2015′s Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winner Will Amaze You — and Make You Cringe

Now in its 51st year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition — run by the British Natural History Museum — just announced this year’s crop of winners. 

The results are stunning.

According to the Natural History Museum, “Wildlife Photographer of the Year champions ethical photography. Images are chosen for their artistic composition, technical innovation and truthful interpretation of the natural world.”

This year’s winners were selected from 42,000 entries from 96 countries, and will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London from Oct. 16, 2015, through April 10, 2016.

The 2015 Grand Prize winner was Don Gutoski, whose striking image “A Tale of Two Foxes” is a stark portrait of Canada’s struggle with global warming.

According to Kathy Moran, senior editor for natural history projects at National Geographic and jury member, “one of the strongest single storytelling photographs I have ever seen …  the immediate impact of this photograph is that it appears as if the red fox is slipping out of its winter coat. What might simply be a straightforward interaction between predator and prey struck the jury as a stark example of climate change, with red foxes encroaching on Arctic fox territory.”

Looking through the scores of runners-up, it’s difficult to imagine selecting a winner. Each category, though, has criteria as specific as the photos are ephemeral. The “Urban” category winner, for example, must showcase “the magic of the commonplace and [focus] on nature’s occupation of manmade environments.”

To get a sense of the “magic” captured in this competition, browse through these images, and check out each of the photographers behind-the-scenes stories.

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