban Wildlife
- Wildlife Photojournalism
- Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Story
- Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award
- 15-17 Years Old
- 11-14 Years Old
- 10 Years and Under
They were selected among more than 45,000 entries from 95 countries, and you can currently see them exhibited. Along with 98 other photos from 2018 competition, the two overall winning images are on display at the Natural History Museum in London. It will travel across the UK and to locations such as Canada, Spain, the USA, Australia, and Germany.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition opens for entry every October. So, if you want to give it a shot yourself, you can do so in fall 2019. You can see some more category winners below, and check out the last year’s winning photos here.

Winner 2018, 10 Years and Under
© Arshdeep Singh – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Animals in their environment
© Cristobal Serrano – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles
© David Herasimtschuk – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Behaviour: Birds
© Thomas P Peschak – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Behaviour: Invertebrates
© Georgina Steytler – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Behaviour: Mammals
© Ricardo Núñez-Montero – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Under Water
© Michael Patrick O’Neill – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Urban Wildlife
© Marco Colombo – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The sad clown by Joan de la Malla, Spain
Winner 2018, Wildlife Photojournalism
© Joan de la Malla – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Wildlife Photojournalist Award: Story
© Alejandro Prieto – Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Winner 2018, Wildlife Photographer Portfolio Award
© Javier Aznar González de Rueda – Wildlife Photographer of the Year
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