LONDON – This powerful image of a pair of golden-nosed monkeys rolled up in the middle of an iridescent foliage is rewarded with one of the most prestigious awards in photography, the animal photographer of the year. year 2018.

The image, titled "The Golden Couple", was captured by Dutch photographer Marsel van Oosten in the Qinling Mountains of southwestern China – the only habitat for endangered monkeys.

Van Oosten said that he was "both extremely proud and totally shocked" to have won the grand title of the contest organized by the Natural History Museum in London and in his 54th year.

"It's a symbolic reminder of the beauty of nature and our growing impoverishment as nature shrinks – it's a work worthy of appearing in every gallery in the world," said Roz Kidman Cox, Jury Chair. , from the winning image.

Skye Meaker, 16, of South Africa, was voted best animal photographer of the year 2018 with her image of a newly awakened leopard in Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana.

Skye Meaker, 16, from South Africa, won the Young Animal Photographer Award of the Year 2018 with this image of a leopard in the Mashatu Reserve in Botswana. (Photo: Copyright: Skye Meaker)

A new award for excellence for overall achievements has been awarded to Frans Lanting, renowned Dutch nature photographer based in Santa Cruz, California, "for his outstanding contribution to the conservation of wildlife during more than three decades, "said the organizers.

This is the latest award for Lanting, born in Rotterdam, who was appointed in 2001 Knight of the Royal Order of the Golden Arch in the Netherlands for his work of conservation.

The winning photos were chosen from more than 45,000 entries from 95 countries. Six American photographers have also received praise in several categories of the contest.

An exhibition featuring the top 100 projects in the competition will open Friday at the Natural History Museum in London, before touring, including the Detroit Zoological Society in November, the Field Museum in Chicago and the Houston Museum of Natural Science in Texas. 2019.

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/10/17/wildlife-photographer-year-image-snub-nosed-monkeys-wins/1668417002/