A yawning vixen, nectar-sipping insects, arguing great spotted woodpeckers – children and young people captured these moments and many more with their cameras. Sometimes as a snapshot with a cell phone, sometimes planned for a long time and with a professional camera. The competition had 950 participants “Nature in Focus 2023” more than 2300 photos submitted. Bavaria’s Environment Minister Thorsten Glauber and Art and Science Minister Markus Blume honored the 22 winners on Tuesday in the Museum of Man and Nature in Munich’s Nymphenburg Palace, including Runa Brenner, ten years old, from Benediktbeuern and Sasha Jumanca, eleven years old, from Munich, who were several won prizes.
Glauber was thrilled that the nature photos captured “the beauty of our homeland and the uniqueness of our flora and fauna.” Blume praised the “patience, skill and noticeable fascination” of the young photographers. Many of the photos are more than images of nature; for Blume, they are “real works of art”.
The smallest bird in Europe, the goldcrest, makes a big appearance in the picture by Sasha Jumanca.
(Photo: Sasha Jumanca)
“The soul of the forest” was captured by 15-year-old Sebastiano Gioele Caglio.
(Photo: Sebastiano Gioele Caglio)
A bluing on a flower, like a Japanese ink drawing by Runa Brenner, or the long-exposure “Soul of the Forest” in black and yellow bars by Sebastiano Gioele Caglio – all pictures can be seen in a special exhibition in the Museum Mensch und Natur until the end of May . The show will then go on tour through Bavaria. The Ministry of the Environment is funding the competition with 26,000 euros. There will be non-cash prizes for the winners, and the first place winners can look forward to a nature adventure weekend including a photography seminar.