Southern beauties captured in nature

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Overall Winner: “Piercing Headache” Orange-Eyed Tree Frog (Litoria chloris) Cedar Bay National Park, Queensland – Matthew McIntosh, Queensland
Credit: Matthew McIntosh / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum

From an orange-eyed tree frog attracting the wrong kind of females to Venus and Jupiter aside a giant grass tree, this year’s winners of the 2016 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year showcase the extraordinary natural wonder of the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea regions.

The competition, now in its 13th year, was developed by the South Australian Museum in partnership with Australian Geographic to play raise awareness of conservation issues and the fragility of our natural world.

This year prizewinners featured evocative animal portraits and spectacular landscapes selected from a record 2,171 competition entries, submitted by more than 450 professional, emerging and junior photographers from around the world.

Overall winner Queensland photographer Matthew McIntosh impressed the judges with his image of an orange-eyed tree frog trying to attract the attention of its female counterparts.

“Several male orange-eyed frogs were pronouncing their prowess, attempting to attract females. [But] some of the frogs enticed the wrong kind – bloodthirsty female mosquitoes in search of a meal,” McIntosh said, describing the scene in the winning photo taken at Cedar Bay National Park, Queensland.

Some 11 category winners were also awarded for their remarkable nature photographs, including animal portrait, animal behaviour, animal habitat, botanical, landscape, monochrome, interpretive, junior, our impact, threatened species and a portfolio prize to the Western Australian photographer Georgina Steytler, who entered the best portfolio of six entries.

An exhibition of the winners and more than 100 inspiring finalists images is currently on show at the South Australian Museum until 2 October and the Australian Museum, Sydney, until 9 October.

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Animal Portrait Winner: “Red Whip Ambush” Painted Flutemouth (Aulostomus chinensis) South-east Sulawesi, Indonesia – Wade Hughes, Western Australia
Credit: Wade Hughes / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Animal Behaviour Winner: “Glaucus Atlanticus” Blue Glaucus (Glaucus atlanticus) Port Kembla, New South Wales – Matty Smith, New South Wales
Credit: Matty Smith / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Animal Habitat Winner: “Well, Hello!” Smallspotted Combtooth Blenny (Escenius stictus) Russell Island, Queensland – David Westcott, Queensland
Credit: David Westcott / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Botanical Subject Winner: “Aligning Planets” Grass Tree (Xanthorrhoea sp.) Flinders Ranges, South Australia – Julie Fletcher, South Australia
Credit: Julie Fletcher / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Landscape Winner: “Desert Patterns” Kata Tjuta, Northern Territory – Julie Fletcher, South Australia
Credit: Julie Fletcher / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Monochrome Winner: “Winters Path” Brumby (Equus (Equus) caballus) Thredbo, New South Wales – Charles Davis, New South Wales
Credit: Charles Davis / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Interpretive Winner: “Swaying” Dandelion (Hypochaeris sp.) Everard Park, South Australia – Dianne Galbraith, South Australia
Credit: Dianne Galbraith / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Junior Winner: “Rockpool” Minnamurra, New South Wales – Ryan North, New South Wales, Aged 17
Credit: Ryan North / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Our Impact Winner: “The Killing Field” Kangaroo (Macropodidae) Karatta, Kangaroo Island, South Australia – Doug Gimesy, Victoria
Credit: Doug Gimesy / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Threatened Species Winner: “Palm Grove Dingo” Dingo (Canis lupus) Status: Vulnerable Fraser Island, Queensland – Bret Charman, United Kingdom
Credit: Bret Charman / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Portfolio Prizewinner: Georgina Steytler, Western Australia – “A Fishy Present”
Credit: Georgina Steytler / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Portfolio Prizewinner: Georgina Steytler, Western Australia – “Buller’s Albatross”
Credit: Georgina Steytler / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Portfolio Prizewinner: Georgina Steytler, Western Australia – “Driftwood River”
Credit: Georgina Steytler / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Portfolio Prizewinner: Georgina Steytler, Western Australia – “Emu Field”
Credit: Georgina Steytler / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Portfolio Prizewinner: Georgina Steytler, Western Australia – “Mud Skipping”
Credit: Georgina Steytler / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum
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Portfolio Prizewinner: Georgina Steytler, Western Australia – “Orphans”
Credit: Georgina Steytler / Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year / South Australian Museum

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