Beautiful moment polar bear sleeps on an iceberg among winners in Golden Turtle photography festival

From a polar bear sleeping on an iceberg to an Indian black turtle swimming among fish in the ocean, this incredible array of images showcases the work of some of the world’s finest photographers. 

The stunning images were taken by the winners of The Golden Turtle Festival photography competition, which celebrates the beauty of wildlife.

This year’s competition features a crested horn shark feeding on an egg in the ocean and a run of salmon swimming up a river in Alaska.

The diverse images also include a vibrantly coloured kingfisher perched on a tree branch and a wolf chasing a mountain goat which appears to be crying out for help as it tries to run away from the predator’s grasp.

Almost 4,000 photographers entered The Golden Turtle Festival’s festival, which is the largest international eco-educational project, bringing together photographers, designers and artists from all over the world.

This photo taken by Marek Jackowski of a polar bear sleeping on an iceberg won first prize in the Animals in the Environment category

This photograph, taken underwater by Dmitry Kokh, of an Indian black turtle swimming among fish won first prize in The Underwater World category

This photograph, taken underwater by Dmitry Kokh, of an Indian black turtle swimming among fish won first prize in The Underwater World category

This picture of a wolf closing in on a young mountain goat as they race across the baron landscape was taken by Haiyuan Tong and won first prize in the Animal Behaviour category

This picture of a wolf closing in on a young mountain goat as they race across the baron landscape was taken by Haiyuan Tong and won first prize in the Animal Behaviour category

This photo shows a group of polar bears climbing on top of a dead whale as they feast on its carcass. Some of the polar bears have blood on their faces from the feast. The image was taken by Grigory Tsidulko won first prize in the Reserved Russia category

This photo shows a group of polar bears climbing on top of a dead whale as they feast on its carcass. Some of the polar bears have blood on their faces from the feast. The image was taken by Grigory Tsidulko won first prize in the Reserved Russia category

This photo taken by Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco of a vibrantly coloured kingfisher perched on a tree branch won second prize in the Nature through the eyes of children category

This photo taken by Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco of a vibrantly coloured kingfisher perched on a tree branch won second prize in the Nature through the eyes of children category

Photographer Nicolas Remy captured the moment a crested horn shark picked up an egg and began eating it. The photograph came third in The Underwater World category

Photographer Nicolas Remy captured the moment a crested horn shark picked up an egg and began eating it. The photograph came third in The Underwater World category

A pair of deer in the snow

Swans rest by the shore

This picture of a pair of baby deer standing in the snow (left) by Mikhail Kryokov won third prize in the Reserved Russia category. Meanwhile, the image of a group of swans (right) resting on the water next to a shoreline marked by their feet was taken by by Tamas Koncz-Bisztricz and won first prize in the Nature through the eyes of youth category

The overall winning photo shows a pack of dog salmons by Magnus Lundgren, who won Photographer of the Year. the image shows a pack of Chum salmons swimming upstream during their epic run up a rapid Alaska river in Fidalgo Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, US. Chum is a Pacific salmon species and are also known as dog salmon or keta salmon

The overall winning photo shows a pack of dog salmons by Magnus Lundgren, who won Photographer of the Year. the image shows a pack of Chum salmons swimming upstream during their epic run up a rapid Alaska river in Fidalgo Bay, Prince William Sound, Alaska, US. Chum is a Pacific salmon species and are also known as dog salmon or keta salmon

Minerals, water and water currents are the ingredients with which nature creates these ephemeral landscapes in the shape of a tree which disappear with the next rainfall. The natural phenomenon was pictured by Manuel Enrique Gonzalez Carmona and won first prize in the Art and Nature's Image category

Minerals, water and water currents are the ingredients with which nature creates these ephemeral landscapes in the shape of a tree which disappear with the next rainfall. The natural phenomenon was pictured by Manuel Enrique Gonzalez Carmona and won first prize in the Art and Nature’s Image category

This image of a trio of sealions laying on a rock in the middle of the water by Ekaterina Vasyagina won second prize in the Reserved Russia category

This image of a trio of sealions laying on a rock in the middle of the water by Ekaterina Vasyagina won second prize in the Reserved Russia category

This picture of a fish swimming through a plastic wrapper by Pasquale Vassallo won third prize in the Humans and Nature category

This picture of a fish swimming through a plastic wrapper by Pasquale Vassallo won third prize in the Humans and Nature category

A pool of water is seen inside a cave

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The picture of a waterfall (left) and a pool of water which has warped the edges of the surrounding rock by Scott Portelli won third prize in the Landscape category. Meanwhile Kevin Morgans won first prize in The Portrait of the Animal category with his image of a yawning white hare (right)

This image by Geoffrey Reynaud of a curious black bear cub, which climbed across a river and over a tree branch to investigate the camera, won third prize in the New technologies in wildlife photography category

This image by Geoffrey Reynaud of a curious black bear cub, which climbed across a river and over a tree branch to investigate the camera, won third prize in the New technologies in wildlife photography category

This picture of a red car driving on a road through a wild landscape filled with small pockets of water shows the contrast between man and nature. The image, taken by Javier Lafuente won first prize in the Humans and Nature category

This picture of a red car driving on a road through a wild landscape filled with small pockets of water shows the contrast between man and nature. The image, taken by Javier Lafuente won first prize in the Humans and Nature category

This picture of a group of flamingos by Jiri Hrebicek captures the movement of the birds and won third prize in the Art and Nature's Image category

This picture of a group of flamingos by Jiri Hrebicek captures the movement of the birds and won third prize in the Art and Nature’s Image category

This black and white picture of a bird flying above the waves by Joel Delmus won second prize in the Art and Nature's Image category

This black and white picture of a bird flying above the waves by Joel Delmus won second prize in the Art and Nature’s Image category

This picture of a hedgehog scurrying through the grass in the middle of a starry night by Yegor Nikiforov won third place in the Animals in the Environment category

This picture of a hedgehog scurrying through the grass in the middle of a starry night by Yegor Nikiforov won third place in the Animals in the Environment category

This picture shows a team of divers, who work to conserve sharks, surrounding a large shark while taking pictures and measurements. The image was taken by Magnus Lundgren and won second prize in the Humans and Nature category

This picture shows a team of divers, who work to conserve sharks, surrounding a large shark while taking pictures and measurements. The image was taken by Magnus Lundgren and won second prize in the Humans and Nature category

This picture of a butterfly landing on a plant in the middle of the night captures the movement of the plant and butterfly. The image was taken by Tibor Litauski and won third prize in the Microcosm category

This picture of a butterfly landing on a plant in the middle of the night captures the movement of the plant and butterfly. The image was taken by Tibor Litauski and won third prize in the Microcosm category

This picture shows a small group of trees seemingly defying nature by seeding themselves in the middle of a desert. The image was taken by Babak Mehrafsahar and won second prize in the Magic of Plants category

This picture shows a small group of trees seemingly defying nature by seeding themselves in the middle of a desert. The image was taken by Babak Mehrafsahar and won second prize in the Magic of Plants category

This image by Joel Delmas shows a natural tunnel opening up to an open area with a body of water and it won second prize in the Landscape category

This image by Joel Delmas shows a natural tunnel opening up to an open area with a body of water and it won second prize in the Landscape category 

This image taken by Ismael Dominguez Gutierrez shows a small owl shaking its feathers while stood on a tree branch. The photograph won first prize in the Nature through the eyes of children category

This image taken by Ismael Dominguez Gutierrez shows a small owl shaking its feathers while stood on a tree branch. The photograph won first prize in the Nature through the eyes of children category

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