Stunning snaps from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award

The 25-strong shortlist for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year award has been announced, highlighting stories of nature from across the globe.

The competition, now in its 58th year, attracted nearly 40,000 entries from photographers in 93 countries and aims to display the “shocking and beautiful moments that nature has to offer”, said Gizmodo.

Some photos in the shortlist “highlight the threats to wildlife”, added CNN, with Dutch photographer Auke-Florian Hiemstra shortlisted for his image showing a fish trapped in a discarded rubber glove, found in the canals of Leiden.

“The photo confronts us with our throw-away society,” Hiemstra told the broadcaster. “I would like to dedicate this photo to all our clean-up volunteers and litter pickers worldwide, who try to prevent the impact of plastic on our wildlife.”

The collection of images, chosen by the Natural History Museum, can be voted for by the public via interactive screens at the museum in London, or online. Voting will be open until 2 February 2023, and the winner and four runners-up will be announced on 9 February.