
2016 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year finalist (and our favourite): ‘Celestial terrestrial’ – Southern calamari squid, Matthew Smith. All images supplied by South Australian Museum
With frogs, cephalopods, sharks and more, the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition was a doozy. Here are 43 images that stood out.
An orange-eyed tree frog has become a minor celebrity in Australia after an image of it won Matthew McIntosh the 2016 iteration of Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year.
Run by the South Australian Museum, McIntosh’s ‘Piercing headache’ shows the male frog being stung by numerous, bloodthirsty mosquitoes.
Taking home a top prize of AUS$10,000, plus a trip for two to the Subantarctic islands worth AUS$25,000, McIntosh’s opportunistic shot and subsequent win is a “massive achievement”.
Nature photography
“During [a road trip] we stopped to investigate a chorus of orange-eyed tree frogs calling from foliage around an old car tire filled with water from recent rain, with numerous males vying for the attention of nearby females,” McIntosh said.
“With my headlamp light failing I managed to take just one photo of uranotaenia mosquitos, also affectionately known as ‘frog flies,’ happily feeding from a frog’s head. Luckily it turned out more or less as I intended.
“When conducted in a non-invasive and non-destructive manner, nature photography has potential to facilitate a greater understanding and respect for the natural world, benefiting individuals and whole communities,” he said.
‘Piercing headache’ came up trumps after over 2,100 photographs were judged, with Brian Oldman, director of the South Australian Museum, lauding the “spectacular” standard this year.
With 10 categories to enter, below we have listed the winners, runners-up and some stand-out finalists. Enjoy!
Overall Winner

Overall winner: ‘Piercing headache’ by Matthew McIntosh of Queensland
Animal Behaviour

Winner: ‘Glaucus atlanticus’ – blue glaucus, by Matty Smith

Runner-up: ‘Mud skipping’ – Mudskippers gobiidae – Georgina Steytler

Finalist: ‘A fishy present’ – Crested tern, by Georgina Steytler

Finalist: Breath – ‘Humpback Whale’, mother and calf, by Vanessa Mignon.

Finalist: ‘Lunchtime – Rainbow bee-eaters, Merops Ornatus, by Mary Hartley

Finalist: ‘Clash of the titans’ – Giant cuttlefish, by Justin Gilligan
Animal Portrait

Winner: ‘Red whip ambush’ – Painted flutemouth, by Wade Hughes

Runner-up: ‘Blue-eyed flatback’ – Flatback turtle, by Matt Curnock

Finalist (and our favourite): ‘Celestial terrestrial’ – Southern calamari squid, Matthew Smith

Finalist: ‘Surprise’ – Red fox, by Mark Doro
Animal Habitat

Winner: ‘Well, hello’ – Smallspotted combtooth blenny, by David Westcott

Runner-up: ‘Home shrinking home’ – Pink anemonefish, by Wayne Osborn

Finalist: ‘Boo’ – Fernbird, by Trevor Penfold

Finalist: ‘Gentoo vs The Mountain’ – Gentoo penguin, by Joshua Holko

Finalist: ‘King of the desert’ – Western desert taipan, by Max Jackson
Botanical

Winner: ‘Aligning planets’ – Grass tree, by Julie Fletcher

Runner-up: ‘Mist shower’ – New England national park, by Drew Hopper

Finalist: ‘Luminous fungi’ – Ghost fungi, by Maree Clout
Landscape

Winner: ‘Desert Patterns’ – Kata Tjuta, by Julie Fletcher

Runner-up: ‘Transcendence’ – Southern Alps, by William Patino

Finalist: ‘Hang in there’ – Northern Adelaide Hills, by Ben Goode

Finalist: ‘A mist divided’ – Eucalypt forest, by Scott Butler
Monochrome

Winner: ‘Winters path’ – Brumby, by Charles Davis

Runner-up: ‘A wet soggy morning’ – Leura Falls Creek, by Peter Hill

Finalist: ‘Gerson awakens’ – Mount Gerson, by Luke Tscharke

Finalist: ‘Rangi dreams’ – Rangitoto, by Susan Blick
Interpretive

Winner: ‘Swaying’ by Dianne Galbraith

Runner-up: ‘Float’ by Joel Durbridge

Finalist: ‘Web worlds’ by Keith Lightbody

Finalist: ‘Kite flight’ by Marc Lynch

Finalist: ‘Cockatoos’ by Andrew Davoll
Junior

Winner: ‘Rockpool’ – Minnamurra, by Ryan North

Runner-up: ‘Toothy grin’ – Saltwater croc, by Robert Irwin

Finalist: ‘Jewel of the jungle’ – Green tree python, by Brodie James

Finalist: ‘Tiny temper’ – Coastal carpet python, by Brodie James
Our Impact

Runner-up: ‘The whale sharks of Cendrewasih Bay’, by Alex Varani

Winner: ‘The killing field’ – Kangaroo, by Doug Gimesy
Threatened Species

Winner: ‘Palm grove dingo’ – Dingo, by Bret Charman

Runner-up: ‘Buller’s Albatross’ by Georgina Settler

Finalist: ‘Four in flight’ – Carnaby’s black cockatoos, by Geoff Hunter

Finalist: ‘Close encounter’ – Grey nurse shark, by Matthew Tworkowski

Finalist: ‘Mount Lewis spiny crayfish’ by Ryan Francis