Gallery: Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2018

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With a record number of entries in 2018, the South Australian Museum’s Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition once again returns with stunning depictions of the natural world.

This year’s overall winner has been announced as Hide and Seek, a shot of a school of fish fleeing predators from Malaysia-based photographer Tracey Jennings.

Judges described Jennings’ winning image as “having a huge amount of energy with a rich cacophony of shapes and an explosion of tonality.”

“Removing colour from the image allows us to focus on the subject,” the judges said. “The vortex of fish draws us in and makes us want to be there, to take up underwater photography so we can experience the situation. A great shot with significant wow factor.”

The finalist and winning images from the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition will be on exhibition at the South Australian Museum from August 24 until November 18. Full exhibition information can be found here.

Further category winners and runners up are as below:

Animal Portrait

Winner: The northern leaf-tailed gecko, Northern leaf-tailed gecko (Saltuarius cornutus), Igor Mikula (Slovakia)

Runner-up: Luminous, Bluebottle (Physalia utriculus), Matty Smith (NSW)

Animal Behaviour

Winner: Posing black-fronted dotterels, Black-fronted dotterel (Elseyornis melanops), Dan Giselsson (QLD)

Runner-up: Play fighting, Western grey kangaroos (Macropus fuliginosus), Georgina Steytler (WA)

Animal Habitat

Winner: Enchanted, White’s Seahorse (Hippocampus whitei), Matty Smith (NSW)

Runner-up: Dune run, Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae), Josh Tagi (VIC)

Botanical

Winner: The refuge, Red mangroves (Rhizophora stylosa), Andy Lewis (QLD)

Runner-up: Pandani in blizzard, Pandani (Richea pandanifolia), Raoul Slater (QLD)

Landscape

Winner: Early elation, Dylan Fox (WA)

Runner-up: Broken dreams, Ben Goode (SA)

Monochrome

Winner: Junction falls – after, Peter Hill (NSW)

Runner-up: Light dappled billabong, Richard Wylie (QLD)

Junior (photographers under 18 years of age)

Winner: Running Wombat, Common wombat (Vombatus ursinus), Floyd Mallon (NSW) aged 16

Runner-up: Hell’s gate, Fionn Holyoak-Roberts (WA) aged 16

Our Impact (depicting human impact on nature)

Winner: Left Behind, Kangaroo (Macropus sp.), Ben Goode (SA)

Runner-up: City Slicker, White’s seahorse (Hippocampus whitei), Justin Gilligan (NSW)

Threatened Species (threatened, rare, vulnerable or endangered species)

Winner: Maybe 2 in a 1000, Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), Matty Smith (NSW)

Runner-up: Turtle Reflection, Green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas), Johnny Gaskell (QLD)

Portfolio Prize (best portfolio of size or more images)

Winner: Matty Smith (NSW)

The Adelaide Review is a media partner of the South Australian Museum