Karine Aigner/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
US photographer Karine Aigner got close to the action as a group of bees competed to mate. "The big buzz" was captured in South Texas.
Dmitry Kokh/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"House of bears" by Dmitry Kokh shows a haunting scene of polar bears shrouded in fog at the long-deserted settlement on Kolyuchin Island in Russia.
Junji Takasago/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Japanese photographer Junji Takasago captured this dream-like scene, called "Heavenly flamingos," in Bolivia. Photographed high in the Andes, Salar de Uyuni is the world's largest salt pan and home to a large lithium mine.
Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Tony Wu watches the electrifying reproductive dance of a giant sea star. "Shooting star" was taken in Kinko Bay, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan.
Brent Stirton/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Ndakasi's passing" by Brent Stirton shows the closing chapter of the story of a much-loved mountain gorilla in the Senkwekwe Center, Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Daniel Núñez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The dying lake" by Daniel Núñez was taken to raise awareness of the impact of contamination on Lake Amatitlán, in Guatemala.
Mateusz Piesiak/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Mateusz Piesiak seized the opportunity to capture the moment when a passing peregrine falcon caused some dunlins to fly up. "A theatre of birds" was taken in Poland.
Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The bat-snatcher" by Fernando Constantino Martínez Belmar shows the moment a Yucatan rat snake snaps up a bat in Kantemo, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn reveals a mix of contrasting colors and textures of a Bryde's whale along the Upper Gulf of Thailand.
Daniel Mideros/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"Spectacled bear's slim outlook" by Daniel Mideros depicts a poignant portrait of a disappearing habitat and its inhabitant. Taken in Peñas Blancas, Quito, Ecuador.
Ismael Domínguez Gutiérrez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In Spain, Ismael Domínguez Gutiérrez mesmerizes with a monochromatic portrayal of an osprey sitting on a dead tree, surrounded by fog in "Out of the fog."
Nick Kanakis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Nick Kanakis gains a glimpse into the secret life of wrens with this photo "The listening bird," taken in Tatamá National Park, Colombia.
Karine Aigner/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The Cuban connection" by Karine Aigner captures a caged Cuban bullfinch along a sidewalk to tell the shared story of Cuban culture and these songbirds.
Ekaterina Bee/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
In "Battle stations," Ekaterina Bee watched Alpine ibex fight a battle of domination in Piedmont, Italy.
Agorastos Papatsanis/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Agorastos Papatsanis creates an otherworldly fairy tale with "The magical morels," highlighting the labyrinthine forms of fungi in the forests of Greece's Mount Olympus.
José Juan Hernández Martinez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A male Canary Islands houbara raises his plume to perform impressive courtship displays. José Juan Hernández Martinez shot this moment in Spain, calling it "Puff perfect."
Richard Robinson/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Richard Robinson showcases a scene of hope in "New life for the tohorā" for a population of whales that has survived near extinction in New Zealand's Auckland Islands.
Anand Nambiar/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
"The great cliff chase" by Anand Nambiar snaps a glimpse into the life of a snow leopard in India charging a herd of ibex toward the edge of the cliff at the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary.
Laurent Ballesta/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Underwater photographer and biologist Laurent Ballesta took below zero dives beneath Antarctica's frozen floor for "Under Antarctic ice," giving a glimpse of the diversity of life.
London CNN  — 

Polar bears pottering around a deserted house, magical morels on Mount Olympus and the final moments of a much-loved mountain gorilla are just some of the winning images from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

But the honor of receiving the competition’s much coveted grand title award for 2022 goes to American Karine Aigner for her photo called “The big buzz.” The extraordinary scene depicts a ball of buzzing male cactus bees intent on mating with the sole female in the scrum, against a backdrop of scorching sands on a Texas ranch.

Roz Kidman Cox, chair of the judging panel, described the close-up as “rolling straight into the picture.”

“The sense of movement and intensity is shown at bee-level magnification and transforms what are little cactus bees into big competitors for a single female,” she said in a news release Tuesday.

Aigner’s “bee-level” close-up displays the desperation of a depreciating species threatened by climate change, pesticides and habitat loss, the press release adds.

She is the fifth woman to be awarded the grand title award in the competition’s 58-year history, organizers said.

Extraordinary images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 competition

Director of the Natural History Museum Doug Gurr commended the photographers for offering “unforgettable glimpses into the lives of wild species, sharing unseen details, fascinating behaviours and frontline reporting on the climate and biodiversity crises.”

Winners were selected in 19 different categories, including three Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards, the grand title of which went to 16-year-old Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn from Thailand for a surfacing Bryde’s whale portraying a contrast of dark skin, pink gum and bristly baleen on the upper jaw, called “The beauty of baleen.”

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, where the images will be exhibited from Friday.