10 award-winning images documenting wildlife’s will to survive

The saiga antelope roams the Eurasian steppe of Central Asia. Its distinct, downward-facing tubular nose helps filter dust and warm cool air. Like most wildlife, the bulbous-headed antelopes avoid human contact, so capturing compelling images of the creatures can prove difficult.

Undeterred, photographer Andrey Giljov set out to document saiga antelopes in their natural habitat. “We had to set up a camouflaged hide near this so-called social arena,” Giljov explains. “We had to conceal ourselves in the dark to avoid scaring off approaching saigas or making unnecessary noise, otherwise the animals would not come close.”

Giljov’s stealthiness paid off with a stunning image of two male saigas going horn to horn on the banks of a lake during a competitive breeding season. The photograph (seen above) took home the top honors for the 2025 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition.

“This was a challenging image to capture,” said senior BMC Ecology and Evolution Editorial Board Member David Ferrier. “It wonderfully conveys the energy of the battle, alongside the striking appearance of these animals.”

The annual photography competition highlights “the beauty, struggles, and survival strategies of remarkable life on Earth, while celebrating the researchers striving to understand the natural world in the fields of ecology, evolutionary biology, palaeontology, and zoology,” a press release explains.

Along with the overall winners, the judges also selected honorees across four categories: Collective Social Behaviour, Life in Motion, Colourful Strategies, and Research in Action.

 

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