2024 Big Picture Competition Winners

The 2024 Big Picture winners and finalists have been announced. The categories showcase wildlife, landscapes, aquatic life, and more.

Since its inception in 2014, BigPicture has been recognized as one of the top wildlife and conservation competitions in the world. See for yourself in the inspiring galleries below, showcasing the winners and finalists from each year.

Featured above is the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Michoacán, Mexico. This beautiful photograph was captured by Jaime Rojo, a photographer and National Geographic Explorer:

An awe-inspiring look into a fragile phenomenon: Immense swaths of Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) sleeping, clinging in clusters, no doubt weary after having made the 3,000 mile migration from Canada and United States to Mexico. These monarchs make the reserve their home until Spring, and during their stay, they rest, reproduce, and prepare for the long journey back. During this eight-month cycle, it is estimated that five generations of these beautiful butterflies are born and die. In contrast to the sheer enormity of the Monarchs in this image, in reality, sights like this could potentially become rare in the future. This is entirely because of the realities of climate change, deforestation, and pesticide exposure, including an overall loss of the milkweed plant, the only plant in which the Monarch lays their eggs. However, all is not lost, with many organizations in the United States and Mexico mobilizing to save this incredible migratory effort, with promising numbers leading the International Union for the Conservation of Nature classifying this behavior vulnerable as opposed to endangered.

Check out all the winners of 2024 and even winners of past years.

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