Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023: Laurent Ballesta equals historic feat

Photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta got the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) 2023 by capturing a mysterious horseshoe crab on his camera. In the picture, the golden marine arthropod is seen on the bottom of the waters off Pangatalan Island, in the Philippines. The picture also shows three small fish above the crab. This picture made Laurent Ballesta only the second photographer in WPY's 59-year history to win the competition twice.

Judge praises Laurent Ballesta

Confirming the award, Kathy Moran, Chairperson of the judging panel, told BBC that a winning image required four characteristics- "aesthetics", "moment", "narrative", and increasingly "something that has a conservation edge to it".


She said, "There's a luminosity to Laurent's picture. It really does feel like an alien floating across the seafloor - but when you step back and realise just how important these creatures are to ocean health and human health, we just felt the image brought it all together and we couldn't pass it up."

Young Wildlife Photographer

Israeli photographer Carmel Bechler won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title. Sitting in his father's car, Bechler shot a picture of two barn owls perched in the window of a graffiti-scrawled derelict building.

Bechler said that the lights were the most difficult thing in the image to get right.

Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles

Juan Jesús Gonzalez Ahumada won the award in the 'Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles' category. He clicked a picture of toad tadpoles feasting on a dead fledgling sparrow.

Behaviour: Mammals

Bertie Gregory received the award in the Behaviour: Mammals category. He filmed orcas "wave washing" Weddell seals in the Antarctic, to dislodge them from the safety of sea-ice.

Animals in their Environment

Amit Eshel won the award in the Animals in their Environment category. He captured on his camera the tussle between two male Nubian ibexes in Israel's Zin Desert.

Oceans: The Bigger Picture

Lennart Verheuvel's photograph 'Last Gasp' won the Oceans: The Bigger Picture category award. It shows a beached orca at Cadzan, on the Dutch-Belgian border.

Behaviour: Invertebrates

Indian photographer Sriram Murali won the award in the Behaviour: Invertebrates category. His picture was produced in the forests of India's Anamalai Tiger Reserve.

Rising Star Portfolio Award

Luca Melcarne got the Rising Star Portfolio Award. The mountain guide in France's Vercors Regional Natural Park photographed an ibex after spending a bitterly cold night in a temporary shelter.

FAQs:

Q1. Who became the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) 2023?
A1. Photographer and marine biologist Laurent Ballesta got the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) in 2023.

Q2. Who is the only photographer to win the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year?
A2. Laurent Ballesta became only the second photographer in WPY's 59-year history to win the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year twice.