The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) recently announced the  2021 European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards winners!

The GDT is Europe's leading association for nature photography and benefits from an international network in "authentic, aesthetic, and documentary nature photography and nature conservation." The competition's winners are incredibly awe-inspiring, stunning images. 

More than 19,000 images were entered in the competition from photographers from 36 countries. You can read more about all the finalists here.

The Overall Winner, titled Medusa Ballet, by Angel Fitor of Spain, is an ethereal wonder, portraying jellyfish on the Mar Menor lagoon in Spain. He explained that he followed their movement through the frame with eleven flash releases to capture the winning image. It took Fitor six years and countless tries to capture the winning photo. 

A nature photographer, photojournalist, and author, Fitor's work has been published in various publications, including online media and various magazines like National Geographic and GEO. His accolades and awards include World Press Photo, NHM Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Big Picture, National Geographic Photo Contest, and Sony World Photography Awards. 

Nine winning photos and five highly commended images

1. Underwater World Category Winner

2. Man and Nature Category Winner

3. Other Animals Category Winner

4. Birds Category Winner

5. Mammals Category Winner

6. Landscapes Category Winner

7. Nature's Studio Category Winner

8. Plants and Fungi Category Winner

9. Young Photographer to 14 Category Winner

Highly Commended Photos

1. "Attack" by Daniel Flormann

2. “A Quiet Evening” by Marco Gaiotti

3. "Arctic fox in a swarm of mosquitoes" by Arnfinn Johansen

4. "Rainbow over the Olenjok" by Alexey Kharitonov

5. "Pandemic Pigeons" by Jasper Doest