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Grand Prize Winner: Face to Face in a River in Borneo"A male orangutan peers from behind a tree while crossing a river in Borneo, Indonesia. Rampant palm oil cultivation threatens this critically endangered ape, forcing the normally arboreal species to resort to unusual behavior—such as wading through crocodile-infested rivers—in order to survive."
Photograph and caption by Jayaprakash Joghee Bojan, 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Contest

2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Winners

Explore the most compelling photos submitted to the photo contest.

ByNational Geographic Staff
October 30, 2019

From flowing lava in Hawai’i to sharks grazing a camera, photographers submitted mesmerizing images to the 2017 National Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year Contest. A stirring image of an orangutan captured the judges' top vote and won grand prize. Browse this gallery of winning photos and visit our contest homepage to explore even more photography.