Underwater photographer of the year – winner. Dancing Octopus by Gabriel Barathieu (France). Location: Island of Mayotte, off the coast of south-east Africa. “Balletic and malevolent”, one judge said of this octopus, hunting in a lagoon. Barathieu waited until spring tides when there was just 30cm of water on the flats and plenty of light in the shallows. (Photo by Gabriel Barathieu/UPY2017)

A golden pheasant and squirrels are seen in Lushan County of Pingdingshan City, central China's Henan Province, November 14, 2017. (Photo by Liu Xianguo/Xinhua/Barcroft Images)

Fish-eye lens with a twist: the Norwegian photographer Brutus Ostling uses bait to lure a herring gull for a close-up in September 2022. (Photo by Brutus Ostling/Solent News)

A security man keeps guard during Malawi's President elect Arthur Peter Mutharika swearing in ceremony at Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on May 28, 2019, after a contentious election marred by allegations of fraud and vote-rigging. The Malawi Electoral Commission announced on Monday that Mutharika, who heads the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), had narrowly won last week's vote after an injunction barring the release of the results was lifted. (Photo by Amos Gumulira/AFP Photo)

Open jaws of a Great White Shark Carcharodon Carcharias, South Africa. (Photo by Stephen Frink Collection/Alamy Stock Photo)

Elephants forage for food at a rubbish dump encroaching on their jungle habitat in Oluvil, Sri Lanka in September 2020. Examination of dead elephants has revealed undigested polythene and other plastic waste. (Photo by Tharmaplan Tilaxan/Cover Images)

Spot, a robot with dog-like movements, walks past a dog in Cathedral Square in Erfurt, Germany on April 20, 2021. Security service provider Ciborius, a provider of robotic security solutions with artificial intelligence, presented its artificial employee with high-resolution 360-degree all-round camera, ultra-bright LED light and a light detection system on Domplatz. (Photo by Michael Reichel/dpa)

Shooting star by Tony Wu, US/Japan. Winner, underwater. The electrifying reproductive dance of a giant sea star. As the surrounding water filled with sperm and eggs from spawning sea stars, Wu faced several challenges. Stuck in a small, enclosed bay with only a macro lens for photographing small subjects, he backed up to squeeze the undulating sea star into his field of view. The dancing posture of spawning sea stars rising and swaying may help release eggs and sperm, or may help sweep the eggs and sperm into the currents where they fertilise together in the water. Kinko Bay, Japan. (Photo by Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)