Ball of cuteness and other winning nature photos

A photo of a mountain hare in a snowstorm that took the photographer several freezing weeks to capture has won this year’s BigPicture international nature photography competition

Donna Coutts

2 min read

May 14, 2020 - 7:00PM

Kids News

Hippopotamus herd stuck in the mud in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. Picture: Talib Almarri

READING LEVEL: GREEN

A photo of a mountain hare tucked into a ball to stay warm in a snowstorm has won this year’s BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

It took just a fraction* of a second to take the winning photograph, yet to be in the right place at the right time, photographer Andy Parkinson spent weeks sitting in below-zero temperatures in Scotland having ice flung into his face by fierce wind.

The BigPicture Photography Competition is a worldwide annual search for incredible photos of life on Earth.

Finalists include a photo of a fight to the death between a cheetah and an impala on the African savanna and a view from above of a herd of more than 200 hippotamuses trapped in mud in Botswana in 2019 during severe drought.

The competition is run by the California Academy of Sciences and aims to highlight Earth’s biodiversity* and show the many threats that our planet faces. Each photo, in its own way, inspires viewers to protect and conserve the remarkable diversity of life on Earth.

Here are the category winners plus a couple of our favourite finalists.

Grand-prize winner titled “Shelter in Place” of a mountain hare, Cairngorms National Park, Scotland, UK. Picture: Andy Parkinson

Winner of the Aquatic Life category, showing seals around a chunk of ice off the Antarctic Peninsula. Picture: Greg Lecoeur

Toads floating in the Lez River, France, a finalist in the aquatic life category. Picture: Mathieu Foulquié

The winning photo in the Human/Nature category of birds caught by cats at the WildCare Wildlife Hospital, San Rafael, US. Picture: Jak Wonderly

Taken in Reteti Elephant Sanctuary, Kenya, this photo won the Photo Story: Coexistence category. Picture: Ami Vitale

A cheetah dives for a fleeing impala in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, winner of the Terrestrial Wildlife category. Picture: Yi Liu

A Mozambican long-fingered bat taking a sip of water in one of the last remaining watering holes at the end of the dry season in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, winner of the Winged Life category. Picture: Piotr Naskrecki

Sundew on the Hatertse Vennen Nature Reserve, Netherlands, winning entry in the Landscapes, Waterscapes, and Flora category. This plant lures it prey with scents, colours and nectar. Picture: Edwin Giesbers

A break in the snow at Rio Tinto, Spain, winner of the Art of Nature category. Picture: Juan Jesús González Ahumada

Images originally appeared on bioGraphic, an online magazine about science and sustainability and sponsor for the California Academy of Sciences’ BigPicture: Natural World Photography Competition.

GLOSSARY

fraction: tiny part of something
biodiversity: the range of living things in a habitat or on Earth

EXTRA READING

World’s wonderful wildlife on show

Incredible nature photos are a call to action

Australia’s most incredible weather photos

QUICK QUIZ

Describe the weather when Andy Parkinson took the winning photo.
Why were the birds at the wildlife hospital?
What African country is Maasai Mara National Reserve in?
Which three ways does sundew attract prey?
What country is Rio Tinto in?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Pick Your Winner
Choose the photos that you think should win first, second and third place in the competition. For each photo, write down the reasons why you chose them for each place.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts

2. Extension
Choose three photos and write a story that includes what is happening or what is shown in each photograph.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

VCOP ACTIVITY
Paint it With Words
Choose one of these pictures and create a descriptive opening sentence. Think about how you can add detail by using figurative language (metaphor, simile, alliteration, etc).

Share it with a partner to see what they wrote about.

HAVE YOUR SAY: What in nature would you like most to photograph?
No one-word answers. Use full sentences to explain your thinking. No comments will be published until approved by editors.