A ‘luminescent’ crab, doomed seal and firefly forest: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2023 winners

A "hauntingly beautiful" photo of a horseshoe crab has snapped up the top prize in the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

It was taken by French marine biologist Laurent Ballesta, who won the award for the second time yesterday - beating almost 50,000 other entries from 95 countries.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. From Friday (13 October) visitors will be able to see 100 of these stunning wildlife photos at the museum’s dedicated exhibition.

Below is the winning image in all its otherworldly glory, and a handful of our favourite winners from across the competition’s 19 categories.

It looks almost too alien to parse, initially. But a trio of fish above it confirm that this hovering golden orb is indeed something on our planet.

Underwater photographer Laurent Ballesta captured the tri-spine horseshoe crab accompanied by three golden trevallies in the protected waters of Pangatalan Island in the Philippines.

Protection is key for the survival of this unique species. The tri-spine horseshoe crab has existed for more than 100 million years but now faces habitat destruction and overfishing for food and for its blue blood, used in the development of vaccines.

“To see a horseshoe crab so vibrantly alive in its natural habitat, in such a hauntingly beautiful way, was astonishing,” says chair of the jury and editor, Kathy Moran. “We are looking at an ancient species, highly endangered, and also critical to human health. This photo is luminescent.”

Laurent is only the second photographer in the competition’s 59-year history to be awarded the Grand Title award twice, having first won in 2021 with a photo of camouflage grouper fish in Fakarava, French Polynesia.

A marine biologist who has dedicated his life to exploring the oceans, Laurent encounters more opportunities than most; he has led a series of major expeditions involving scientific mysteries and diving challenges.

17-year-old Carmel Bechler from Israel bagged the main youth prize this year, for a dynamic shot entitled ‘Owls’ road house’.

After discovering several barn owls in an abandoned concrete building near a busy road in