Organized since 2001 by the German Society for Nature Photography (GDT), the competition European Wildlife Photographer of the Year It is not as well known as the Wildlife Photographer of the Year but it would go on to be one of the most important on the international scene. And this year the winner is the Spanish Ángel Fitor with the suggestive photo that you have seen on the cover.
The image is titled ‘Medusa ballet‘(‘ Dance of Jellyfish ‘) and was taken in the Mar Menor, as you know the largest saltwater lagoon in Europe located in Murcia. A threatened natural space that has been current in recent months when thousands of dead fish and crustaceans appear floating on its waters.
Curiously, this catastrophe occurred shortly after the photo was chosen by the jury as the winner of the contest, which, according to the organization, adds power to the message of this photo that in addition to its visual value is a clear testimony of the massive environmental problems of this Murcian region. And is that, the proliferation of jellyfish in marine ecosystems is one of the problems caused by the climate change.
Its author, Ángel Fitor (whom we already saw win an award in the last Wildlife Photo of the Year), “He has been concerned for a long time with the aquatic ecosystems of our planet, to which he wants to give a voice with his images. He firmly believes in the power of photography to initiate the necessary changes and to tackle pressing environmental issues with great conviction.“.
By the way, you will be interested to know that the photograph was taken in a rather special way: initially the photographer only had two of these jellyfish called “fried egg” (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) in front of your lens so had to fire the flash eleven times to achieve the final result that simulates a swarm of jellyfish.
The image was chosen from more than 19 thousand photos presented by more than a thousand photographers from 36 countries. An international jury “of great prestige” was in charge of choosing this photo as well as the winners in the eight competition categories. Total 89 images were highlighted with an award or mention and the 32,000 euros intended for awards.
By the way, Ángel was not the only Spaniard awarded because we must also mention Francis De Andrés, winner in the category “Natural art”, Pedro Javier Pascual Hernandez and Juan Jesus González Ahumada, second place in the category “Other animals” and “Plants and Fungi” (respectively), and Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco best young photographer up to 14 years of the contest. What’s more, Joan de la Malla, Pere Soler Isern, Ruben Perez Novo, Uge Fuertes Sanz, Félix Calvo, Jaime Culebras, Javier Herranz Casellas, Alvaro Lopez-Beltrán, Javier Murcia Requena, Ignacio Medem Seghers and Sergio Tapia they were among the finalists.
The awards ceremony was held virtually but the photos of all the winners can be enjoyed in a exhibition that will tour Germany and Europe (in addition to the corresponding catalog that can be purchased online). As usual, we congratulate the winners and invite you to visit the website to see more interesting photos of nature.
Overall winner European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021
Ángel Fitor (Spain) for ‘Medusa ballet’:
Category Birds
First prize: Terje Kolaas (Norway) with ‘Bird Migration’:
Runner-up: David Pattyn (Holland) with ‘A magnificent morning’:
Mammals Category
First prize: Danny Green (UK) with ‘After the rain’:
Runner-up: Lassi Rautiainen (Finland) with ‘Shadows in the night’:
Category Other animals
First prize: Jan Pedersen (Sweden) with ‘Emerald dragon’:
Runner-up: Pedro Javier Pascual Hernández (Spain) with ‘Spanish moon moths’:
Category Plants and Fungi
First prize: Tobias Richter (Germany) with ‘Hoarfrost’:
Runner-up: Juan Jesús González Ahumada (Spain) with ‘Wood nymphs’:
Category Landscapes
First prize: Anette Mossbacher (Switzerland) with ‘The tree of life’:
Runner-up: Elena Pakhalyuk (Ukraine) with ‘When autumn meets winter’:
Underwater world category
First prize: Fabrice Guerin (France) with ‘Water ballet’:
Runner-up: Tobias Friedrich (Germany) with ‘Nocturnal encounter’:
Category Man and nature
First prize: Magnus Lundgren (Sweden) with ‘Diving and species conservation’:
Runner-up: Marcus Westberg (Sweden) with ‘In captivity’:
Category Natural art
First prize: Francis De Andrés (Spain) with ‘The boss’:
Runner-up: Marco Gaiotti (Italy) with ‘Life on Mars’:
Category Young photographer from 15 to 17 years old
Winner: Lasse Kurkela (Finland) with ‘Forest of the Siberian jay’:
Young photographer category up to 14 years
Winner: Andrés Luis Domínguez Blanco (Spain) with ‘Spring singer’:
More information | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Cover photo | ‘Medusa ballet’ by Ángel Fitor, European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021. GDT EWPY 2021, Ángel Fitor