Unless you happen to live in a bush tent overlooking the Serengeti, you are probably a little short on natural beauty right now.
Beyond a daily walk and reruns of David Attenborough, many of us have spent a lot of time inside away from animals and greenery.
The CEWE Photo Awards hope to provide some brief respite. With over €250,000 worth of prizes across 10 categories, organisers have released the finest photos so far submitted to the animals and nature categories.
Submission don’t actually close until May – until then, these varied beautiful photos range from rivers in Alaska to Antarctica’s frozen wastes…
A crocodile tries to go incognito – Christopher Barnofsky
A horse gets up close and personal – Jane Wintersohl
A hungry bear tries to catch lunch – Doris Dörfler-Asmus
A kingfisher stops for a snack – Thomas Hinsche
A pair of owls share a tender moment – Christian Mars
A penguin cares for its chick – Christoph Bliem
A pigeon keeps cosy in the cold – Reinhold Fischer
A snake emerges from the depths – Radim Hlaváč
A trio of meerkats keeps a lookout – Clemens Capek
Oops! A squirrel drops its breakfast – Doris Dörfler-Asmus
Raindrops gather on a spider’s web – Michael Konrad
A puppy unimpressed by its first experience of snow – Talina Lux
Two zebras show off their patterned coats – Melanie Frey
Two butterflies show that sharing is caring – Ruurd Visser
Two dogs wrap up in the cold – René Brunda
What are you looking at? – Emese Madarász-Grasselly