2022 ESA Photo Competition Winners Revealed

An aerial image of the spectacular tree-like tributaries of Lake Cakora has taken out top honours in the 2022 Ecological Society of Australia annual photography competition.

Now in its twelfth year, the competition is popular among working ecologists and ecology students. This results in a gallery of images showcasing their unique perspective and experiences. A researcher taking a biopsy sample from a whale shark; a Tasmanian devil being released from a trap during a remote monitoring expedition; a tiny skeleton shrimp found during marine surveys; the vibrant red of the NSW state emblem, the waratah, among the charred remains of the Black Summer forests.

“The ESA photo competition is unique,” said judge Alex Pike. “Not only does it showcase the amazing on-ground work of Australian ecologists but many of our lesser-known but very interesting organisms and ecosystems often make the shortlist.”

“There were a number of spectacular images this year across all categories, which made choosing the finalists quite a challenge,” competition committee co-chair Dr Nathan Emery said.

However, the judging panel were unanimous in awarding Best Image to Russell Charters for ‘Tree of Life’. The image was considered to be a breathtaking and well-executed example of an iconic Australian ecosystem.

The People’s Choice Award, decided by public vote, was won by David Flack for his image ‘Graceful Curves‘.

A new prize offered this year, for the best ecological caption, aimed to recognise the deep ecological knowledge held by many of the submitting photographers. The prize was awarded to Jarrad Barnes, a PhD candidate at the University of the Sunshine Coast, for his image ‘The Two F’s’. His winning caption read:

“Male red-eyed tree frogs have two distinct calls. Represented here is a drawn-out croaking which vastly expands the vocal sac and evolved to attract females: the ‘F me’ call. The second is a rapid churring employed in male-male competition: the ‘F off’ call. One frog, two calls, and the purest distillation of sexual selection: ‘F me’, and ‘F off’.”

The best image by a student or early career ecologist went to Jennifer Longo from La Trobe University for her image ‘Liquorice Ropes‘.

All the finalists can be found below. A gallery of shortlisted images can be found on the ESA website.

The 2022 judging panel included ABC presenter Dr Ann Jones, and award-winning photographers Christian Spencer, Georgina Steytler, and Alex Pike.

Overall Winner

RUSSELL CHARTERS – ‘Tree of Life’

Best Caption

JARRAD BARNES – ‘The Two F’s’

“Male red-eyed tree frogs have two distinct calls. Represented here is a drawn-out croaking which vastly expands the vocal sac and evolved to attract females: the ‘F me’ call. The second is a rapid churring employed in male-male competition: the ‘F off’ call. One frog, two calls, and the purest distillation of sexual selection: ‘F me’, and ‘F off’.”