Highlights of nature photography 2022

The "Highlights of Nature Photography" photo competition has been organised annually since 1999 and awards prizes in eight different categories. 836 photographers from 41 countries responded to the call and submitted 15,750 images. 2,703 images were entered for the Fritz Pölking Award and 339 for the Junior Award.

"Highlights of Nature Photographer 2022" is Ivan Pedretti from Italy with the image "The Eye".

The photo shows a coastal landscape on the Lofoten Islands in Norway at night.

This photo was unanimously voted the overall winner. Rarely has a landscape image left such an emotional and direct impression. The eyes immediately take in the main motif, the round stone in the foreground, and are guided through the picture by the shapes and structures, right up to the cloudy sky, which stops the view. The impression of the picture is reinforced by the homogeneous colouring of the details and the landscape as a whole. The moment captured by the photographer is unique. The picture tells a multifaceted story: individual stones, beach, rocks, northern lights, stars and clouds - everything forms an incredibly unique whole that gives the viewer of the picture the impression of being right in the middle of it.

The "Highlights Young Nature Photographer 2022" is 16-year-old Luca Lorenz from Germany. His picture shows a section of a pheasant, with its colourful and detailed plumage. It was mating season for the pheasants when Luca luckily found a spot where the same male pheasant came to mate almost every morning. Luca cycled there every day before sunrise and hid at the edge of a meadow in his camouflage suit. With each new morning, the pheasant became a little more trusting and got used to Luca's presence. Something very special, as pheasants are very shy animals. One morning it came so close that it no longer quite fitted into the picture. Luca took the unique opportunity to highlight the beautiful details, the colours and textures of the feathers and the line of its body as best he could in a picture. The even layer of cloud in the background created a beautiful, calm contrast. Being able to observe and photograph the pheasant mating and its natural behaviour over such a long period of time was one of Luca's most beautiful experiences in nature this year.

Gisela Pölking selected the winning picture of the Fritz Pölking Award: Gastone Pivatelli from Italy took the picture "The Winged Fisherman", which shows a kingfisher.

The judges took four days to assess all the images from the categories
- Magnificent Wilderness
- The Beauty of Plants
- Nature as Art
- Artists on Wings
- The World of Mammals
- Diversity of all other Animals
- Moments in Nature
- Aerial Views of Nature
. The winners of the special "Fritz Pölking Award" and "Junior Award" were also selected during this time. Only then were the 87 winners of the highlights finalised.
A travelling exhibition is created from the winning images. This largest travelling exhibition in Germany is presented annually at 27 locations.