National Wildlife's 2019 Photo Contest Honorable Mentions
WHY TAKE PICTURES? For most of us, it’s a way to log our memories and share our lives. For wildlife photographers, it’s a passionate mission—to reveal what’s often unseen and ignite human compassion for the natural world we’re all bound to protect. Nature lovers from around the world entered more than 23,000 images in the 48th annual National Wildlife® Photo Contest. Our panel of judges selected the photos displayed below as honorable mentions. These images, and the winning photographs, reflect the passion and craft of photographers whose vision brings nature to life. Some painstakingly planned a shot, using trial, error and patience to capture it. Others transformed a lucky moment into something unforgettable. And all of them help us see and feel that the natural world is worth our vigilant care.
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BIRDS
Sandra Rothenberg, Warren, PA
Bananaquit and green-crowned brilliant, Highlands region, Costa Rica -
MAMMALS
Daniel D’Auria, Tabernacle, NJ
Woodland caribou, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba -
BIRDS
Kallol Mukherjee, West Bengal, India
Blue-tailed bee-eater, Damodar River, West Bengal, India -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
David DesRochers, Somerset, NJ
Black-speckled palm pit viper, Costa Rica -
MAMMALS
Sonalini Khetrapal, New Delhi, Delhi, India
Lioness and newborn cub, Maasai Mara, Kenya -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Jeff McDonald, Pittsburgh, PA
Monarch butterfly on goldenrod and aster, Upper St Clair, PA -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Sean Landsmen, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
Male brook trout, Maine -
YOUTH
John Fortener, Allen Park, MI
Great horned owl with two owlets, Ann Arbor, MI -
MAMMALS
Adam Jewell, Conshohocken, PA
Moose cow and calf, Snake River, Grand Teton National Park, WY -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Renee Capozzola, Palos Verdes Estates, CA
Mating green sea turtles, Maui, HI -
BIRDS
Sandy Richards-Brown, Brookings, OR
Wakodahatchee Wetlands, Boca Raton, FL -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Douglas Steakley, Carmel Valley, CA
Anaconda Ice Cave, Vatnajökull Glacier Field, Iceland -
MAMMALS
Douglas Croft, San Jose, CA
Breaching humpback whale, Monterey Bay, CA -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Barbara Saffir, McLean, VA
Handsome meadow katydid, Alexandria, VA -
MAMMALS
Ly Dang, Poway, CA
Arctic fox, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba -
BIRDS
Charles Felz, Missoula, MT
King penguin surrounded by chicks, South Georgia Island -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
James Picardi, Franktown, CO
Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, WY -
MAMMALS
Manoj Shah, Nairobi, Kenya
Chimpanzee baby, Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Guenter Weber, Summerville, SC
American alligator and red-bellied water snake, Charleston, SC -
BIRDS
Liz Hart, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Red-billed oxpecker, Amboseli National Park, Kenya -
MAMMALS
Fred O’Hearn, Kodiak, AK
Kodiak brown bear, Kodiak Island, AK -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Anne Grimes, Ayden, NC
Coralbean flower, Ayden, NC -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
William Lee, Tempe, AZ
Camping, Havasupai Tribe Territory, AZ -
YOUTH
Caleb Brown, Christiana, TN
"Picture Perfect,” Christiana, TN -
BIRDS
Csaba Tokolyi, Budapest, Hungary
Preening Atlantic puffin, Skomer Island, Wales, UK -
MAMMALS
Prince Eleazer, Allentown, PA
Oryx on sand dune, Namib Desert, Namibia -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
James Bodkin, South Barrington, IL
Sally Lightfoot crab, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Kellie Carter, Newcastle, OK
Dandelion, Newcastle, OK -
BIRDS
Kathrin Swodoba, Vienna, VA
Common tern chicks, Nickerson Beach Park, Lido Beach, FL -
MAMMALS
Douglas Croft, San Jose, CA
Gray whale mother and calf, Big Sur, CA -
MAMMALS
Victoria Hilley, Ventura, CA
Lions, Livingstone, Zambia -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Brandon Güell, Long Beach, CA
Red-eyed tree frog embryos, Gamboa, Panama -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Rachael Innes, Torrance, CA
Pink anemonefish on sea anemone, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia -
MAMMALS
Bence Mate, Pusztaszer, Csongrád, Hungary
European rabbits, Kiskunság National Park, Hungary -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Matt Meisenheimer, Janesville, WI
Self portrait, Coal Mine Canyon, Navajo Nation Territory, AZ -
BIRDS
Mike Whear, Howell, MI
Rufous-tailed hummingbird and purple-throated woodstar, Tandayapa Valley, Ecuador -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Cindy Croissant, San Diego, CA
Jumping spider on rose petal, Scripps Ranch, CA -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Lorenzo Terraneo, Milan, Italy
Marine feather worms, Capo Noli, Savona, Italy -
YOUTH
Vishal Subramanyan, Fremont, CA
Female bobcat, California -
Don Wuori, Columbia, SC
Group of trees in mist, Lake Mattamuskeet, Hyde County, NC -
BIRDS
Bruce Boswell, Normal, IL
Eastern bluebird feeding chicks in maple tree, Merwin Preserve, IL -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Florent Gooden, Hem, Nord, France
Great white shark, Guadalupe Island, Mexico -
MAMMALS
Thomas Vijayan, Oakville, Ontario, Canada
Pallas's cat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Leigh Ayres, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Water strider, Heber Down Conservation Area, Oshawa, ON -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
April Brosius, McKees Rocks, PA
Ice climbing, Matanuska Glacier, AK -
BIRDS
Paul Vitucci, Greenlawn, NY
Two bald eagles fight over a fish, Darlington, MD -
MAMMALS
Richard Davidson, Haverford, PA
Orca, Sea of Cortez, Baja California, Mexico -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Brandon Güell, Long Beach, CA
Gliding tree frog reproductive frenzy, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica -
BIRDS
Kathrin Swoboda, Vienna, VA
Red-winged blackbird on a cold morning, Huntley Meadows Park, Alexandria, VA -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Lalith Ekanayake, Kotte, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Common albatross puddling, Yala National Park, Sri Lanka -
MAMMALS
Brittany Crossman, Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada
Red foxes, Riverview, New Brunswick -
BIRDS
Ramesh Chandar, Thornhill, Ontario, Canada
Eastern screech owl, Markham, Ontario -
BIRDS
Leigh Ayres, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Peacock feather, Oshawa, Ontario -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
Stephen Paternite, Akron, OH
Young girl walking in the dunes, Lake Michigan, Frankfort, MI -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Jennifer Strom, Roseville, MN
Bumble bee on iris, Roseville, MN -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Lynne Guenther, Murphy, TX
Bow Lake and Canadian Rockies, Alberta -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Yong Miao, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Ant larvae care,” Zhejiang Province, China -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Rachael Innes, Torrance, CA
Clown anemonefish in sea anemone, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia -
YOUTH
Devin DePamphilis, Harrisburg, PA
American bullfrog, Harrisburg, PA -
MAMMALS
Marc Costermans, Perbais, Namur, Belgium
Endangered European ground squirrel, Pusztaszer, Hungary -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Jessica Tremblay, Carlyle, Saskatchewan, Canada
Prairie crocus, Kannata Valley, Saskatchewan -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
James Ramakka, Aztec, NM
Hiker in the dunes, Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, CO -
MAMMALS
Jean-Simon Bégin, Pont-Rouge, Québec, Canada
Red fox (cross fox color morph), Anticosti Island, Québec -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Perry Hoag, Mt Juliet, TN
Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta -
MAMMALS
Daniel D’Auria, Tabernacle, NJ
Polar bear and cub, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Pamela Javran, Kent, CT
“Ant in Between,” Jakarta, Indonesia -
MAMMALS
Florian Ledoux, Courbevoie, France
Polar bear leaping between sea ice, Lancaster Sound, Nunavut -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Jun Liang, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
Damselfly on water lily blossom, Guang Zhou, China -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Ken Renk, Long Beach, CA
Seahorse, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, CA -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Yong Miao, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Spider hiding on leaf,” Zhejiang Province, China -
MAMMALS
Jenny Lutzhoff, Claremont, CA
Polar bear and cubs, Wapusk National Park, Manitoba -
PEOPLE IN NATURE
James Eklund, Morris, MN
Red-breasted nuthatch in glove, Morris, MN -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
Rich Kirchner, Bozeman, MT
Female green sea turtle digging nest, Isabela Island, Galápagos, Ecuador -
MAMMALS
Scott Dere, Cedarhurst, NY
Kermode “spirit” bear,” Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia -
BIRDS
Pamela Javran, Kent, CT
Zitting cisticola parent feeding chicks, Jakarta, Indonesia -
AMPHIBIANS & REPTILES
David Romea, Lambertville, NJ
Brown-eyed tree frog, Ecuador -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Don Raridon, Idyllwild, CA
Humboldt’s lily, Idyllwild, CA -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Laura Storm, Esher, Surrey, England
Ghost goby swimming over hard coral, Dumaguete, Negros Island, Philippines -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Guanghui Giu, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Pink World,” Zhejiang Province, China -
MAMMALS
Emory McGinty, Cumming, GA
Brown bear, King Salmon, AK -
LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
Charles Robertson, Beach City, TX
Grand Prismatic Spring, Yellowstone National Park, WY -
MAMMALS
Anand Khandwala, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Male lion, Marataba, Marakele National Park, South Africa -
BIRDS
Xiaolin Xu, Guangzhou City, Guangdong, China
“Feeding the Family” Jiangxi, China -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Serge Melesan, Juan-les-Pins, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, France
Lemon sharks, French Polynesia -
YOUTH
Carter Rutledge, Murfreesboro, TN
“Micro droplets,” Great Smoky Mountains, TN -
YOUTH
Dakota Lamberson. Atascadero, CA
Bald eagle, Grand Teton National Park, WY -
UNDERWATER WONDERS
Lorenzo Terraneo, Milan, Italy
Marine feather duster worms, Anilao, Philippines -
INSECTS & OTHER INVERTEBRATES
Vincze Balint, Paks, Tolna Megye, Hungary
Giant singer cicadas, Kövesd, Hungary
