Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
French underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta's winning shot of camouflage groupers exiting their clouds of eggs and sperm in Fakarava, French Polynesia.
Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Andrés Luis Dominguez Blanco, from Spain, won in the "11-14 years" category for his shot of a warbler singing amid a field of sunflowers.
Gil Wizen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Israeli-Canadian photographer Gil Wizen won in the "Behaviour: Invertebrates" category for this shot of a fishing spider stretching out silk from its spinnerets to weave into its egg sac.
Jennifer Hayes/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In the "Oceans: The Bigger Picture" category, American Jennifer Hayes won for her shot of blood-stained sea ice where harp seals were giving birth.
Stefano Unterthiner/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Italian photographer Stefano Unterthiner won in the "Behaviour: Mammals" category for his photo of two reindeer battling for control.
Javier Lafuente/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In "Wetlands -- The Bigger Picture" category, Spanish photographer Javier Lafuente won for this shot of a road slicing through the wetlands landscape.
Gil Wizen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Israeli-Canadian photographer Gil Wizen won the "Urban Wildlife" category after finding a venomous Brazilian wandering spider under his bed.
Martin Gregus/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Canadian-Slovakian Martin Gregus won the "Rising Star Portfolio Award" for a shot of female polar bears playing in water.
Alexander Mustard/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In the "Natural Artistry" category, British photographer Alex Mustard found a ghost pipefish hiding in a feather star.
Adam Oswell/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Australian photographer Adam Oswell drew attention to the exploitation of elephants in the "Photojournalism" category.
Shane Kalyn/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Canadian Shane Kalyn's shot of a raven courtship display won him the "Behaviour: Birds" category.
Majed Ali/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Kuwaiti photographer Majed Ali's shot of a mountain gorilla enjoying the rain won the "Animal Portraits" category.
Lasse Kurkela/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In the "15-17 Years" category, Finnish winner Lasse Kurkela captured a Siberian jay flying to the top of a spruce tree to stash its food.
João Rodrigues/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Portuguese photographer João Rodrigues won the "Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles" category for his underwater shot of courting sharp-ribbed salamanders in a flooded forest.
Brent Stirton/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
South African Brent Stirton won the "Photojournalism Story Award" for his profile of a rehabilitation center caring for chimpanzees orphaned by the bushmeat trade.
Zack Clothier/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
American Zack Clothier won the "Animals in their Environment" category after a grizzly bear took an interest in his camera trap near some bull elk remains.
Vidyun R. Hebbar/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year Vidyun R. Hebbar captured a tent spider's web as an auto-rickshaw passed by in India.
Angel M.Fitor/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Angel Fitor of Spain won the "Portfolio Award" for this shot of a battle between two cichlid fish over a snail shell.
Justin Gilligan/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In the "Plants and Fungi" category, Australian Justin Gilligan created the reflection of a marine ranger among the seaweed in the world's southernmost tropical reef.
CNN  — 

The winning images in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have been released after a record-breaking number of entries were submitted, with a riveting underwater shot taking home the top prize.

Organized by the Natural History Museum in London, the 57th edition of the contest saw 50,000 entries from 95 countries vying for a prize – with shots ranging from a reindeer battle to a venomous spider hiding under a bed.

French underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta was crowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 for his photo of camouflage groupers exiting their milky cloud of eggs and sperm in a biosphere reserve in Fakarava, French Polynesia.

Ballesta returned to the Fakarava lagoon five years in a row to capture the annual spawning that takes place around the July full moon. Camouflage groupers are a vulnerable species threatened by overfishing, the museum said in a press release Tuesday.

Stunning images released by Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2021 competition

“In what could be a pivotal year for the planet, with vital discussions taking place at COP15 and COP26, Laurent Ballesta’s Creation is a compelling reminder of what we stand to lose if we do not address humanity’s impact on our planet,” Natural History Museum director Doug Gurr said in the press release.

Meanwhile, 10-year-old Indian photographer Vidyun R. Hebbar was awarded the prize of Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image of a tent spider in its web, with a backdrop of an auto-rickshaw passing by.

Animals captured at their funniest in the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2021

Winners were announced in a total of 19 categories, with this year featuring three new additions – “Wetlands,” “Oceans” and “Natural Artistry.”

Other winning images included Kuwaiti photographer Majed Ali’s shot of a mountain gorilla enjoying a rain shower, and a picture of fractured sea ice used as a birthing platform for seals by American photographer Jennifer Hayes.

The competition for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 opens October 18.