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Photos: ants take top prize at Veolia Wildlife Environment Photography contest

An image of nocturnal ant silhouettes systematically devouring a leaf in Costa Rica has given Hungarian photographer, Bence Máté, the much-coveted Veolia Wildlife Environment Photographer of the Year award. In addition to being named Photographer of the year, Máté also won the Erik Hosking award, given to a young photographer (ages 18-26) for a portfolio of images. Máté’s images include those taken in Costa Rica, Brazil, and Hungary.



The Young Photographer of the Year (15-17 years old) award went to Fergus Gill of Scotland for capturing a fieldfare on Boxing Day in his backyard.



The Gerald Durrell Award for photos taken of endangered species went to Andy Rouse for a head-on photo of a stalking Bengal tiger in Ranthambore National Park in India. Other endangered species photos commended this year include a sperm whale named Scar, a black rhino in Kenya, and a western tarsier in Borneo.



The One Earth Award, which awards photos that highlight conservation and environmental photos, was won by Jordi Chias Pujol who photographed a sea turtle impossibly entangled in abandoned fishermen’s nets. Shark-finning, elephant-human conflict, the amphibian plague, and unsustainable hunting are other issues highlighted by commended photos in the category.



Veolia Environment Wildlife Photography contest is run by the BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Museum in London.







Bence Máté won Veolia Photographer of 2010 for this image of leaf-cutter ants in Costa Rica. Photo by: Bence Máté.








Fergus Gill won best young photographer for his winter image of a fieldfare. Photo by: Fergus Gill.








This image won the One Earth Award, which highlights conservation and environmental issues. Spanish photographer, Jordi Chias Pujol, was able to cut the sea turtle free after the photo was taken, but most are not so lucky. Photo by: Jordi Chias Pujol.







This photo of a black rhino in Kenya was highly commended by the Gerald Durrell Award for Endangered Wildlife. Photo by: Greg du Toit.







Runner up in the One Earth Award: a photo of deforestation for palm oil in Indonesian Borneo. Photo by: Daniel Beltrá.











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