A fox in the snow, glacial caverns and a frosty morning in the Mackenzie country were among the winners announced by the World Nature Photography Awards.
The top photos appeared to be following a chilly theme for the 2021 competition, in the categories for Black and White, Landscape and Adventure Photography.
For winner Sam Wilson, her photo from a winter trip to the South Island was a moment frozen in time.
The winning image 'Shades of Magic' was taken near Twizel and captured the attention of judges in the Landscape category.
The photographer from New South Wales was on holiday on a trip with Brett Wood Photo Tours in 2019, when the perfect photo op presented itself.
"To me this is a perfect example of being rewarded for being out in the freezing cold and leaving in the dark," she told the Herald. "Even though there was snow on the ground I chose this composition to capture the full reflections and sunrise colour in the background, and the cold was totally forgotten."
Tour guide Brett Wood who is based between Tasmania and the central South Island has been leading tourists on photography trips for almost 20 years, and calls the Aoraki, Mt Cook region his "spiritual home".
Judges were impressed by the colour, composition and chance encounter that produced the award-worthy photo. "Travelling down random dirt roads can be so rewarding when you are greeted with scenes like this," they said, awarding it first place in the Landscape category.
Wilson said she was delighted with the result and can't wait to get back to New Zealand, as the country welcomes back Australian travellers next week.
"It's just so beautiful, a photographer's dream to state the obvious," she said. "I've rescheduled trips twice now after the last couple of years, but have fingers firmly crossed for 2023!"
Among the other prize-worthy photos were a colony of ants building a bridge and a heartbreaking image of a baby orangutan about to undergo surgery.
Judges praised the "selection of amazing images that arrived in our offices from all over the world."
The winner of World Nature Photographer of the Year, Amos Nachoum, continued the icy theme with his image 'Facing reality' - showing an Antarctic gentoo penguin moments away from being eaten by a leopard seal.
The 2022 World Nature Photography Awards are now open for entries.
