The Wildest Shot

Daisy Gilardini camped out in bitterly cold conditions at Canada's Wapusk National Park for 14 days to capture her award-winning shot: a polar bear mom playing with her two cubs. It's a moving portrait of motherhood, and the Grand Prize Winner at the Nature's Best Photography competition.

Sometimes, the best shots find you. That's what happened to David Rozenweig as he trekked through South Africa's Timbavati Nature Reserve and stumbled upon a mother leopard greeting her cub. It was a unique moment too good to pass up--and the result is a startlingly private moment, captured in gorgeous detail.

Elusive and well-camouflaged, Ashleigh Scully has always been fascinated by owls. So when she encountered a great gray owl perched atop a tree stump in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, she needed no second invitation. The result is a touching portrait of a magnificent aerial predator.

Jess Findlay took this shot twice: once in his mind, and again when he came across a sea otter while on a wilderness trip. He found a tranquil otter, relaxed enough to fall asleep in front of him, in the calm waters of an Alaskan cove. This rare and intimate encounter is what the Nature's Best Photography Awards are all about.

Fortune favors the bold, and you have to be to capture a head-on shot of a humpback whale. Greg Sherman, winner of the Nature's Best Photography Award for the Oceans category, is keen to play down his bravery--hoping instead we'll share some of the awe-inspiring emotion he experienced.

Lions about to set out on a hunt, elephants visiting a local watering hole, and a leopard napping on top of a termite mound: these are some of the spur-of-the-moment chapters in Karen Perry's winning entry for the Nature's Best Photography awards, presenting a portrait of Africa that is alive with drama and wonder.