2022 Atlas photo competition

Many congratulations to all our winners and everyone who took part in the competition. The standard of entries was extremely high.

The identities of the entrants were hidden from the judges so the judging was completely impartial.

Thank you to David Gallan, Harrison Warne and Jessica Taunton for all your difficult work to choose from such a rich and varied collection of images.

Here are the judges' comments:

Winner: An interesting and elusive subject, judges enjoyed how well this image displays all the subject features with soft and even lighting. The background and foreground is well balanced between negative space and habitat features and the subject itself are naturally positioned ‘in situ’.

Second: The judges enjoyed this image as it shows a snapshot of an important moment in the lifecycle of this species. All of the elements come together to create an interesting scene with both the foreground and background making up part of the story. The colour is well balanced and it seems the shot is timed perfectly to fit the background.

What were the judges looking for? Judges made their decisions based on several image aspects including the framing of the subject, sharpness, colour (contrast & exposure) and interest in the scene.

Well done everyone! great photos and a great competition - keep up the good work for next year's comp.

Below are the winning entries, to view all the 2022 competition entries click here.

Overall winners:

1st - Matt Clancy- Southern Heath Frog (Litoria watsoni)

Southern Heath Frog (Litoria watsoni) photographed on the Sapphire Coast. These large brown tree frogs are extremely elusive, breeding during the cooler months of the year when most other frog species are inactive. Photo taken May 12, 2021. Camera specs: Canon EOS 7D MKII, EF100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM, f/14, 1/125, ISO 125, external flash with diffuser.

2nd - Jennifer Leayr - A Mum and her pup

3rd Kjell Hensen- A species of bracket fungi, photographed in Narooma.

BIRDS

1st Leo BerzinS

2nd Kjell Hensen

A pair of yellow-tailed black cockatoo's photographed at Bingie.

3rd - Tess Poyner

Spotted pardalote. The image was taken on Mummaga Lake while bush walking.

Terrestrial vertebrates (excluding birds)

1st Matt Clancy

2nd - Jennifer Leayr - A Mum and her pup

3rd Leo Berzins

Eastern Grey Kangaroo and joey at Middle Beach

Invertebrates

1st Jennifer Leayr

A Swordgrass Brown Butterfly slurping on a chickweed flower.

2nd Alex Metcalfe

Those delicate eyes Helena Gum Moth Location: Tathra

3rd Karen Regan

PLANTS & FUNGI

1st - Kjell Hensen

2nd Sharon Pearson

3rd Teena Burnell

Marine & intertidal species

1st - Jennifer Leayr

Open Wide A Humpback Whale showing off its huge tongue and baleen whilst feeding off the coast of Merimbula.

2nd Peter Harris

A very Rare white Southern Right Whale calf not very old at Tura Headland on the 3/7/2022

3rd Jennifer Leayr

Anemone Lover An underwater shot of a sea anemone with all its tentacles hanging out.

Landscape Habitat

1st Alex Metcalfe

Aragunnu, Mimosa Rocks National Park A unique area with a remarkable aura.

2nd Motria Tymkiw von Schreiber

3rd Steve Sass

MACRO

1st - Sharon Pearson

2nd Matt Clancy

Southern Death Adder (Acanthophis antarcticus). A well camouflaged and elusive snake found in the coastal forests of the Sapphire Coast, NSW. The Sapphire Coast is at the far southern limit for death adders in Australia. Photo taken on January 10, 2022. Camera specs: Canon EOS 7D MKII, EF-S60mm f/2.8 Macro USM, f/16, ISO 125, external flash with soft-box diffuser.

3rd Rose Constable

Ecological Interactions (involving more than 1 species)

1st Jennifer Leayr

Eagle vs. Osprey An Osprey trying to steal a fish from a White-bellied Sea Eagle. The eagle pulled an awesome acrobatic manoeuvre and evaded the Osprey.

2nd Alex Metcalfe

My eyes were bigger than my stomach Jacky Dragon slowly devouring a Margin-winged Stick Insect Location: Nelson Lagoon

3rd Paul Whittock

AGED 13 - 17 YEARS

1st Otis Waratah

HIGHLY COMMENDED

In no particular order:

8 - Leo Berzins - Feed Me!

9 - Teena Burnell - White Headed Pigeon in flight

27 - Tess Poyner - A male yellow-tailed black cockatoo feeding on a wood-boring larvae. The female bird has a pale grey eye-ring while the males are pink.

6 - Teena Burnell - New Holland Honeyeater

34 - Alex Metcalfe - My eyes were bigger than my stomach Jacky Dragon slowly devouring a Margin-winged Stick Insect Location: Nelson Lagoon

40 - Teena Burnell - Lace Monitor - afternoon snack

52 - Tess Poyner - A red-bellied black snake soaking in a swampland after rain. Image was taken at Potato Point.

68 - Liz Allen - Basking butterfly

56 - Teena Burnell - Dragonflies making vibrations

62 - Paul Whittock - Monarch Butterfly - Regal pose

74 - Peter Harris - Ghost Mushrooms fruiting

83 - Tess Poyner - A ruby bonnet mushroom. Cruentomycena viscidocruenta. A bright mushrooms species that only grows between 5-10mm.

79 - Kjell Hensen - Silent Forest

93 - Jennifer Leayr - Tubeworm An underwater shot of a Calcareous Tubeworm that is giving off a bit of a Christmas vibe with its mossy green tube and stunning red and white radioles.

88 - Teena Burnell - Great Southern Migration

90 - Paul Whittock -Marine Flatworm