The German Society for Nature Photography have just announced the winners of the Nature Photographer of the Year 2020 contest, and the shots are absolutely beautiful.

“Due to the coronavirus pandemic, voting was not carried out during the annual general meeting but was completed online for the first time ever in GDT’s history with great participation by its members,” the organization told Bored Panda in a statement.

The photographers competed in 7 categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Animals, Plants and Fungi, Landscapes, Nature’s Studio, and the special category — Water.

#1 Winner, Other Animals. Danger In The Mud. Crocodile In A Drying Pool By Jens Cullmann

“A total of 5,046 images was submitted. After a pre-jury procedure (Alexandra Wünsch, Torsten Bittner und Jon A. Juarez), it was the GDT members’ turn to make their choices from ten images in each of the seven categories.”

The overall winner as well as category winners and runners-up received generous prizes by AC-Foto, GDT’s partner for many years. The overall winner also received an Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III 12-40mm kit from the organization’s premium partner, Olympus Europe.

#2 Overall Winner, Mammals. A Hare’s Dream By Peter Lindel

This year, the overall winner is Peter Lindel from Dortmund, Germany, with his photo of a European hare. Lindel is a passionate photographer, focusing on local as well as African fauna. The winning image belongs to a series taken in the north of Dortmund. “Compared to many international nature photography hotspots, this region has little to offer,” GDT said. “[But] Peter Lindel [invested] a lot of time and blood, sweat, and tears working on this project on his doorstep. In these times, as everyone is urged to stay home, the generally classic subject of a hare gains special significance. It is also a beautiful statement for long-term exploration of a single species and region.”

#3 4th Place, Other Animals. Toad King By Kevin Prönnecke

#4 3rd Place, Other Animals. School Of Mackerel, Cocos Island By Henry Jager

#5 Winner, Plants And Fungi. New Life In A Dead Forest. Dead Forest, Bavaria By Radomir Jakubowski

#6 2nd Place, Mammals. Glowing Fox. Arabian Red Fox In Kuwait City By Mohammad Murad

#7 5th Place, Mammals. Eyelashes By Herman Hirsch

#8 4th Place, Mammals. Curious Glances. Raccoons, North Hesse By Jan Piecha

#9 8th Place, Plants And Fungi. Raso De La Bruma By Stefan Pütz-Cordes

#10 5th Place, Birds. Song Of The Dawn By Maximillian Hornish

#11 7th Place, Mammals. Close-Up By Dr. Siegmar Bergfeld

#12 4th Place, Nature’s Studio. Stargazer By Christian Wappl

#13 Winner, Special Category: Water. The Play Of Water. Hraunfossar, Island By Britta Strack

#14 2nd Place, Nature’s Studio. The White Coastline. Meltwater Lake, Greenland By Stephan Fürnrohr

#15 2nd Place, Landscapes. Masai Mara Sky By Jose Fragozo

#16 Winner, Birds. Take-Off. Coyote Panics Geese By Flurin Leugger

#17 5th Place, Landscapes. Yukon Gold Rush By Axel Gomeringer

#18 4th Place, Landscapes. Into The Sea By Uwe Hasubek

#19 2nd Place, Special Category: Water. Milk And Honey, Reflection Of The Chalk Coast By Sandra Bartocha

#20 Winner, Nature’s Studio. Flooded With Light. Blackbird, North Hesse By Jan Piecha

#21 5th Place, Other Animals. Stefan Imig

#22 5th Place, Nature’s Studio. Refraction. Refraction Of Light In The Cobweb By Burkhard Hillert

#23 6th Place, Other Animals. Sunspider By Radomir Jakubowski

#24 7th Place, Birds. Summer’s Eve By Thomas Hempelmann

#25 6th Place, Landscapes. Eyjafjallajökull Volcanic Eruption By Kerstin Langenberger

#26 3rd Place, Mammals. Cut And Run! By Winfried Wisniewski