This year’s contest received more than 19,000 entries from 38 countries. The overall winner is Jasper Doest from the Netherlands for his photo A monkey’s mask. The photo was taken in a traditional Japanese sake house north of Tokyo. “After dinner, the tavern’s guest can watch Japanese macaques performing tricks with various props on a makeshift stage,” the artist explains. “In the old days, the Japanese macaque or snow monkey was a sacred religious symbol, known to mediate between gods and humans. Today, the animal has been reduced to a secular scapegoat, a defaced outcast and target of mockery.” Jasper’s photo is a part of a larger series he shot for National Geographic. Just like this image, it sheds light on the complex relationship between humans and Japanese macaques.
Angel Fitorthis, a member of the jury, sees the winning photo as an icon of our time: The European Wildlife Photographer of the Year has awarded winners in ten categories: There is also a special category, Fritz Pölking Prize, which also includes the Junior prize. This category is dedicated to nature photographystories and portfolios. Alejandro Prieto from Mexico has won with his project about the almost two thousand miles long border between the USA and Mexico, whose sensitive ecosystem would be very sensitively disturbed in the case of a wall being built by the US government. The Fritz Pölking Junior Prize was awarded to Florian Smit for his portfolio about the Siberian jay in the deepest forests of Lapland.
Every year, the winners are awarded at a live ceremony. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year it will look quite different. The award ceremony will take place, but without any audience. Instead, the event will be broadcast live on social media today (22 October) at 8.00 p.m. CEST. After the award ceremony, there will be an exhibition of this year’s competition. The photos will be displayed at the German Horse Museum in Verden/Aller from December 1, 2020 to February 21, 2021. After that, the awarded images will go on their regular tour of Germany and Europe. You can take a look at some more fantastic photos below. Make sure to visit GDT’s website for more information and more winning photos.
