10 superb pictures from Nature Photographer of the Year 2019
A cheeky duck and a majestic arch of the aurora borealis are among the magnificent photographs honoured by the 2019 Nature Photographer of the Year competition.

The competition — which only started up a few years ago — may not have the same high profile or lengthy history as the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, but it still attracted 14,000 entries from 73 different countries.
The overall winner was this incredible shot of a pair of hares by a Hungarian photographer named Csaba Daróczi.
Csaba was taking a walk in Kiskunsag, near the village of Bócsa, when he spotted a colony of rabbits and started taking photos.
'After a while I saw them jumping high in the air, especially when they were fighting over food,' he explains. 'When I saw that, I realised that I wanted to take that photo immediately.'
Csaba returned many more times to take pictures of the rabbits, including this one — which won him the €3,000 first prize.
'This photo is proof of the fact that you don’t have to get an extremely rare or extraordinary species in front of your camera to be able to create a great nature photo,' said Keith Wilson, chair of the judging panel.
If you've taken a picture you think could appear on this page, you'll be interested to hear that from 1st December 2019 you can enter photos for Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 via www.naturephotographeroftheyear.com.
Sign up for the Country Life Newsletter
Exquisite houses, the beauty of Nature, and how to get the most from your life, straight to your inbox.
The website also has more of the images that won prizes or commendations in the awards — we've picked our favourites on this page to give you a taster.
Credit: © Audun Rikardsen - Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The best winning pictures from the 2019 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition — and the stories behind them
A soaring eagle, a shocked marmot and an underwater garden like you've never seen before are among the finest pictures
Credit: ©Landscape Photographer of the Year awards - Ken Rennie
15 majestic photographs of Britain that will inspire you to enter the Landscape Photographer of the Year Awards
If you've taken a superb photograph of Britain in the past year, you're still in time to submit it to
11 breathtaking photographs from the 2018 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition
We've picked out eleven of our favourite landscapes from the 2018 Landscape Photographer of the Year award.
Toby Keel is Country Life's Digital Director, and has been running the website and social media channels since 2016. A former sports journalist, he writes about property, cars, lifestyle, travel, nature.
-
A Grecian masterpiece that might be one of the nation's finest homes comes up for sale in Kent
Grade I-listed Holwood House sits in 40 acres of private parkland just 15 miles from central London. It is spectacular.
By Penny Churchill
-
What the cluck? Waitrose announces ‘trailblazing’ pledge to help improve chicken welfare standards
Waitrose has signed up to the Better Chicken Commitment, but does the scheme leave Britain open to inferior imports?
By Jane Wheatley
-
In all its glory: One of Britain’s most striking moth species could be making a comeback
The Kentish glory moth has been absent from England and Wales for around 50 years.
By Jack Watkins
-
The birds of urban paradise: How to get twitching without leaving the city
You don't need to leave the concrete jungle to spot some rare and interesting birds. Here's a handy guide to birdspotting in Britain's towns and cities.
By Richard Smyth
-
Food with a pinch of salt: The crops we can harvest from the sea
Filling, rewarding and nutritious, vegetables and plants grown in saline environments — whether by accident or design — have plenty of potential. Illustration by Alan Baker.
By Deborah Nicholls-Lee
-
White-tailed eagles could soon soar free in southern England
Natural England is considering licensing the release of the raptors in Exmoor National Park — and the threat to pets and livestock is considered to be low.
By Jack Watkins
-
Britain's whale boom and and the predator that's far scarier than a great white shark, with wildlife cinematographer Dan Abbott
The wildlife cinematographer Dan Abbott joins us on the Country Life Podcast.
By Toby Keel
-
'They are inclined to bite and spray acid to protect territory': Meet the feisty red wood ant
By Ian Morton
-
The King wants YOU: His Majesty's call-to-arms for under-35s across Britain
The King’s Foundation has launched its ‘35 under 35’ initiative — a UK-wide search for ‘the next generation of exceptional makers and changemakers’ who want to work holistically with Nature.
By Amie Elizabeth White
-
'A big opportunity for a small, crowded and beautiful country': Fiona Reynolds on how the Land Use Framework can make Britain better
The Government’s Land Use Framework should be viewed as an opportunity to be smarter with our land, but conflicts need to be resolved along the way says Fiona Reynolds, chair of the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission.
By Fiona Reynolds