The Wildlife Photographer of the Year for 2023 is Laurent Ballesta, who won for the above image titled The Golden Horseshoe. The photograph, along with others on the same subject submitted for the Portfolio Award, was taken in the Philippines. This is the second time Ballesta has taken the top prize in the competition, after he was awarded the title in 2021. Golden horseshoe crabs are an endangered species, one of only four horseshoe crab species left in the world, even though horseshoe crabs have survived for hundreds of millions of years.
The title of Young Photographer of the Year was awarded to Israeli photographer Carmel Bechler, for this image titled Owls' Road House. You have to look closely to see the owls who have taken up residence in an abandoned building. The winning images from the competition will go on exhibit at the Natural History museum this Friday. See more photographs from the competition at the exhibit page. Be aware that some images may be disturbing.