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The winning photo of the landscape category, Bolt on Stormy Ocean by Mat Beetson. He says: ‘This aerial image was captured on the mudflats along the Dampier Peninsula in the Kimberley region. The huge, receding tides expose the silty, white sand of the creek beds and the remaining water cuts its path back out to sea, leaving behind some amazing patterns and colour.’
Photograph: Mat Beetson
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The winner of the animal habitat category, Storm Dragon by Jari Cornelis. Cornelis says: ‘We were rushing to get to camp before the storm hit when we encountered this central bearded dragon, an iconic representative of the reptiles of central Australia. I could not forego the opportunity to capture this impressive animal with the ominous scene unfolding in the distance.’
Photograph: Jari Cornelis
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The winner of the animal portrait category, Leopard Anemone by Richard Robinson. He says the photo “captures a leopard anemone floating into the deep blue, one of 15-20 species that had detached from the reef and were drifting … These anemones generally inhabit black coral and gorgonian fans on deep reefs out of recreational diving range.”
Photograph: Richard Robinson
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The runner-up in the animal habitat category, Firestorm by Raoul Slater. Slater says: ‘A Top End burnoff attracted a swirling cloud of fork-tailed kites. With a whoop I dived into the conflagration. The autofocus wouldn’t work in the heat shimmer so I approximated with the distance ring. A kite flew close enough to smell burning feathers. Hang on! That was my hair on fire!’
Photograph: Raoul Slater
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The runner-up in the botanical category, Gondwanan Link by Nick Monk. He says: ‘A time-weathered Nothofagus gunnii bush hugs the alpine rocks of the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair national park, providing an ancient link of modern Tasmania to the super continent of Gondwana.’
Photograph: Nick Monk
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The runner-up in the monochrome category, Family Antennariidae by Andy Wingate. He says: ‘A solemn-looking grey anglerfish (aka frogfish) lays still, moving only its eyes as it lies in wait for its next unsuspecting meal to swim past. This is an expert hunter that walks, swims very little, and owns one of the fastest-moving set of jaws in the underwater world.’
Photograph: Andy Wingate
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The winner of the botanical category, Enchanted Forest by Kevin De Vree. De Vree says: ‘Lamington national park is a fairytale forest teeming with waterfalls, gigantic old trees and wildlife. Taking in all this magical beauty, I wondered when the ancient trees would start talking and if the fairies would appear. To me, this fungi stairway captures the magic of this century-old, semi-tropical forest.’
Photograph: Kevin De Vree
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The winner of the monochrome category, Phil’s World by Charles Davis. He says: ‘The snow was deep after a week of storms, and grass close to the surface was hard to find. The world had little detail except for the dead, white, skeletal snow gums left over from the 2003 fires and the wombats. I took advantage of the white background to capture both subjects together.’
Photograph: Charles Davis
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The winner of the threatened species category, Tasmanian Devil by Jasmine Vink. She says: ‘Tasmanian devils were once common throughout Tasmania. A facial tumour has resulted in severe population declines throughout much of their range. The devils on Maria Island are an insurance population used to supplement the numbers and genetic diversity of other populations in Tasmania.’
Photograph: Jasmine Vink
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The runner-up of the landscape category, The Main Range by Karl Strand. He says: ‘Last winter, my mate Adam and I hiked out into Kosciuszko national park during 70km/h headwinds to camp for the night. The clouds swept across the sky like a time-lapse right before your eyes. The dappled light painted the main range in glorious light and shadow, emphasising the contour of the land.’
Photograph: Karl Strand
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The runner-up of the threatened species category, Facing Extinction by Kevin De Vree, which depicts the celebes crested macaque. De Vree says: ‘Seeing these majestic animals in the wild is a humbling experience, especially since humans are responsible for the challenges they face: illegal logging, the demand for bushmeat and a cruel pet trade. By taking this picture, I wanted to capture what would be lost if we don’t protect them.’
Photograph: Kevin De Vree
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Matthew Clancy’s portrait of a scaly-tailed possum was the runner-up in the animal portrait category. He says: ‘Emerging upon nightfall from their rocky lairs, the shy and solitary scaly-tailed possums (known as yilangal by the Wunambal Gaambera people of remote north-western Australia) hang from their specialised prehensile tail to reach food and forage throughout the structurally complex monsoon forest and vine-thicket habitat.’
Photograph: Matthew Clancy
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