Horseshoe crab crowned champion at Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition

Laurent Ballesta has been named the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) 2023 for his captivating image of a horseshoe crab. The photograph shows the golden marine creature nestled in the muddy waters off Pangatalan Island in the Philippines, with three small fish trailing behind, hoping to catch any food that the crab disturbs. This marks the second time that Ballesta has won the competition, making him only the second photographer in the history of WPY to achieve this feat. Ballesta's previous win came in 2021, for his photograph capturing a group of groupers in the midst of spawning. At the gala dinner held at London's Natural History Museum to present the award, Kathy Moran, the chair of the judging panel, explained that a victorious image must possess four essential qualities: "aesthetics," "moment," "narrative," and an increasingly important "conservation edge." Ballesta's stunning photograph was deemed to possess all of these characteristics. Moran further elaborated on the appeal of Ballesta's image, describing it as having a "luminosity" and a sense of otherworldliness. She emphasized that although the horseshoe crab might seem like a strange creature floating across the ocean floor, it is actually of great significance to both the health of the oceans and human well-being. This combination of beauty and ecological importance made Ballesta's photograph stand out among the competition. The horseshoe crab, known as the tri-spine horseshoe crab, has existed for over 100 million years. However, it now faces threats such as habitat destruction and overfishing, as it is used for both food and its blood, which is employed in vaccine development. Fortunately, the species is receiving protection in a marine reserve near Pangatalan Island. Ballesta explained that capturing the image presented technical difficulties, as he had to adjust the speed and aperture to freeze the motion of the horseshoe crab while allowing the small fish to appear in motion. He aimed to create a contrast between the powerful and slow crab and the speedy and fragile fish. In addition to the WPY winner, the competition also recognized Carmel Bechler, a 17-year-old from Israel, as the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Bechler's winning image featured two barn owls perched in the window of a graffiti-covered abandoned building. His photograph captured the birds' unwavering gaze amid streaks of light from a moving vehicle. Several other category winners were announced, including Juan Jesús Gonzalez Ahumada from Spain, who won in the Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles category for his photograph of toad tadpoles feasting on a dead fledgling sparrow. Bertie Gregory from the UK won the Behaviour: Mammals category for his image of orcas wave washing Weddell seals in the Antarctic. Amit Eshel from Israel won in the Animals in their Environment category for his photograph of a tussle between two male Nubian ibexes in Israel's Zin Desert. Lennart Verheuvel from the Netherlands won the Oceans: The Bigger Picture category with his distressing image of a beached and malnourished orca. Sriram Murali from India won the Behaviour: Invertebrates category for his remarkable image of firefly flashes taken in India's Anamalai Tiger Reserve. Lastly, Luca Melcarne from France was awarded the Rising Star Portfolio Award for his image of an ibex in France's Vercors Regional Natural Park. The WPY exhibition, featuring these remarkable photographs, will open at the Natural History Museum and later tour the UK. Entries for the 60th WPY competition will be accepted starting on Monday.