by
Team Africa Geographic
Thursday, 11 April 2024
Our Photographer of the Year 2024 is open for submissions. Each of the three winners (the overall winner plus two runners-up) will become a personal sponsor of a wild Hwange lion research collar. Winners and their partners will also join our CEO Simon Espley on a conservation safari in Botswana. Read more about the prizes here .
Photographer of the Year is open for entries from 1 March 2024 to midnight on 31 May 2024. Judging will take place throughout those months and for the month of June 2024, and the winners will be announced in early July 2024.
Photographer of the Year is sponsored by Imvelo Safari Lodges . In association with Southern African Conservation Trust (SACT) and WILDCRU .
Here are the best Photographer of the Year submissions for this week
A lion carries its hard-won wildebeest prize over a parched earth. Amboseli National Park, Kenya . © Amish Chhagan On a particularly hot day, a young elephant hurries to the waterhole. Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana . © Daniela Anger Listening with one ear. A Burchell’s zebra leaves an ear pricked to listen for danger while keeping eyes on the photographer. Marakele National Park, South Africa . © Mac Stevenson Gooood morning! A Swainson’s spurfowl perched in a tree sings to a far-off fellow calling in the distance. “It’s amazing how loudly these birds can call from such a small throat!” Kruger National Park , South Africa. © Stu Bowie “After three days of searching, we finally came across this shoebill with a catch.” Lake Victoria, Uganda . © Prelena Soma Owen “During my chimpanzee trek in Kibale, we found a chimpanzee seated on the ground, its gaze fixed in the distance, lost in thought.” Kibale National Park , Uganda. © Subi Sridharan “While riding horses across the desert, I was lucky enough to sleep outside next to this welwitschia. In the early hours of the morning, once the moon had set, I was drawn to capture the 1000+-year-old plant under the stillness and brightness of the stars.” Damaraland , Namibia. © Wiktoria West Two wildebeest create a golden glow as they kick up dust at sunset. Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana. © Joe Misika A leopard pulls the carcass of a very young baby hippo into a tree. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya © Joerg Kienitz Between two oceans. The eerie figure of the Shawnee shipwreck pales under a sea of stars. Skeleton Coast National Park, Namibia. © Lucy Gemmill “Go to Kafue, they said. Crocs as big as your Hilux [pickup truck], they said. And so, that one day, we took the Hilux-length boat out for reference. And find them we did.” Kafue National Park , Zambia. © Melissa Orr “African forest elephants are smaller, more elusive, and more aggressive than their savannah cousins – especially outside their forest home, they are easily spooked. I experienced this first-hand. As soon as the mother saw me, she geared up to charge. The calf was running to get out of her way. It was a frightening mock charge after which they disappeared into the safety of the forest.” Loango National Park, Gabon. © Turgay Uzer Giza, a black leopard of Laikipia, traverses the Ewaso Narok River, which neatly splits her territory. “Giza crosses the chilly brown waters of this river almost daily.” Kenya. © Dan Peel The impatient hunter. “While on a photographic boat on the Chobe River, we spotted a young crocodile trying to catch the doves that came for an early morning drink. The crocodile, however, struggled to get close enough to strike. Its many attempts were unsuccessful but provided the opportunity for some interesting shots.” Chobe National Park , Botswana. © Pierre van der Berg Risasi, mother cheetah of the Mara Triangle, with her two cubs – the remaining pair of males from a litter of four. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Nicolas Urlacher A young lion from Mara North Conservancy’s Offbeat pride sits atop a termite mound in the chilly morning mist. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Matrishva Vyas Giraffes cross the dry lakebed under heavy skies. Amboseli National Park, Kenya. © Lukas Walter Lion cub testing its dad’s patience. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Prelena Soma Owen Playtime for juvenile baboons at the water’s edge. Amboseli National Park, Kenya. © Prelena Soma Owen Phoenix rising. An African harrier hawk manages to appear elegant and strike a commanding pose – despite working hard to balance on the uneven stump of a dead tree. Mana Pools National Park , Zimbabwe. © Joost Meyer Flower mantis sitting pretty in a symphony of yellow flowers. Durban, South Africa. © Lucy Gemmill Thought to be the most powerful vulture in Africa, the lappet-faced vulture has a face like no other. Here, the vulture’s portrait is captured at the scene of a wildebeest kill, where it has just chased away all other vultures from the carcass. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © Joschka Voss I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine. Zebras in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya. © Yaron Schmid “We don’t think of terrapins as being go-to meals for crocodiles, but this croc was determined to smash through the shell and get to the meal inside.” Sabi Sand Game Reserve , South Africa. © Karen Blackwood Battle-scarred and ablaze. Two hippos create a cacophony of grunting as they clash in tar-coloured waters before parting ways. Chobe National Park , Botswana. © Lukas Walter The pure joy and glee of a mud bath. Zimanga Private Game Reserve, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. © Debbie Lucas The red throat pouch, golden crest, and blue eye of a crowned crane are vibrant against the dead grasses of the plains. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. © Ren Schiffer A black rhino mother and calf stroll through a misty forest. Kenya. © Preeti John Two sub-adult cheetahs lick their lips in synchrony after feasting on a carcass on a spring morning. Kuzuko Game Reserve, South Africa. © Wiktoria West Giraffes can dance. Two young giraffes engage in gentle necking. “It was as if these two giraffes were practising – their slow motions were so elegant.” Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Vicki Jauron
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