Lion roaring as fly buzzes into his eye wins Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year 2021

THIS jaw-dropping photograph of a lion roaring as a fly buzzes in his eye captures thas won the Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year 2021

The stunning entry was selected from  25,023 photographs which aimed to offer a new perspective on this most magnificent of continents.

MDrumSouth African photographer Hannes Lochner won the top prize with his image Fly in the Eye captured in Chobe National Park, Botswana[/caption]

The Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year 2021 was Hannes Lochner.

The judges said: “With one snap of the shutter, this image succeeds with so many of the criteria that make an excellent photograph. It is technically brilliant from the perspective of timing, anticipation and setting the camera perfectly for the predicted behaviour.”

There were also runners up and those winning the commended accolade. 

The publication’s editor-in-chief James Hendry said: “It has been a great joy and privilege to receive your entries each week, to see the vastly different perspectives of Africa. 

“We judge images on their ability to tell a story, evoke emotion and capture the essence of Africa.

“We are but human, and therefore the judging cannot be entirely objective – many entries may well succeed in other competitions.”

MDrumA female chinspot batis feeds its demanding chicks in their perfect little nest. Kolwezi Lualaba Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo – Kirkamon Cabello[/caption]

MDrumThis photo was taken in a Mursi village in southern Ethiopia by Bob Chiu[/caption]

MDrumBritish photographer James Gifford captured a mother rhino and her calf silhouetted against the setting sun in Botswana[/caption]

MDrumKenyan photographer Aditya Nair photographed the bloody face of a cheetah in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya[/caption]

MDrumBrazilian photographer Ana Zinger captured the moment a giraffe mother tended to her calf grooming and cleaning her baby in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya[/caption]

MDrumSouth African photographer Eleanor Hattingh captured one of the continent’s smaller inhabitants in the Rietvlei Nature Reserve, South Africa[/caption]

MDrumThe photo was captured in Yzerfontein, South Africa, from Geo Cloete’s back garden at home[/caption]

MDrumKenyan photographer James Nampaso’s image ‘Attack’ was taken in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, Kenya[/caption]

MDrumA precious fennec fox in the heart of the Tunisian desert by Marcello Galleano[/caption]

MDrumA small amphibian sits on a rain tree leaf. Kruger National Park, South Africa – Mattheuns Pretorius[/caption]

MDrumMattheuns Pretorius’ image ‘Hippopotamus Enjoys Sleeping in a Natural Jacuzzi’ was taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa, and featured a hippo cooling off on a hot day[/caption]

MDrumHartlaub’s gull, Kommetjie, Cape Town by Philip Jackson[/caption]

MDrumMozambican long-fingered bat emerging from the Codzo Cave. Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique byPiotr Naskrecki[/caption]

MDrum‘Wild is Life Sanctuary’ in Zimbabwe. by Sam Turley[/caption]

MDrumIn ‘Natal Tree Frog Hiding in a Ligularia Leaf,’ Zimbabwean Shirley Gillitt wondered across the shy creature one morning in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa[/caption]

MDrumItalian photographer Valentino Morgante’s image called ‘Hands’ was taken in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda[/caption]

MDrumChinese photographer Ying Shi’s image ‘Morning Chore’s in a Maasai Village’ was taken in Kajiado Country, Kenya[/caption]