View the stunning winners of German Society for Nature Photographer of the Year 2024

Winter flood in a riparian forest
Dieter Damschen's winning image (Image credit: Dieter Damschen)

We love a good photography competition at Digital Camera World, and the chance to bring some of the most new stunning images to you.

The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) recently revealed the winners of their annual members-only photo competition.

The prestigious competition received over 8,000 entries across seven categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature's Studio, and the special category – All Things Flow.

Feeding Humpback whales, Namibian antlions, and ethereal woodlands were among the winners. 

Overall winner

The eerie and beautiful trees in the hardwood riparian forest of the Mittel Elbe Biosphere Reserve in Germany.

Photographer Dieter Damschen who captured the image said:

“Winter is my favorite time of year, and one of my favored motifs is the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape. I often visit this hardwood riparian forest in the foreland of the dyke to take photographs at fixed points with lines of sight that reveal carefully selected compositions.

“Although I claim to know this location very well and sometimes get the feeling that I have seen and photographed everything here many times, I am regularly surprised by how different a supposedly familiar place can appear.”

After several years of extremely low water levels, a highly anticipated winter flood came to the forest. The water combined with the snowfall resulted in contrasting lines, creating a graphic yet fleeting effect.

Damschen used Fujifilm GFX100S,  and GF100-200mm f/5.6 @150 mm, with an exposure of ISO 100, f/16, 6.5 sec.

Nature's Studio winner 

(Image credit: Marte Engelbrecht)

Shaped twice by nature, these windswept trees live in the stark dunes of the German barrier island Baltrum. 

Landscapes winner

(Image credit: Felix Wesch)

Birches in autumn was taken by Felix Wesch in his favorite woodland. 

Plants and Fungi winner

(Image credit: Heike Odermatt)

Arrowhead plants thrive in small river Groote Aa, which flows past the outskirts of the photographers village in the Netherlands. 

Other Animals winner

(Image credit: Gerald Haas)

These delicate insects look incredibly fairy-like, and are tricky to find in the wild. 

Mammals winner

(Image credit: Scott Portelli)

Ugandan Humpback whales spend the summer months in the Atlantic feeding grounds, hunting krill to build up their fat reserves for the winter months. These whales can be seen using a technique known as bubble netting, whereby the whales surround the krill, and push them further together by releasing huge bubbles of air. 

Birds winner

(Image credit: Levi Fitze)

A Gentoo penguin surfing effortlessly through the waves on Sea Lion Island, in the Falklands Island. Gentoos are the fastest swimmers among penguins. 

The best of the runner ups:

In The Eye of the Cheetah came 8th place in the Mammals category (Image credit: Monika Morlak)

Morlak's guide in Madikwe, South Afriday reportedly said, "But cheetahs don't kill zebras," upon seeing this extraordinary sight. But needs must when you have three hungry mouths to feed. 

Tasting the Air came in second place in the Other Animals category (Image credit: Kai Kolodziej)

Snakes use their tongues to detect smells. Photographer Kai Kolodziej managed to capture this incredible behaviour in this stunning image. 

Lorenz captured this image of Eurasian beavers, coming in fifth in the Mammals category.  (Image credit: Luca Lorenz)

The Eurasian beaver was once widespread throughout the continent, but was hunted to near extinction at the turn of the 20th century for its fur and castoreum, a substance used in perfume and some food stuffs. 

Check out the best wide-angle lenses for shooting nature and wildlife. We've also put together our list of the best cameras for wildlife photography

Why not take a look at our guide to the best trail cameras while you're at it?

Leonie Helm
Staff Writer

After graduating from Cardiff University with an Master's Degree in Journalism, Media and Communications Leonie developed a love of photography after taking a year out to travel around the world. 

While visiting countries such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Ukraine with her trusty Nikon, Leonie learned how to capture the beauty of these inspiring places, and her photography has accompanied her various freelance travel features. 

As well as travel photography Leonie also has a passion for wildlife photography both in the UK and abroad. 

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