World of Wonders
Take a closer look at some of our favorite images from TNC's 2021 global photo contest.
Spring 2022
In 2021, photographers from 158 countries submitted a total of 100,190 pictures to The Nature Conservancy’s global photo contest. Here are some of the winning images from around the world.
![a person in blue seen from behind on amber sand, with white head scarf unraveling in the wind](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_1.jpg)
![in a black & white image, a silhouetted person carries an instrument & water spills from a pipe above](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_2A.jpg)
![in an underwater image, someone in blue swims, surrounded by numerous pieces of brightly colored garbage](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_2B.jpg)
![several divers are silhouetted against a blue water background, in a beam of light streaming down from a hole in the ground at top of image](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_3.jpg)
![seen from above, alligator-like carcass blends into brown cracked dirt seen in all directions](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_4.jpg)
“I took this picture during a visit to the Pantanal wetlands just a few days after the region was struck by the worst wildfires in its recent history. I have been visiting that area frequently for many years, but had never faced such a sad scenario of destruction.”
—Photographer Daniel de Granville Manço
![in a geometric image seen from above, pools of different brown hues are seen against each other with a dark stream running between them](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_5.jpg)
![against a dark blue background, a silhouetted tree is seen covered in neon green-like specks of light (fireflies)](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_6A.jpg)
“I decided to venture out every night [to find the fireflies]. Luckily, one night I could see many places where there were a lot of fireflies, but still I could not find that one tree where I could isolate the fireflies from the rest of the frame. After about three hours, I saw this tree and immediately knew this was it.”
—Photographer Prathamesh Ghadekar
![in an underwater image, two large fish are seen up close with one fish caught in the mouth of the other, grass/seaweed surround them](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_6B.jpg)
![a large green tree or moss covered plateau stretches toward the viewer and stands above a stretch of clouds and fog](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_7.jpg)
![in a black & white image, a wall divides the image into two sides: on left, a boy sits on a staircase alone, on right, dozens of windows and balconies are seen on the side of a building](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_8.jpg)
![seen from above, a small baby orangutan lies on its back on an operating table. many gloved hands reach out to hold it](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_9.jpg)
“When I saw the number of people around the operation table, I decided immediately to get on a chair. The ceiling was not very high so I could hold on to the ceiling to be stable to shoot the picture.”
—Photographer Alain Schroeder
![amid swift brown water, 4 cheetah heads peak above the water with gritted teeth](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_F_PHOTO_10.jpg)
![in a black & white image, a wildebeest leaps with many wildebeests in the background](/content/dam/tnc/nature/en/photos/SPR22_INFOCUS_2-3.jpg)
Want to learn more?
See more winning images and get updates on future Nature Conservancy photo contests: nature.org/photography.
Get the Magazine
Sign up to become a member of The Nature Conservancy and you'll receive the quarterly print edition of the magazine as part of your membership.