Wildlife photography has this crazy way of reminding us just how wild, raw, and unbelievably alive our planet really is. And the Chromatic Photography Awards 2024 did exactly that with their Amateur Wildlife and Animals winners. These 27 stunning photos aren’t just snapshots — they’re full-on stories frozen in fractions of a second, each one buzzing with the spirit of the untamed.
You’ve got everything in this lineup: predators locked in quiet focus, birds slicing through glowing skies, tiny creatures flexing big personality, and gentle giants moving like poetry across the land. What makes these images hit harder is the authenticity — no staging, no shortcuts, just patience, grit, and a whole lot of respect for the wild.
The amateur photographers behind these shots showed up with heart. They braved cold mornings, muddy boots, buzzing insects, and miles of waiting just to catch that one moment nature decides to share something magical. And when it happens? Boom. You feel it. You feel the heartbeat in the frame, the tension in the air, the peaceful stillness right before something moves.
These photos don’t just show wildlife — they let you feel it. The vulnerability. The strength. The instinct. The quiet rules of survival. It’s nature’s soul on display, no filter needed.
And here’s the exciting part: the Chromatic Awards 2025 winners will be announced soon. So if you’re a wildlife photographer itching to join the ranks, this is your time to dial in your craft — the next set of unforgettable moments is already waiting out there.
Until then, these 27 images stand as a reminder of why we look to the wild: it tells the truth, loudly and beautifully.
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#1. 1st Place winner: "Play Fighting" by Elizabeth Yicheng Shen, United States
"Mom was resting while the cubs were playing. Learning to hunt is a critical survival skill that the cubs will develop before they can hunt with their mother. The cub on the left had one paw on its sibling’s back and another right in front of the face. “Got you!” That was the highlight of the day!"
#2. 2nd Place winner: "Tasty" by Avanka Fernando, Sri Lanka
"Under the soft glow of a slightly cloudy morning, the world of nature unfolded its daily drama. A delightful scene unfolded – several squirrels, agile and playful, traversed the green grass, engaged in the pursuit of both play and food. Positioned strategically, I found myself in the perfect spot, anticipating another day of capturing the essence of these energetic beings."
#3. 3rd Place winner: "The supervisorv" by Tibor Leiter, Hungary
"I took the picture during a foggy sunrise, where a roe buck was observing the area while the others were eating and resting."
Honorable Mentions
#4. "A caring mother" by Andrea Di Stefano, Italy
"This little bird is a red-tailed tern, a female bird and mother of a group of chicks, which moves among the branches of the pine trees, not far from the nest and in constant alert, already from the first light of morning."
#5. "Adult starling with young" by Jo Huntjens, Netherlands
"Amateurphotographer with lots of passion for nature-photography, especially birds."
#6. "And… Action…" by Olivier Martinez, France
"Hanifaru Manta Ray make the loop"
#7. "Arabian Oryx" by Daniel Hajdacki, Poland
"Last November I went to the Middle East. I visited Dubai. I don’t really like big cities, so when I had seen what I wanted to see, I started to escape the city. I explored the desert areas of the Emirates in search of interesting landscapes. I was also interested in the fauna."
#8. "Buffy Fish Owl In Flight" by Partha Roy, Singapore
#9. "Cheetah family" by Graeme Guy, Malaysia
"I was on a safari in the Maasai Mara, Kenya when we left our lodge in the amber morning light. A female cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) and her three cubs were romping around and observing the surrounding territory from a small hill. I am fascinated by this species and the onerous duty of the female to provide for her offspring which relies on her stalking skill and running speed."
#10. "Circus sea lion" by Jamie Sherratt, United Kingdom
"As dusk arrived and the moon rose, i stumbled across this colony of sea lions on a rocky outcrop. I managed to find this composition where it almost looks as if the sea lion is playing with the moon, like it would a ball in the circus…"
#11. "Dance Like No One’s Watching" by Elizabeth Yicheng Shen, United States
"While I was out watching and photographing migratory birds along the California coast, I discovered a marsh preserve adjacent to a beach. Little did I know that it is the only extensive wetland along the coast of the San Francisco Peninsula."
#12. "Divers Dream" by Olivier Martinez, France
#13. "Freedom" by Caroline Heinrich, Austria
"An icelandic horse wandering the step of a mighty waterfall."
#14. "Glimmer of Survival" by Philipp Fernandez, Germany
"In August 2024, after beginning my photography journey in January 2023, I found myself on my first expedition to Africa, eager to capture a defining image. Initially, the gorillas remained hidden within the shadowy depths of the jungle. However, moments before I had to leave the site, a pivotal event occurred: a silverback gorilla snapped a branch, puncturing the overhead canopy."
#15. "Guarding" by Elizabeth Yicheng Shen, United States
"No one knows how the mule deer fell off the cliff. What we do know was….for the next 10 days or so, the bobcat sat on the carcass guarding, eating and sleeping, rarely leaving. It seemed to be a perfect location to hide the carcass. Her only enemies were from the sky: the ravens to which the cat never gave the opportunity to steal even a bite."
#16. "Heart of the Ice" by Terhi Paavola, Finland
""Heart of the Ice" captures a tender moment between a polar bear mother and her cub on the pristine glaciers of Svalbard. Set against a backdrop of stunning blue ice, this image reveals the intimate bond between mother and cub in one of the world’s most remote and fragile environments."
#17. "Kingfisher" by Jo Huntjens, Netherlands
"Amateurphotographer with lots of passion for nature-photography, especially birds."
#18. "Lost in contemplation" by Caroline Heinrich, Austria
"An icelandic horse watching the sunset inmidst a lavender field."
#19. "Penguin Chit Chat" by Anna Sadowski, Germany
"Two Adelie penguins leave the rest of their waddle to have a little private chat."
#20. "Practice makes perfect" by Judith Kuhn, Germany
"On my recent trip to the Niederhorn in the Bernese Oberland, I hoped to meet adult ibexes with impressive horns. I also thought that the goats might already have young. I didn’t meet any bucks, nor were there any newborns – this represents the compromise, so to speak: yearlings who still have a few excess strength…"
#21. "Razorbill Love" by Øyvind Pedersen, Norway
"Two razorbills photographed on the cliff at sunset."
#22. "Strength and Serenity" by Abhisek Bagaria, India
"Rhinoceros strength meets sunset tranquillity, showing that strength and peace can exist together. A photo from Kaziranga National Park, Asam, Inidia."
#23. "Super-Tusker" by Jim Guerard, United States
"Super-Tusker "Tee-Jay" strolls across the grassy plains of Amboseli National Park, Kenya and provides transportation for a pair of oxpeckers. Tee-Jay is one of ~20 estimated super-tuskers left in Africa. A super-tusker is defined as a bull elephant whose tusks each weigh in excess of 100 pounds. Elephants and oxpeckers have a symbiotic relationship as the oxpeckers will feast on the ticks and bugs from the elephant’s backs."
#24. "The gaze of pelican" by Alain Mouton, France
"A pelican at rest meets my gaze and assumes a posture like in a painting from the Flemish School of the 15th century."
#25. "The night shadow" by Øyvind Pedersen, Norway
"A pine marten in the night. The camera is triggered by a PIR motion sensor, and off camera flashes are used to illuminate the pine marten."
#26. "Three Little Beaks" by Caroline Peppiatt, United States
"Three egret nestlings greet the morning sun."
#27. "Who is looking at who?" by Klaus Klemm, Germany
"This captivating portrait captures the inquisitive gaze of a golden-headed lion tamarin, taken at the Wilhelma Stuttgart, a renowned zoo in Germany. The tamarin’s vivid orange mane contrasts strikingly with its dark fur, highlighting its unique and vibrant appearance. Known for their playful and curious nature, these small primates are always alert, making one wonder who is observing whom during an encounter at the zoo."
