The strength of nature - captured in instants

With this photo, Tim Laman set himself apart from the other 50,000 submissions for the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year" award. It shows a critically endangered Bornean orangutan in the Indonesian rainforest. For several days, Laman climbed up and down that tree to install his cameras. This is one of a series of six photos, in which he relates the sad story of the great apes.

Gideon Knight from Great Britain, who is only 16 years old, won the "Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year" award. The topic of the photo is not particularly unusual - but the faint light and romantic scenery give the picture a mysterious, fairytale touch.

Even the photographer, Paul Hilton, was probably caught off guard when capturing this sad sight. These 4,000 dead pangolins represent the largest seizure of the coveted insectivores ever made. They were destined for China and Vietnam - their meat is considered a delicacy, their skin and scales are used in traditional medicine. All eight species are endangered.

This hazelnut tree grows at photographer Valter Binottos's home in northern Italy. The hazelnut tree carries male and female flowers on the same plant. "The most difficult part was to capture the female [red] flowers motionlessly while the catkins moved," Binotto explained. "That's why I needed flowers on a short branch, so that it was as stable as possible."

In a suburb of Mumbai, near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, leopards sneak through the narrow streets at night. They are looking for food. Despite occasional encounters and attacks, cats are an accepted part of society and culture. With this picture, Nayan Khanolkar wanted to show what tolerance can mean. He has received the award for the category "urban."

Mats Andersson from Sweden won in the category for black-and-white photography. Every day during springtime, Andersson walked through the woods. He enjoyed the company of two pygmy owls - until he found one of them dead. "The owl reflects my grief for his lost companion," he says. The black and white enhance the sadness and melancholy.

For a few days a month - at full or new moon - thousands of two-spot red snappers gather for spawning around Palau in the western Pacific Ocean. This is an exceptional bounty for predators. Despite low light and water clouded with sperm and eggs, Tony Wu managed to take this photo, winning in the "underwater" category.

This young sea lion in the Gulf of California plays with a starfish. Luis Javier Sandoval received the award in the category "impressions" for the levity in this picture. Starting October 21, the pictures will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London - after that, the exhibition will travel to more than 60 cities around the world.