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The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) has announced the winning images of this year’s European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The overall winner, Javier Aznar González de Rueda from Spain, has taken the top prize for his image titled “Maternal Care.”

This year’s edition of the competition attracted photographers from 42 European countries. An international five-member jury spent three days selecting the 107 award-winning photos across nine standard categories and two special categories.

Scroll down to view the best 66 images we’ve selected for you and to read our interview with the winner of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023, Javier Aznar González de Rueda.

More info: Instagram | gdtfoto.de

#1 Underwater World, Runner Up: Flamenco Pose By Magnus Lundgren, Sweden

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

Bored Panda contacted the overall winner of this year’s competition and asked some questions about the photo “Maternal Care” and his work. First, we wanted the photographer to share the story behind capturing this extraordinary moment in Ecuador’s Yasuní National Park. Javier Aznar González de Rueda told us: “In 2021 I spent some time in a lodge inside the Yasuni National Park (Mandari Panga Jungle Expeditions) taking photos of insects and other animals. During that time I observed for two weeks a female stink bug of the species Antiteuchus tripterus, that was guarding its clutch of eggs on a small branch. This behavior has been reported for other true bug species. But to my surprise, it turned out that the mother bug not only protected the eggs but also the newly hatched larvae up to their first moult. Maternal care significantly increases the offspring’s chances of survival since there are many predators and parasitoids such as ichneumon wasps who can kill the brood.”

#2 Landscapes, Finalist: Land Under The Sea By Angel Fitor, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#3 Plants And Fungi, Finalist: Treasures Of The Sea By César Llaneza Rodríguez, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

“Maternal Care” showcases a stink bug’s exceptional maternal care behavior. We were wondering if the photographer could tell us more about the challenges and techniques involved in documenting this behavior over a two-week period. Javier said: “The challenge was to return every day and many times in order to check the stage of the eggs and if they hatched. During two weeks, many things can happen to the stink bug, from a predator feeding on it, to parasitoids laying eggs inside the stink bug egg. It was an easy subject to photograph since it was quiet sitting on the eggs while protecting them.”

#4 Other Animals, Finalist: Calumma Oshaughnessyi By Petr Bambousek, Czech Republic

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#5 Plants And Fungi, Finalist: Veil Of Spores By Agorastos Papatsanis, Greece

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

We wanted to know how the photographer believes his images can contribute to raising awareness about the need to protect wildlife and the environment. We found out that: “My photos contribute to understanding the world of the unseen animals, showcasing their lives, and the threats around them. We as humans only protect what we care about, and there is a world out there that most of the people don’t know about, so with my work I try to bring attention to these very unknown animals in order to protect them.”

#6 Birds, Finalist: One Step Forward By Tom Robinson, Great Britain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#7 Birds, Finalist: Pen And Inkwell By Jonathan Lhoir, France

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

The photographer continued: “Insects are especially vulnerable by our global actions and their populations have decreased to alarming numbers in the last decades, and we definitely need them in order to survive. They are some of the most important pillars in the ecosystems and we are killing them. Without insects the world we know would disappear, so we’d better conserve them for our own good. With my photos from a close and personal perspective, I try to connect the people with the tiny organisms who surround us.”

#8 Mammals, Finalist: Final Moment By Bernd Nill, Germany

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#9 Mammals, Finalist: Inside A Tree Den By Jan Piecha, Germany

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

Lastly, asked about upcoming projects or initiatives he’s currently working on, Javier shared with us: “I have many projects that I would like to work on and many others that I am working on now that I can’t share until they are finished. But for now I am still working, showcasing the natural history of the rainforest animals.”

#10 Underwater World, Finalist: Frogfish On A Throne By Gabriel Barathieu , Mayotte

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#11 Other Animals, Runner Up: Nest Building By Solvin Zankl, Germany

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#12 Other Animals, Finalist: Host Art By Cristobal Serrano, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#13 Underwater World, Finalist: Dragonfish By Solvin Zankl, Germany

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#14 Mammals, Finalist: Chimera By Ilkka Niskanen, Finland

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#15 Mammals, Finalist: Sloth By Antonio Sanchez Chamorro, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#16 Fritz Pölking Prize: Goldfinch

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#17 Mammals, Finalist: Rain Graphic By Sergey Gorshkov, Russia

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#18 Mammals, Finalist: High Jump By Zsolt Moldovan, Romania

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#19 Underwater World, Finalist: Octopus Tango By Francisco Javier Murcia Requena, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#20 Birds, Winner: Bird In Forest By Csaba Daroczi, Hungary

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#21 Plants And Fungi, Finalist: Nature’s Sketchbook By Pedro Javier Pascual Hernandez, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#22 Plants And Fungi, Winner: Lichen Dinner By Roberto Bueno, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#23 Man And Nature, Finalist: Ocean Drifter By Ryan Stalker, Great Britain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#24 Other Animals, Winner: Water Ballet By Marjan Artnak, Slovenia

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#25 Mammals, Finalist: A Trick Of The Tail By Paul Goldstein, Great Britain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#26 Plants And Fungi, Runner Up: Defeated By Roberto Garcia Roa, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#27 Other Animals, Finalist: Owlet Moth By Audun Rikardsen, Norway

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#28 Mammals, Finalist: The Bullet By Cristobal Serrano, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#29 Other Animals, Finalist: Brookesia Superciliaris By Petr Bambousek, Czech Republic

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#30 Other Animals, Finalist: Lonely By Sonja Jordan, Austria

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#31 Plants And Fungi, Finalist: A Little Piece Of Autumn By César Llaneza Rodríguez, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#32 Young Photographers To 14 Years, Winner: Tightrope Artist By Alberto Román Gómez, Spain

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#33 Landscapes, Runner Up: Paradise By Florian Smit, Gremany

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#34 Other Animals, Finalist: Mock Attack By Lutz Wilke, Germany

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#35 Plants And Fungi, Finalist: Golden Island By Csaba Daróczi, Hungary

Image credits: European Photographer of the Year

#36 Overall Winner: Maternal Care By Javier Aznar González De Rueda, Spain

“In Ecuador’s largest protected area, Yasuní National Park, I was able to observe maternal care behaviour in the stink bug Antiteuchus tripterus over a two-week period. The female bug guarded its clutch of eggs on a small branch. This behaviour has been reported for other true bug species. To my surprise, it turned out that the mother bug not only protected the eggs but also the newly hatched larvae up to their first moult. In Ecuador’s rainforest, the stink bug’s brood is vulnerable to attack by numerous predators and parasitoids such as ichneumon wasps. Maternal care significantly increases the offspring’s chances of survival. The rainforest is a highly complex ecosystem with countless organisms in a vast interconnected web of life.”