Locking horns to victory: Dramatic sparring saigas shot wins 2025 BMC Journals Image Competition

Two male saigas (Saiga tatarica) lock horns in a sparring duel along the open shores of a steppe lake. (Image: Andrey Giljov/ BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition)

A dramatic image of two saiga antelopes locking horns on a steppe lake has been crowned winner of the 2025 BMC Ecology and Evolution and BMC Zoology image competition.

The annual contest showcases nature’s diversity, struggles and survival while honouring researchers working across ecology, zoology, palaeontology and evolutionary biology. Judges also named winners and runners-up in four categories: Collective Social Behaviour, Life in Motion, Colourful Strategies and Research in Action.

Saiga sparring takes top spot
Russian photographer Andrey Giljov captured the winning shot, titled Sparring Saigas on the Steppe. Taken at a lake in Central Asia, the photo shows two males squaring up during a sparring match. Saigas are known for their unusual tubular noses, which filter dust and warm cold air.

Giljov described the challenge of photographing the antelopes at close range. He and colleagues hid inside a camouflaged shelter before dawn to avoid disturbing the animals. “Any noise and they would not come close,” he explained.

Competition judges praised the photo’s unusual mix of beauty and tension. “The pastel backdrop clashes with the impending violence,” said board member Christy Hipsley. “These antelopes have survived ice ages, hunting and habitat loss. The question is, will these males survive the breeding season?”

Colour, motion and social behaviour highlighted
Other winning entries highlighted nature’s colour and movement. In the Collective Social Behaviour category, Sritam Kumar Sethy photographed newly hatched nymphs clustering under a leaf in India. He said their grouping boosts protection from predators and ensures access to moisture.

An Asian grass frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) blends seamlessly with the rugged bark of a tree. (Image: Sritam Kumar Sethy)

In the Life in Motion category, Natalia Jagielska reconstructed pterosaurs flying over the Jurassic Hebridean Basin using fossil scans.

Dearc, a pterosaur with a 2.5-metre wingspan, alongside Ceoptera, a smaller crested species. (Image: Natalia Jagielska)

A breaching humpback whale in Norway, photographed by Alwin Hardenbol, was the runner-up.

A humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) captured mid-breach off the coast of Varanger, Norway. (Image: Alwin Hardenbol)

The Colourful Strategies prize went to Abhijeet Bayani for capturing a beetle’s defensive display. The insect turned jet black and yellow, confronting the camera lens as if it were a predator.

Research and conservation in focus
In the Research in Action category, a close-up of a rare blue ground beetle fitted with a radio tag secured the top award. The image, photographed by Nick Royle in the UK, showcased attempts to track endangered animals with advanced technology.

The other winners included a family of capercaillie photographed on a camera trap in Scotland and a jewelled gecko camouflaged among native bushes in New Zealand.

All winning and shortlisted photographs are available under a Creative Commons licence, reflecting the competition’s aim to blend scientific research with striking visual storytelling.