The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition, hosted by South Australia Museum, continues to be a brilliant showcase for the unique flora, fauna and landscapes of Australia. We are once again proud to be the Prize Partner of the awards, providing this year’s overall winner Ashlee Jansen with the opportunity to join our guests onboard a selected voyage this year. Our Digital Marketing Executive Dianne Swain was in attendance at the ceremony, and shares her experience.
Every year, Australian Geographic recognise and award the extraordinary photographic art of the ANZANG bioregion, meaning all images features are taken either in Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica or New Guinea. There are nine categories that photographers can enter their works into: Animals in nature, Urban Animals, Botanical, Landscape, Threatened Species, Monochrome, Our Impact, Astrophotography and Portfolio.
On the evening of Friday, the 26 August the award ceremony took place, announcing the overall winner as Ashlee Jansen with her striking image of a Humpback whale carcass being circled by a Tiger shark on the ocean floor.
Winning for its impactful depiction of life and death in the natural world, the image titled ‘Nature’s Prey’ was captured in Coral Bay, Western Australia. The pictured carcass belonged to a sub-adult whale making the annual migration north along Ningaloo Reef.
The judges said that, ‘The beauty of the image lies in its artful circular composition, seeing the curves of the whales skeletal ribs mirroring the patterns in the sand, keeping our eye within the frame moving between the living and the dead.’
Dianne says ‘Every year we are inspired by the striking photography that is entered across all categories. We share a love and curiosity of nature and are lucky to be able to explore some of these remote natural places in our region year-round.’
Speaking together on the night, Ashlee said she ‘can’t wait to experience the magic of a Coral Expeditions voyage. It’s such an incredible opportunity, and an overwhelmingly tough decision to choose what itinerary to do!’
Ashlee is quite the adventurer herself, having once lived on Lizard Island and other islands in the Great Barrier Reef. Currently living in Exmouth, she says a visit to Osprey Reef is on her bucket list.
Guest Lecturer Quentin Chester and his partner Dale also attended on the night. Quentin said ‘as a land photographer, I admire how underwater photographers interact with their marine life subjects including moving slowly as to not scare the wildlife, being comfortable around share and all the equipment they have to juggle in the process. This year’s line-up of photography is incredible.’
Congratulations to everyone who was shortlisted and the category winners. These amazing photographers are true explorers, and they really do capture nature in all its beauty and rawness. It’s always a pleasure to welcome the overall winner onboard and we look forward to continuing our partnership with South Australia Museum and Australian Geographic long into the future.
See more of the winning images per category on Australian Geographic’s website.