The winners and runners-up of the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024 members' competition have been announced.
The overall winner is Dieter Damschen from Lüchow-Dannenberg in Germany with the photograph 'Winter flood in a riparian forest'.
"Winter is my favourite time of year and one of my favoured motifs is the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe River Landscape," says Damschen.
"I often visit this hardwood riparian forest in the foreland of the dyke to take photographs at fixed points with lines of sight that reveal carefully selected compositions. Although I claim to know this location very well and sometimes get the feeling that I have seen and photographed everything here many times, I am regularly surprised by how different a supposedly familiar place can appear.
"After several years with extremely low water levels, a long awaited winter flood inundated the old oak trees in January 2024. On this particular morning, the trunks and branches of the trees were plastered with snow on one side, thanks to snowfall in combination with strong winds during the previous night. The resulting contrasting lines emphasise the time-worn structures of the mighty trees, creating the special graphic effect of this fleeting moment.“
There was no shortage of enchantment in this year's photo competition. Here, we take a look at 20 of the best winners and runners-up.
- Spellbinding photo of baby octopus celebrated in LCE Photographer of the Year 2024
- Barnacle-covered football takes top prize in British Wildlife Photography Awards 2024
- Environmental Photographer of the Year 2023 winner: Insect food experiment takes first prizes
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/GESAMTSIEGER_dieter_damschen_winterhochwasser_im_auwald.jpeg?webp=1&w=1200)
GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024 winners and runners-up
Surfing on the other side
Levi Fitze
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k1_1_levi_fitze_surfing_on_the_other_side.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Night crawler
Niklas Banowski
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k7_8_niklas_banowski_night_crawler.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Birches in autumn
Felix Wesch
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/Felix_wesch_birken_im_herbst.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Mudflats at sunset
Jan Piecha
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k3_5_jan_piecha_abends_im_watt.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Eyes shut and waiting for spring
Flurin Leugger
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k2_2_flurin_leugger_augen_zu_und_abwarten.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Bonnet mould
Matthias Hüther
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k4_5_matthias_huether_des_helmlings_schimmel.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Parental responsibility
Niklas Banowski
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k3_8_niklas_banowski_aufsichtspflicht.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Digging for the next generation
Thomas Kirchen
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k3_3_thomas_kirchen_totengraeber_fuer_den_neuanfang.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Tasting the air
Kai Kolodziej
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k3_2_kai_kolodziej_die_luft_erschmecken.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
In the eye of the cheetah
Monika Morlak
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k2_8_monika_morlak_im_auge_des_geparden.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Pandemonium
Manfred Föger
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k2_3_manfred_foeger_pandemonium.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Bubblenet
Scott Portelli
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k2_1_scott_portelli_bubblenet.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Greedy kestrels
Peter Lindel
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k1_7_peter_lindel_gierschluende.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Lapporten
Klaus Bombach
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k5_10_klaus_bombach_lappenpforte.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Reflection of a kingfisher
Luca Lorenz
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k1_5_luca_lorenz_eisvogel_reflexion.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Morning roll call
Jens Kählert
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k1_3_jens_kaehlert_zum_morgenappell_angetreten.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Sunrise
Christoph Kaula
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k2_7_christoph_kaula_sonnenaufgang_in_den_bergen.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Foggy morning in Bavaria
Ulrike Eisenmann
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/k5_3_ulrike_eisenmann_foggy_morning_in_bavaria.jpg?webp=1&w=1200)
Winter in the floodplain forest
Dieter Damschen (overall winner)
![](https://c02.purpledshub.com/uploads/sites/62/2024/05/GESAMTSIEGER_dieter_damschen_winterhochwasser_im_auwald.jpeg?webp=1&w=1200)
Find out more about the GDT Nature Photographer of the Year 2024.
More stunning nature photography galleries: