Australian photographer Shravan Rao has been named the Maasai Mara Wildlife Photographer of the Year in the 2023 edition of the prestigious 'The Greatest Maasai Mara Photographer of the Year' competition.
This was announced on his social channels by the organisers of the award, conceived by the Angama Mara luxury lodge and decided by a jury comprising some of East Africa's most famous and recognised nature photographers, including Italy's Federico Veronesi.

Rao is the sixth winner of the competition, which two years ago had seen our Paolo Torchio take first prize. His image 'Night Rains', which depicts a lion in profile, backlit in the rain, overtook 11 other shots that had previously taken first place as 'shot of the month'.

For him there is a cash prize, ($10,000) and a five-night safari for two at Angama Mara. Describing the image, the author said: "The original idea was to get a lion backlit at night. We got lucky with the torrential rain. The spotlights on the other vehicle illuminated the lion perfectly, but the real advantage was the heat emanating from the lion's back and that of the ground, which gave it a surreal, almost vintage look. The camera struggled to cope with the very low light. The rain poured down on the vehicle, soaking us completely, making it very difficult to see and very difficult to keep the camera and lens sufficiently dry.

Not only is there an award for the photographer, but his local guides are also rewarded, with a safari outside Kenya. The entire proceeds from the competition are also donated to conservation, the prime target of the initiative's media coverage.
"A photograph like this bursts with creativity and crosses the line into art. Unusual colours and a fresh perspective of a very moody scene," commented Adam Bannister, one of the jurors.
From next January, the competition starts again, information on how to enter is at the following link: https://thegreatestmaasaimara.com/
(Photo from the facebook page of Greatest Maasai Mara)