We at Bored Panda were particularly fascinated with, might I say, the cutest photo of this whole list - an emperor penguin chick by Stefan Christmann.

To learn more about Stefan and his photo, we reached out to the photographer. Stefan shared more about himself.

“I am a German photographer and filmmaker who has wintered twice in Antarctica and hence specialized in photographing the emperor penguins of Atka Bay. I have had film assignments for the BBC and Netflix and also lived in Antarctica as a scientist since I have a physics background.”

We were wondering what initially drew Stefan to the world of photography.

He wrote: “When I was still in high school, I joined a student exchange with a high school in Billings, Montana, USA. We visited Yellowstone NP and I only had a small digital point-and-shoot camera with me. I was not able to capture the raw beauty of this wilderness, so I decided to dive deeper into photography. My father gave me his old Minolta SLR and I learned to photograph and have been photographing ever since. A little more than 20 years now.”

Obviously, we just had to know more about the main guy, the emperor penguin chick. We asked Stefan to share how he managed to capture this shot.

Stefan shared: “It was quite easy, actually. It was a warm spring day in Atka Bay and it was snowing (which is rare in Antarctica, funnily). This little fellow was just standing around, likely waiting for his/her parents and I was simply laying flat on my stomach observing. Taking the shot with a tele lens was straightforward. No tripod or any special equipment is needed. Just some patience and slow movements, not to disturb his slumber.”

Though Stefan’s picture was not selected among the winners of this year’s competition, he still was recognized and Highly Honored in the category Polar Passion. Stefan wrote how it felt to be seen and acknowledged by NBP.

“It is always a big honor to be recognized by a big photo competition. But I am not in it for fame. I know that these competitions have a large reach and I myself was inspired by Nature's Best when I was starting out in nature photography. I want to inspire others as well, and best case, help to create more advocates for our planet, our flora and fauna, and especially the emperor penguins,” wrote Stefan.

Stefan added: “The polar regions are beautiful, but fragile at the same time. Just like a soft emperor penguin chick.”

Lastly, Stefan shared: “Emperor penguins are the coolest birds on the planet, and we can learn so much from them. They are the ultimate team workers, and they achieve the impossible with it: living in an uninhabitable surrounding. If teamwork can help them to achieve this, imagine what humankind could achieve if we all worked together. We could make the world a better place - for humans AND for animals and nature. This thought keeps me hopeful for the future. I hope that our species will one day fully comprehend the strength that lies in collaboration.”

In order to learn more about this year’s competition, Bored Panda also reached out to the organizers of the NBP Awards and talked to Amanda Gaquin, an NBP Contest Manager.

We were wondering what new photography trends NBP has been seeing in this year’s competition.

Amanda commented: “It was a wonderful year for entrants in the 2024 Awards. More photographers are including the landscape around images of animals. Photographers are now getting out and traveling the world again and submitting stunning images of wildlife and wild places from across the globe.

We are seeing additional coverage from photos taken using drones this year and the entrants are following our rules in leaving a safe distance to wildlife and obtaining permits when needed.”

Amanda also shared a surprising moment that happened in this year’s photo competition.

“It was surprising that our Youth Winner is just age 9 and starting out in nature photography and entering (and winning) international competitions. This level of expertise is for youth age 18 and younger.

It was also exciting and surprising to receive an entry from war-torn Ukraine in our Art in Nature category.”

We were also wondering how the Nature’s Best Photography community has grown or changed in 2024. Amanda responded: “Always growing with new young (age 18 and under) and amateur as well as professional photographers around the globe. The competition grows in volume every year.”

Regarding spreading awareness about nature and conservation, Amanda wrote about exciting new projects and partnerships that were designed to help achieve meaningful impact.

“Our distinguished panel of judges for this year's NBP Awards photo competition includes accomplished wildlife photographers, leading conservation photojournalists, highly regarded video specialists, and wildlife photography educators. The panel represents a deep understanding of natural history and progressive conservation strategies, photographic expertise, technical evaluation skills, a shared passion for wildlife and wildlands, and the highest ethics in their respective fields.

In addition to this seasoned judging team, we have added a new group of Nature's Best Ambassadors who are outstanding nature photographers and have all won awards for their talents in nature photography and films. We appreciate their input and perspectives on images and are eager to see more of their work in the future as they help spread awareness about conservation.”

Lastly, Amanda added: “In 2025, we will be celebrating our 30th Anniversary of Nature's Best Photography, launched in 1995, with new photo awards competitions open to the public at all levels of expertise.

In these unsettled times, people may be interested in our “A Mindful Lens” column. Interacting with nature and engaging with photography can be an effective strategy for improving one’s life by simply stepping outside with your camera. This column is illustrated with award-winning images from Nature's Best Photography Awards photo contests along with text and videos on the practice of mindfulness.

Also, our mission is to spread uplifting inspiration, joy, and wellness through the art of nature photography in displays in Hospitals and Clinics."