photo: © Anja Brouwer/WNF | Adult-category winner: Tern with chick among red knots
The prestigious WNF–Frans Lanting Photo Award demonstrated that the Netherlands is truly a nation of bird lovers. The four talented young and adult winners captured birds beautifully: from two white terns in a sea of gray red knots to a kingfisher in full flight with two small fish in its beak.
The winning photographs were selected from a record 11,500 entries by a jury chaired by renowned nature photographer and WNF ambassador Frans Lanting. Anja Brouwer of Dokkum, Friesland, won the adult category. 16-year-old Rick van der Kraats of Hoogland, Utrecht, won Young Talent, while 9-year-old Mirte van Grinsven of Helmond, Brabant, won Kids. 14-year-old Corné Koopmans of Biddinghuizen, Flevoland, won the People’s Choice Award. CineMec in Utrecht exhibited the 30 nominated nature photographs.
In a sea of gray red knots near Ameland, Anja Brouwer captured a large white tern feeding its chick. This made Brouwer the winner of the prestigious adult Frans Lanting Award. Frans Lanting said: “Very special. It is a beautiful snapshot of the interaction between a mother and her chick that also conveys the dynamism of the Wadden nature. This photograph reflects what we have in the Wadden region and what we must preserve.”
Rick van der Kraats (16), winner of Young Talent, waited one evening until he could beautifully capture a northern gannet on Germany’s Heligoland in the late sunlight. “This is a stunning photograph,” Lanting said. “A perfect shot, and technically far from easy.”
Mirte van Grinsven (9) photographed a buzzard stretching its wings just before taking off in the Belgian woods near Kalmthout. According to the jury, it was a very brief moment that required the photographer to react quickly. The public most appreciated Corné Koopmans’s (14) kingfisher. In full flight, the bird snatched several small fish from the water. Of the 12,000 people who voted for the 30 nominees, Koopmans received the most votes (1,050).
Inspiration for Nature Photography
The WNF–Frans Lanting Photo Award includes a People’s Choice Award and three jury awards: Kids (ages 6–11), Young Talent (ages 12–18), and Adults (18+). The World Wide Fund for Nature organized the photography competition for the third time in partnership with Frans Lanting. Lanting is regarded as one of the leading nature photographers of his time. For 40 years, he has traveled the world to capture nature’s beauty. Through this competition, Lanting hopes to inspire others to pursue nature photography and encourage respect for nature.
The winners of the People’s Choice Award and the jury awards—the WNF–Frans Lanting Photo Awards—received an exclusive nature-photography workshop with the world-famous photographer and a stay at Center Parcs. In addition to the award statuette, the winners in the two youth categories received a meet-and-greet with the photographer and an adventurous overnight stay in the Jungle Dome at Center Parcs Het Heijderbos.
Alongside Frans Lanting, the jury included WNF ambassadors Humberto Tan and André Kuipers, and WNF wildlife expert Christiaan van der Hoeven. New jury member Jasper Doest is a young photographer whose work has appeared internationally in publications including National Geographic.
Jury chair Lanting said: “Nature is everywhere, from the Amazon to Antarctica, but especially in our own country as well. It is easy to overlook Dutch nature whose importance extends far beyond our borders: migratory birds in the polders, nature along rivers, or a panoramic view across our delta.”
