Nature’s brutality is as jarring as its beauty, and nowhere is that on display more than in the 2024 World Nature Photography Awards.

Photographer Alexander Brackx was in Kenya when he witnessed a wildlife encounter that will remain seared into his memory forever. “That morning, we decided to follow four cheetahs on the hunt,” Brackx said. “We followed them for hours. We passed herds of topis, gazelles, and zebras. We knew something was going to happen. When, five hours later, our Maasai guide whispered, ‘they are going for the zebras,’ I was convinced they would attack the topis or gazelles dotted across the valley. Seconds later, the cheetahs burst into a small group of zebras. One cheetah ran towards us, clinging onto a foal. In those seconds, I took this picture of the mother zebra launching a last attempt to push her foal away from the attacking cheetah. She failed. I will remember those last seconds for the rest of my life.”

The resulting photograph (seen below) took home first prize in the Behavior-Mammals category.

Tracey Lund took top honors overall, being named World Nature Photographer of the Year for her underwater image of two gannets battling for a fish in the Shetland Islands. Lund’s riveting image also offers a reminder that capturing the perfect shot requires persistence, with Lund saying, “An unbelievable spectacle to witness, let alone photograph. I took 1800 images on that day but only had 2 that I could use.”

All the honored photographs from this year’s competition are also available to purchase as wall art.