We are absolutely delighted to announce our 2020 winners, in a year that saw entries flow in from all four corners of this most precious globe of ours. It also gives us great pleasure to hand the title of World Nature Photographer of the Year to Thomas Vijayan for his image ‘The world is going upside down.’ Many congratulations to all our winners! For your chance to have your work seen by millions of people around the world, enter 2021’s competition here.

Animals in their habitat

THOMAS VIJAYAN, CANADA - Gold WINNer and grand prize of WORLD NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

I had this frame in my mind so, to get this shot, I firstly selected a tree that was in the water so that I could get a good reflection of the sky which makes the image look upside down. Then, I climbed up the tree and waited for hours. This is a regular path for the orangutans to cross to another small island, so I felt I was sure to get this frame if I wait patiently. It was a tough task but the end result paid off. Borneo is a photographers’ paradise. I really enjoyed shooting in such an untouched part of the world.

silver: vladimir cech, czech republic

bronze: arlette magiera, GERMANY

Animal portraits

gold: nick dale, united kingdom

A Bengal tigress with a catchlight in her eye lies up to her neck in the dark shadows of a water hole. Her name is Maya 'The Enchantress', and she has orange and black stripes with white patches on her head.

Behaviour - Amphibians and reptiles

GOLD: VITTORIO RICCI, italy

Two European common brown frogs during Spring mating season, Aveto, Italy.

Behaviour - Birds

Gold: Dale PAUL, Canada

This Great Horned Owl has just jumped from its perch in the trees to begin flight. She has thrust her wings forward to gain momentum. As the wings connect in front of her it appears as though she has formed a perfect flying saucer. The image was taken near High River, Canada.

Behaviour - Invertebrates

GOLD: DR TZE SIONG TAN, SINGAPORE

Dragonfly and damselfly sex is a very conspicuous event, easily recognised by the heart-shaped "wheel" formation of mating pairs. I was lucky to encounter several pairs during a morning walk at Gardens by the Bay,Singapore. I approached quietly to avoid scaring the pair away; and positioned my equipment carefully to get both damselflies in the same plane.

Behaviour - Mammals

GOLD: patrick nowotny, united states

An interloper approaches a watering hole in the Serengeti that was already claimed by a small pride of lions. As the lioness came close, the pride attacked her in order to drive her away.

People and nature

gold: christa funk, united states

Andre Fajardo and I went to dive early one morning. Sometimes you'll see a ton of life in this area and other times you won't. This particular day we came upon a few bait balls and the fish let us swim around them. The photo was taken in the Pacific Ocean.

Plants and fungi

GOLD: DORON TALMI, israel

South Eastern USA has numerous swamps, lakes and bayous where thousands of large "bald cypress" trees are growing in the water. The beautiful sights are further enhanced during the November fall foliage by amazing lights and reflections. The image was captured handheld, from a kayak at a misty dawn in a lake in East Texas.

Urban wildlife

gold: lawrence worcester, united states

A songbird pulls at construction tape to snag a thread

Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments

gold: alessandro Gruzza, italy

The first cold days of winter have frozen the surface of a pond. The first snowfall has revealed its delicate beauty. A long shutter speed enhances the movement of the clouds in the sky around Mount Cimon de la Pala, in the Pale San Martino Range. Location: Mount Cavallazza, Paneveggio-Pale San Martino Natural Park, Italy

Black and white

GOLD: harry skeggs, united kingdom

Ulysses, one of the last remaining great tuskers, bears down on top of me, demonstrating his colossal size and tusks

Nature art

gold: dipanjan pal, india

A glacial river flowing through the black sand to the Atlantic.

Nature photojournalism

gold: Gunther de Bruyne, Belgium

A white Rhino is dehorned to prevent being killed by poachers. It’s a highly effective strategy as well as a conservation measure of last resort. All rhino species are, or have been, on the brink of extinction due to the popularity of their horn in Asia. But to clarify: rhino horn is composed of keratin, the very same substance that forms our fingernails. Nowadays, even in Asia, it’s widely known that rhino horn has no medicinal value or any other beneficial effect. However, the fewer rhinos there are, the higher the price of their horns, which unfortunately has made rhino horn consumption a status symbol.