Winners of the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 Competition
The winners of the Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 competition have been unveiled, with a mind-bending orangutan image taking the grand prize.
Over 8,000 images were entered into the competition this year, with nature photographers from all over the world competing to secure the £1,500 cash prize.
Canadian photographer Thomas Vijayan took the grand prize with his image The World is Going Upside Down, giving an intimate look into the world of an orangutan. The image appears to be looking at the sky, but on closer inspection is seen to be a reflection in the water below the tree.
“Thomas’ image is really unique, and immediately stood out to the judging panel,” said Will Nicholls, Founder of Nature TTL. “It’s one of those photos where you can’t skim past it. The unique perspective and composition means you are immediately trying to figure out what exactly you are looking at.”
Vijayan takes the £1,500 grand prize and title of Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021.
“This image means a lot to me because presently the orangutan population is reducing at an alarming rate,” says Vijayan of his winning image. “Deforestation and humans are the key cause behind this. Trees over 1,000 years old – which are a major asset to our planet – are being cut down for palm oil plantation. As humans we have a lot of alternative choices to replace the oil, but the orangutans don’t have any options other than losing their home. I am very happy to see this image be successful, as it gives me an opportunity to spread the issue to the wider world.”
13-year-old Thomas Easterbrook, from the United Kingdom, was crowned the Young Nature TTL Photographer of the Year 2021 with his image of a peregrine falcon tackling a starling murmuration.
In total, photographers competed amongst 8 different competition categories celebrating the natural world: Animal Behaviour, Camera Traps, Landscapes, Small World, The Night Sky, Underwater, Urban Wildlife, and Wild Portraits.
You can see the category winners below, and view the full gallery of commended images over on the competition website.
Animal Behaviour
Thomas Vijayan
Category Winner & Overall Winner
Johan Wandrag
Runner-up
Camera Traps
John Formstone
Category Winner
James Roddie
Runner-up
Landscapes
Jay Roode
Category Winner
Fanny Reed
Runner-up
Small World
James Gifford
Category Winner
Samantha Stephens
Runner-up
The Night Sky
Ivan Pedretti
Category Winner
Amos Ravid
Runner-up
Underwater
Grant Thomas
Category Winner
Zhi’yue Shi
Runner-up
Urban Wildlife
Kallol Mukherjee
Category Winner
Mohammad Murad
Runner-up
Wild Portraits
Dennis Stogsdill
Category Winner
James Gifford
Runner-up
Under 16
Thomas Easterbrook
Young Overall Winner
Raphael Schenker
Runner-up
To see more images from the competition, including all the Highly Commended images, head over to the competition website.
