Grand prize winner: environmental photographer of the year 2023; also 1st place in the humanity v nature category; and winner of the 2023 public award. Lopé national park, Gabon, 2021. An angry elephant tries to defend itself after it was hit by a train that crosses paths the animals use within Lopé national park. Park officials decided the elephant was too severely injured to be saved. After it was killed, the park director distributed the meat to local people. As the forest loses its carrying capacity to sustain its megafauna, this kind of human-wildlife conflict is increasing. (Photo by Jasper Doest/Environmental Photography Award)

Barking mad owners have proved they really do look like their pets – by performing impressions of their own dogs. In a series of hilarious “paw”-traits, owners pull their best faces to look like their pooches. Snapped by photographer Ines Opifanti, people stuck their tongues out, yawned and tilted their heads in curiosity at the camera. Opifanti, from Hamburg, Germany, came up with the idea while interacting with her own dogs, two pug/French bulldog crossbreeds. Here: Amina and Zazou the dog. (Photo by Ines Opifanti/Caters News)

Kazakh nomads have been grazing their livestock in Mongolia for hundreds of years. Fascinated by the bond between hunter and eagle, photographer Palani Mohan has spent the last few years documenting the burkitshi. Mohan's photos of the landscape, isolation of the hunt, and most of all the trusting relationship between man and bird, convey the importance that the eagle plays in their lives. (Photo by Palani Mohan)

When Colin Garratt went to photograph the traditional sentinels of the British countryside, he found they ranged from the dapper to the downright sinister. “They are not from the anaesthetised world of the craft fair”, says Colin Garratt, “but are the direct descendants of the ancient spectres which have haunted the landscape for centuries”. The Scarecrow Exhibition is at Geddes Gallery, London, from 25 to 30 March. (Photo by Colin Garratt)

These timeless postcards offer an eye-opening glimpse into life in Japan in the early 20th century. Taken from hand-colored photographs, the postcards showcase the still beauty of the country, depicting a nation on the cusp of modernization. The images feature solemn fishermen, bustling streets, temples and shrines: a country yet to be influenced by Western culture. The tinting effect brings out the rich colors of the natural surroundings, with trees, flowers and cherry blossoms jumping from the original black-and-white images. Here: Toyokuni Shrine Nakanoshima, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by New York Public Library/Caters News)

The Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way, can be seen shining above a remote village in Switzerland. The cinematic images convey the beauty of the galaxy gleaming above the picturesque Swiss mountains. Photographer Sandro Casutt took the amazing snaps in different seasons throughout the year, from his home valley of Vals, Switzerland. Here: A view of the sky from the Zervreila Mountain Lagoon in Switzerland. (Photo by Sandro Casutt/Caters News)

Dave Zdanowicz, a prominent landscape photographer from the north of England, here shares his favourite shots from this year. This series brings together photos from January to last month, displaying the fine range of English seasons he has documented. Here: Misty sunrise at Winnat's Pass, Derbyshire on August 26, 2016. (Photo by Dave Zdanowicz/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

The annual calendar features stunning shots of lighting, cloud formations and the aurora australis. Hundreds of photographers from every Australian state and territory submitted images to the Bureau of Meteorology for selection in the year’s calendar, with only the best chosen to represent the full spectrum of Australian weather. Here: April. A path through the clouds between Townsville and Richmond, Queensland. (Photo by Captain Victoria Harrison/Australian Bureau of Meteorology)