Check out the cute and funny winners of The Nature Photography Contest

The Nature Photography Contest has unveiled the winners of its first international award edition, a competition which aims to bring together photographers of all levels to share the wonders of the natural world. 

“Nature photography is a great way to raise awareness on how crucial it is to protect our planet,” the awards organization explains. “This international photo awards are a chance for photographers of all levels to show off their work and share the wonders of the natural world.”

The contest was open to 10 categories: Natural Landscape, Wildlife, Macro Photography, Funny Nature, Underwater, Birds, Plant Life, Night World, Environmental Impact and Sharing the Planet.

The Photography Of The Year Award was given to the "Sea Lion in Los Islotes" image by photographer Glenn Ostle. (See below)

“Ostle's photo captures the exact moment when the sea lion seems to be posing for him in front of a school of fish that forms an inimitable natural backdrop,” the jury explained. 

“Not surprisingly, the naturalness of the animal and the complexity of the image perfectly illustrate the importance of our seabed and the care of its species.”

The Photographer of the Year award went to Alain Schroeder for "his powerful and engaging images." 

"Alain Schroeder's photographs stand out for his commitment to the environment, with captures such as the one that have led him to win the "Sharing the Planet" category." 

It is also worth nothing that this online photo competition is putting the awards to good use: “Each of the participants of our photo competition will become a tree and the winner of our contest decides in which country they will be planted.” 

So, Schroeder will be, in this first edition, responsible for deciding where the almost 400