By now you may have seen the Top 24 and/or the Top 100 images from NANPA’s 2022 Showcase competition. Those images together with the images revealed in this blog post comprise the 2022 Showcase Top 250.
About the Showcase competition
NANPA’s Showcase is an annual photo competition recognizing the Top 250 images created by NANPA members, including some of today’s most accomplished professional nature photographers as well as highly skilled nature photography hobbyists.
“NANPA members include some of the finest photographers in the world. They don’t all have recognizable names, but their images deserve recognition, and Showcase provides an opportunity for that,” said Showcase coordinator Wendy Shattil. Shattil fully understands how winning a prestigious photo competition can impact a photographer’s career. She was the first woman to win a grand prize in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition in 1990.
Competition is steep in Showcase. This year judges viewed 3,372 photographs submitted by 377 different photographers. Images are submitted and awarded in six distinct categories: mammals, scapes, birds, macro/micro/all other wildlife, altered reality, and conservation. Winners that placed in the Top 250—excluding those that made the Top 24 or Top 100 prize categories—are presented below.
Mammals
The Mammals category is a perennial favorite for photographers. In fact, the Mammals and Birds categories combined accounted for well over half of the competition’s total entries for 2022. Winners in the Top 250 tier of the Mammals category include land and sea mammals near and far, representative of the places NANPA members live, visit, and work throughout the world, including the United States, Australia, Japan, Canada, Kenya, and Antarctica.
Winning photographers in the Top 250 tier of the Mammals category include Carol Grenier, Celia Kujala, Alyce Bender, Daniel Dietrich, Donald Van Horn, Harry Lerner, Hector D. Astorga, Jennifer Smith, Jane Scott Norris, Jeanne Sparks, Jeffrey Goudy, Jeff Vanuga, Jennifer Hadley, Michael Cohen, Jenny Loren, Jeremy Burnham, Karin Leperi, Matthew Meier, Melissa Rowell, Savannah Burgess, Peter Batty, Scott Wilson, Trent Sizemore, Ted Orwig, Tom Ingram, Vicki Santello, William Sincavage, and Yaron Schmid.
Wolf Half-napping after Feeding (Captive), West Yellowstone, Montana © Carol Grenier 
Two Inquisitive Friends, Jurien Bay Marine Park, Australia © Celia Kujala 
Ezo Red Fox Caught Stealing Fish Scraps by Sea Eagle, Hokkaido, Japan © Alyce Bender 
Long-tailed Weasel, Northern California © Daniel Dietrich 
I Wanna See, Johnstown, Colorado © Donald Van Horn Moose Calf in Early Morning Light, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado © Harry Lerner 
Down The Hatch! Humpback Whale Lunge-feeding on Anchovies, Monterey Bay, California © Jeffrey Goudy Lioness with Cub, Late Afternoon at Sunset, Samburu Game Reserve, Kenya © Hector D. Astorga Bison in the Badlands at Sunset, Badlands National Park, South Dakota © Peter Batty 
Alaskan Brown Bear Cub Looks to Mom for Assurance and To Check Out What She Is Eating, Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska © Jennifer Smith 
Collared Peccary Family, South Texas © Jane Scott Norris 
Otter Stretches to the Sky, Morro Bay, California © Jeanne Sparks 
A Battle of Wits Is Won, Foothills west of Denver, Colorado © Jeffrey Goudy Morning Has Broken, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming © Jeff Vanuga What Could Baby Bears Be Thinking About? Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, North Carolina © Jennifer Hadley Wild Stallion Battle, Dugway, Utah © Michael Cohen 
Pronghorn Sitting Pretty in Unexpected Snow Storm, Wyoming © Jenny Loren 
Polar Bear Walking with Backlit Light in Alaska, Kaktovik, Alaska © Karin Leperi California Sea Lion Pup, La Jolla, California © Matthew Meier 
Shake it Off: Bull Elk Shakes Water Off His Coat after Heavy Downpour, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado © Jeremy Burnham Kits Devoted To Their Mother, Apalachin, New York © Melissa Rowell 
Bandit: Raccoon Kit Peeking through Tree, Jackson, Wyoming © Savannah Burgess Black Kit with a Mouse, Washington © Michael Cohen My New Toy: A Steller Sea Lion Presents Her Beautiful Starfish Toy to Me, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada © Celia Kujala 
Snow Monkey after Fresh Snowfall, Jigokudani, Japan © Peter Batty 
Doe in Wild Poppies at Dusk, Morrison, Colorado © Scott Wilson Coyote Carrying the Body of a Red Fox He Chased Down and Killed, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming © Trent Sizemore 
Humpback Whale’s Tail, a Ballerina in the Ocean, Lahaina Harbor, Maui, Hawaii © Ted Orwig 
American Badger Bringing Ground Squirrel Back to Den, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming © Tom Ingram 
Frolicking Fluke, Charlotte Bay, Antarctica © Vicki Santello 
Two Red Dog Bison Learning about Bison Rut at Young Age, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming © William Sincavage 
Dripping Cub, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska © Jeremy Burnham Red Fox in a Blizzard, New York, New York © Yaron Schmid 
Night of the Hunter: Mountain Lion and Cub Approaching through Snow, Non-Traditional Capture, Remote Activated/Trail Camera, Jackson, Wyoming © Savannah Burgess
Scapes
The broad Scapes category encompasses landscapes, seascapes, plantscapes, atmosphere, and weather images. Winning photographers in the Top 250 tier of the Scapes category include Bill Gozansky, Bob Coates, Carol Grenier, Robb Hirsch, Charlotte Caldwell, David Ficke, Dave Hattori, David Hammond, Dee Langevin, Jeff Vanuga, David Johnston, Geoffrey Schmid, Russ Bishop, Greg Duncan, Greg Vaughn, Jiayu Su, John Thomas, Judy Kramer, Keith Bauer, Michael Cohen, Mike Walker, Naona Wallin, Peter Batty, Scott Wilson, Tom Haxby and Tom Ingram.
Grogan Creek Falls, Butter Gap Trail, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina © Bill Gozansky 
Windswept, Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area, California © Bob Coates Lone Tree under Threatening Winter Sky, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming © Carol Grenier 
Fall Meets Winter, San Juan Mountains, Colorado © Robb Hirsch Sculpted Tranquility: Boneyard Beach, Bulls Island, South Carolina © Charlotte Caldwell Sunrise with Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree National Park, California © Dave Ficke Olympic Sunrise, Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park, Washington © Dave Hattori 
Early Morning Light and Misty Fog Highlight an Autumn Mountainside and Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee © David Hammond Torres del Paine’s Striking Angular Peaks Surrounded by Icy Glacial Waters, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile © Dee Langevin 
Night Scene of Grand Prismatic Spring in Midway Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming © Jeff Vanuga Sunset Grazing Blueberries, Bear Rocks Preserve, West Virginia © David Johnston 
Alien Tidelands in Wildfire Haze, Olympic National Park, Washington © Geoffrey Schmid New Zealand Bounty: Dawn Light on Lupine at Lake Tekapo, Canterbury, South Island, New Zealand © Russ Bishop Fagradalsfjall, New Earth…, Non-Traditional Capture, Drone Fagradalsfjall Volcano, Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland © Greg Duncan Llanos de Cortés Waterfall, Guanacaste, Costa Rica © Robb Hirsch 
Aspen Grove in Winter, Fort Klamath, Oregon © Greg Vaughn 
Milky Way Under Full Moon, Village of Oak Creek, Arizona © Bob Coates 
The “Moment” and the “Eternity,” Cavendish area, Prince Edward Island National Park, Prince Edward Island, Canada © Jiayu Su Misty Sunrise, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming © John Thomas Orange and Black Reflection, Murillo Park, San Jose, California © Judy Kramer Star Trails over the Snow Geese, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico © Keith Bauer Stormy Pier, Deerfield Beach, Florida © Michael Cohen Morning at Reflection Lake, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington © Mike Walker Rare Astral Phenomenon STEVE and Picket Fence Aurora Borealis, Settlers Cove State Recreation Site, near Ketchikan, Alaska © Naona Wallin 
Comet Neowise over Bisti Badlands, Bisti Badlands, New Mexico © Peter Batty Cathedral Range, Yosemite Backcountry, Yosemite National Park, California © Robb Hirsch Ahwahnee Winter: El Capitan above the Merced River in Winter, Yosemite National Park, California © Russ Bishop 
Azkorri: The Wild and Rugged Coast of Basque Country in Northern Spain, Azkorri, Basque Country, Spain © Scott Wilson 
Forest Stars: Trillium Blanket the Forest Floor, Elberta, Michigan © Tom Haxby Sunset During Clearing Storm, Ka’anapali Beach, Maui, Hawaii © Tom Ingram
Birds
The Birds category underscores photographers’ fascination with birds of all kinds, featuring images of birds in flight, efforts to attract mates, feeding, diving, nurturing their young, and more.
Winners in the Top 250 tier of the Birds category include Alyce Bender, David Cook, Daniel Dietrich, Carol Grenier, Charles Gangas, Elizabeth Yicheng Shen, William Page Pully, Tom Trogdon, Tom Ingram, Susan Manley, Sharon Wada, Rick Derevan, Richard Pelroy, Rajan Desai, Patrick Pevey, Kelley Luikey, Keith Kennedy, Jennifer Smith, Kathy West, Judith Malloch, Johnathan Peal, Brian Caldwell, Jeffrey Goudy, Garry Everett, Jane Scott Norris, Janeen Sullivan, Jim Ramakka, and Deborah Winchester.
Invasive Catch, Davie, Florida © Alyce Bender 
Spoonbill Rinse Cycle, South Padre Island, Texas © David Cook Great Horned Owlet, Northern California © Daniel Dietrich Male Hooded Mergansers Extended their Hoods and Chased Each Other or Displayed in Front of Females, Reno, Nevada © Carol Grenier Two Fiery-throated Hummingbirds Squabble Over Position, Paraiso de Quetzal, Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica © Charles Gangas An American White Pelican Fished for Breakfast But Caught Some Greens, Shoreline Lake, Mountain View, California © Elizabeth Yicheng Shen 
Bald Eagle Making a Quick Midair Turn, Darlington, Maryland © William Page Pully 
A Short-eared Owl Flies in Front of the Setting Sun During an Evening Hunt Above an Illinois Prairie, Will County, Illinois © Tom Trogdon Baltimore Oriole Interacting with Gray Catbird, Galveston, Texas © Tom Ingram 
Peregrine Falcon Parent Watches Chick Taking Same Meal for Third Time, Point Vicente Lighthouse, Rancho Palos Verdes, California © Susan Manley Blue-footed Boobies Plunge Diving Early Morning, Isla Isabela, Galapagos, Ecuador © Charles Gangas 
The Other Guy: This Male Wood Duck Took a Close Look at the “Guy” Down There Before Resuming His Preening, Juanita Bay Park, Kirkland, Washington © Sharon Wada Red-crowned Crane Courtship in the Snow, Hokkaido, Japan © Alyce Bender 
Western Grebes Up Close and Personal, Santa Margarita Lake, San Luis Obispo County, California © Rick Derevan 
Oystercatcher Parenting, Nickerson Beach State Park, Long Island, New York © Richard Pelroy 
Symphony in the Sky, North Shore Beach, Massachusetts © Rajan Desai 
Red-billed Oxpecker Looks for Next Meal on Nyala, Selati Game Reserve, South Africa © Patrick Pevey A Great Egret’s Silhouette at Dawn Highlighting a Single Misplaced Feather, Beaufort, South Carolina © Kelley Luikey Atlantic Puffin Flight, Grímsey Island, Iceland © Keith Kennedy Bearing a Lizard Gift, a Male Roadrunner Hopes to Win the Affections of a Female Roadrunner, Near Mission, Texas © Jennifer Smith White-faced Whistling Duck (Dendrocygna viduata), Monogamous Pair Preening Each Other, Madagascar © Kathy West 
Least Bittern in Search of His Next Meal, Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive, Apopka, Florida © Judith Malloch Mallard in Flight Over a Lake, Cherry Creek State Park, Aurora, Colorado © Johnathan Peal Burrowing Owl Family Support System, Plainview, Texas © Alyce Bender Eyes on the Prize: Western Grebe Chicks and Parent Heading for Another Parent with Fish, Lake Hodges, Escondido, California © Brian Caldwell 
Grouse Gone Wild! Colorado © Jeffrey Goudy Crane Choreography: Pair of Sandhill Cranes Dancing Together in the Colorful Sunrise Light, Staten Island Road, Walnut Grove, California © Garry Everett 
Red-necked Grebes Display, Nome, Alaska © Rajan Desai Playing with Food: Southern Carmine Bee-eater Kills Prey by Turning It the Right Way and Smacking It on a Branch, Chobe River, Namibia © Jane Scott Norris 
In Hopes of Winning a Mate, a Male Greater Roadrunner Placed His Lizard Offering on the Ground, South Texas © Janeen Sullivan 
Mating Least Terns, North Shore Beach, Massachusetts © Rajan Desai Sandhill Crane Jump Start, Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico © Jim Ramakka Prairie Chickens, Burchard, Nebraska © Deborah Winchester 
Too Colorful For Words: Wood Duck Drake in Fall Color Reflection, Littleton, Colorado © Jeffrey Goudy
Macro/Micro/All Other Wildlife
The Macro/Micro/All Other Wildlife category includes images of all non-bird, non-mammal wildlife such as fish, insects, reptiles, and amphibians as well as close-ups of any subject. Close-ups are intimate views, tightly framed, or close examinations of subjects in nature.
Winners in the Top 250 tier in Macro/Micro/All Other Wildlife include Alex Rose, Andy Smith, Cami Marculescu, Carol Grenier, Chuck Maas, Corey Raffel, David Hammond, Deborah Roy, Diana Rebman, Donald Van Horn, Heidi Gauthreaux, James Johnston, James Zablotny, Jim Burns, Jim Squires, Joseph Ferraro, Kaitlin Klingbeil, Kathy Lichtendahl, Laura M. Eppig, Lea Foster, Lisa Manifold, Lori A. Cash, Michael Shane, Rick Beldegreen, Robb Hirsch, Russell Satterthwaite, Susanna Euston, Tom Nicholson, Tom Trogdon, and William Pohley.
Barnacle Blennies May be Tiny, But They Have Huge Personalities, Sea of Cortez, Mexico © Alex Rose Blue Lightning: Striped Marlins Swim Ridiculously Fast When Hunting, Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico © Alex Rose Collage of Broken Thin Ice Gives a Rainbow of Colors in January, Swartswood Lake, New Jersey © Andy Smith The Turtle and the Dragonfly, Charleston, South Carolina © Cami Marculescu Ghost Crab Collecting and Sieving Sand for Food, Galapagos, Ecuador © Carol Grenier Lingonberries and Lichen, Denali Highway, Alaska © Chuck Maas Lubber Grasshopper Perches on Leaf of Grass, Preparing to Eat, Sierpe River, Sierpe, Costa Rica © Corey Raffel 
Abstract Patterns in a Small Pool of Frozen Water, Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee © David Hammond Spicebush Swallowtail Larva (Final Instar) Glowing in a Beam of Sunlight, Charlotte, North Carolina © Deborah Roy 
Two Butterflies Share a Leaf (Captive), Butterfly Conservatory, American Museum of Natural History, New York City © Diana Rebman The Crown Jewel of Winter Sparkles on the Background of a Wool Scarf, Estes Park, Colorado © Donald Van Horn 
Bush Katydid Nymph on a Flower, Oceanside, California © Heidi Gauthreaux Honey Bee on Flower at North Tonawanda Botanical Gardens, North Tonawanda, New York © James Johnston Checkered Skipper on Salvia, Fenton, Michigan © James Zablotny Hanging On: Teneral Magicicada Septemdecim of Brood X Waiting for Exoskeleton to Harden, Washtenaw County, Michigan © James Zablotny 
Digger Bee Reconnaissance, Scottsdale, Arizona © Jim Burns 
Schooling Snappers, Cabo Pulmo, Mexico © Jim Squires Dorsal View of Jagged Ambush Bug Nymph on a Blanketflower, Ferndale, Michigan © Joseph Ferraro Red Spotted Purple Butterfly Reflected in Chrome Bumper, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina © Kaitlin Klingbeil Red Spotted Purple Butterfly on a Chrome Bumper, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina © Kaitlin Klingbeil 
Fast Food: Green-eyed Robber Fly Rests after Grabbing Prey out of Air, Clark, Wyoming © Kathy Lichtendahl 
Spring Peeper Calling, Bay Shore, New York © Laura M. Eppig 
Assassin Fly Looking Straight into My Camera Lens Lafayette, Indiana © Lea Foster Western Diamondback Territorial Dispute, Tonto National Forest, Arizona © Lisa Manifold 
American Bullfrog Under a Pine Tree on Late Summer Morning, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Norfolk, Virginia © Lori A. Cash 
Honey Bee Landing on Flowers, Carlsbad, California © Michael Shane 
Costa Rican Tree Frog, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica © Michael Shane Cockscomb Nudibranch (Captive), Carlsbad, California © Michael Shane Red-eyed Tree Frog, Costa Rica © Rick Beldegreen 
Crab Spider Eating Fritillary with Skipper, Yosemite National Park, California © Robb Hirsch Tuna On The Flats, Bimini, Bahamas © Russell Satterthwaite Eye on the Prize (Captive), Magnolia Tree, Asheville, North Carolina © Susanna Euston 
Rufous-beaked Snake Suffocates Mouse while Holding Its Tail to Prevent Escape, Manyara Ranch Conservancy, Tanzania © Tom Nicholson 
Clearwing Hummingbird Sphinx Moth in Pollination Mode, Kane County, Illinois © Tom Trogdon 17-year Cicada on Baptisia, Franklin, Indiana © William Pohley
Altered Reality
This unconventional category recognizes images designated as photo illustrations that are transformed in color, form, or shape—enhanced or changed beyond the way the subject appears in nature.
Winners in the Top 250 tier in Altered Reality include Bob Coates, Dave Hattori, Thomas Yackley, Kathy Raffel, and Julie Picardi.
Foggy Morning Flight, Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico © Bob Coates Don’t Mess with Me (Captive), North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, North Carolina © Dave Hattori Singing in the Rain, Alpharetta, Georgia © Thomas Yackley 
Great Egret Ascends, Santa Rosa, California © Kathy Raffel A Baby Elephant Pauses to Raise Her Trunk and Stick Out Her Tongue as She Follows Her Mother, Tarangire National Park, Tanzania © Julie Picardi Carried Away, Apex, North Carolina © Dave Hattori 
Like Memory, Like Prayer (from poem White Egrets by Derek Walcott), Magnolia Plantation and Gardens, North Charleston, South Carolina © Thomas Yackley
Conservation
Added to Showcase in 2020, the Conservation category is slightly different than its more traditional counterparts in the competition.
Images placing in the Top 250 in Conservation help bring awareness to conservation issues—positive stories as well as negative ones—and illustrate the value of conserving a species, a place, or an ecosystem for the benefit of wild and/or human communities. Entries in this category cannot be altered, added, or removed to affect the meaning or integrity of the scene. The images in this category are sometimes difficult to look at because of their poignant messages.
Winners in the Top 250 tier of the Conservation category include William Sincavage, Teri Franzen, Mark Hendricks, Lea Lee-Inoue, Jeremy Burnham, Jan Lightfoot, Irene Hinke-Sacilotto, Heather Valey, Dawn Wilson, and Celia Kujala.
A Bighorn Ewe Failed to Negotiate the Labyrinth of Barbed Wire Fences That Crisscross Its Territory, Dubois, Wyoming © William Sincavage Monarch Love Note (Captive), Long Island, New York © Teri Franzen Little Brown Bat Checkup, Washington County, Maryland © Mark Hendricks Smoke from Burning Dung Envelopes an Asian Elephant (Captive), Nepal, © Lea Lee-Inoue 
Waiting for Mother, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska © Jeremy Burnham Belted Kingfisher with Wing Snagged on Abandoned Fishing Line, Putah Creek, Lake Berryessa, California © Jan Lightfoot 
Carelessly Tossed Waste Harms Birds, Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland © Irene Hinke-Sacilotto Purple Martin Landlord (Captive), Hornsby Bend, Austin, Texas © Heather Valey A Young Moose Stands in the Burn Scar of the East Troublesome Fire, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado © Dawn Wilson Hooked, Coronado Islands, Baja California, Mexico © Celia Kujala
Want to see even more?
If you haven’t already viewed the Top 24 and Top 100 winners from NANPA’s 2022 Showcase, you’ll want to check those out too!
