The winners of the 57th annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition were announced late in 2021. The competition celebrates the splendour of the natural world, but increasingly, it also highlights the complicated relationship that humans have with animals and the environment. This is a necessary evolution, for beauty alone will not change the world.
The prestigious competition is owned by the Natural History Museum in London. More than 50 000 submissions were received from 95 countries and the winners were selected anonymously by a panel of international experts.
The winning shots