Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The annual celebration of images from nature, the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year, has released its 2010's top selection (the word winner suggests the others are losers - don't like it) a wonderful dance of ants by Hungarian photographer Bence Máté. My favorite ants - tropical leaf cutters. He said, 'I love the contrast between the simplicity of the shot itself and the complexity of the behaviour.' From the posting on the gallery site it says Máté's Costa Rican photo had its trials, "Lying on the ground to take the shot, he also discovered the behaviour of chiggers (skin-digesting mite larvae), which covered him in bites."

This annual event draws submissions from around the world making it truly one of the best and most prestigious competitions of its kind. As a former participant I know having one of my images selected was a great reward and considering the range and quality of the other entries.

For a look at more wonderful images from this year's entries visit the (British) Museum of Natural History's site.

"I didn't want a cruel image."

October was the month of extraordinary images if your passion is wildlife and nature photography. This year's winner of the prestigious Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2009 award was by Jose Luis Rodriguez (photo captured the imaginations of the judges with a picture that he had planned for years, and even sketched out on a piece of paper. "I wanted to capture a photo in which you would see a wolf in an act of hunting - or predation - but without blood," he told BBC News. "I didn't want a cruel image."