Nature in Focus

These days you can create a pretty magical world with an AI prompt but there will never be a substitute for the real thing, no matter how much we might take it for granted. The annual Oceania Nature Photo Contest by The Nature Conservancy is a reminder of the magic, the beauty, the diversity and the fragility of our natural environment. This competition unites photographers from across Oceania and showcases the incredible biodiversity of our world while shining a spotlight on the urgent need for conservation.

For the 2024 competition Nearly 2,000 entries from New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands, share a snapshot of natural beauty, fragility, and resilience.
New Zealand photographers stood out this year. Crystal Richardson’s mesmerising shot, Beneath the Glow, earned her the top prize in the Plants and Fungi category. Her photo, part of a larger project documenting often-overlooked ecosystems, captured the intricate beauty of nature’s smaller, hidden realms.

Other New Zealanders made their mark too. Chin Kang Chia and Caitlin Germanis secured second and third places in the same category, while Hamish Ashton’s atmospheric Sand Forest landed him second prize in the Lands category. Stuart Attwood’s dynamic Duck Dive rounded out the accolades, taking third in the Wildlife category.

The Nature Conservancy’s contest is unique—not just for its artistic calibre, but for its conservation message. Abbie Reynolds, Country Director for The Nature Conservancy Aotearoa New Zealand, highlights its importance:

“With this Photo Contest, we celebrate our connection to the species and landscapes we work so hard to protect. Aotearoa is a global biodiversity hotspot, home to countless unique species found nowhere else on Earth. Competitions like this remind us why their protection is so vital.”

The judging panel, which included acclaimed photographers Annette Ruzicka, Ben Buckland, and Jarrod Boord, had the difficult job of selecting winners from six categories.

“Every image brought something unique—whether it was the raw energy of the ocean, the delicate patterns of fungi, or vast, sweeping landscapes. The sheer quality of the entries was astounding.” Jarrod Boord reflects on the process.

While The Nature Conservancy works globally across 81 countries, its efforts in New Zealand are particularly special. Since 2018, the organisation has focused on restoring ecosystems, building climate resilience, and encouraging sustainable land use. From planting native trees on degraded land to revitalising coastal waters, their science-backed, community-driven initiatives aim to create lasting change.

The winning photos from this contest are much more than beautiful pictures. They’re reminders of the world we inhabit and the responsibility we share to protect it.

First Place, Climate.

Ice falls. The iceshelf extends for hundreds of kilometres along the high arctic landscape. The jagged perfectly sculptured edges show the sheer magnitude of ice protruding.
© Scott Portelli / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

First Place. Lands
Where there’s Smoke …there’s food. Kakadu, Northern Territory burn-off. Irresistible to the Kytes.
© Michael S. Marting / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Third Place, Lands

Time stands still where the clouds meet the mountains in Mo’orea’s stunning landscape.
© Justin Tan / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

First Place. People & Nature

Salmon Surfer One of the worlds best surfers, Shane Dorian surfing around Margaret River, WA, Australia. Shot from underwater through a School of Australian Salmon.
© Duncan Macfarlane / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

“Surfers have a more intimate connection to nature and its systems as it relies on the water and coast for their playground. Even in my time shooting I’ve seen a degradation of the oceans around the world from pollution to changing weather patterns. It’s nice to see a unique moment of man/environment coexisting so beautifully.” – Duncan Macfarlane

Third Place, People & Nature

Into the Unknown On a trip to Central Australia in July 2022 a dense fog descended on the ancient rock formations in Uluru-KataTjuta National Park.
© Steven Genesin / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

First Place Plants & Fungi

Beneath the Glow Taken as part of an ongoing personal project to photograph the beauty in tiny ecosystems that often go unseen to spread more awareness of their importance.
© Crystal Richardson / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Second Place Plants & Fungi

White Being white typically means you will be overlooked in most cases when you’re a mushroom.
© Chin Kang Chia / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Grand Prize Winner

Potbellied Seahorse Portrait During an early morning dive at Bare Island in Sydney’s Botany Bay, we encountered a Pot-bellied Seahorse seeking shelter in the centre of a cluster of sea tulips.
© Daniel Sly / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Second Place, Water

Vad This means wild, untamed, uncontrolled, unregulated. This is a natural Gorge found in Karijini National Park. I love the way the water has carved a way through the rocks.
© Aayushi Khillan / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

First Place, Wildlife
Roar of Anger Egret fishing, meeting such a large Elops saurus, unable to eat, leaving a regretful look. The Elops saurus opened its mouth wide and rushed out of the seawater.
© Xiaoping Lin / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Second Place, Wildlife
Toss of Life In an extraordinary display of agility, this Bee-Eater snatched a dragonfly mid-flight, then swiftly perched on a nearby branch.
© Naidu Kumapatla /2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Third Place, Wildlife
Duck Dive This mallard was hunting for food on the Avon River in Christchurch. The water was shallow and it was searching under a bridge.
© Stuart Attwood / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest

Second Place, Lands
Sand forest September 2024. I was walking down the beach looking for something inspirational and the weather wasn’t playing ball. I them remembered a You Tube video I watched. They were having the same problem so they said look down and look for detail. So I did and found these ‘trees’ in the sand. It was then getting the angle right so they became 3D.
© Hamish Ashton / 2024 TNC Oceania Photo Contest