Australian Geographic nature photographer of the year 2024 – in pictures

A drone image of two humpback whales bubble-net feeding' by Western Australian photographer Scott Portelli has taken out the top prize in the 2024 Australian Geographic nature photographer of the year competition. This is a cooperative hunting strategy used by humpbacks that allows as many of them as possible to feed in a short time. It is widely believed the whales developed this feeding method after they were hunted to near extinction. The image was chosen from 1,856 entries and the exhibition is now on at the South Australian Museum until 3 November

• Focusing in on the microscopic world of nanophotography - in pictures