Pixiq

The winners for 2011 of the prestigious Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have just been announced.

Spanish-born photographer Daniel Beltrá, now based in Seattle wins the big cash prize plus the coveted title Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year.  His superbly evocative image shows oil-soaked pelicans going through the first stage of cleaning at a temporary bird-rescue facility in Fort Jackson, Louisiana. The birds' normally pale heads have been turned orange and their brown and grey feathers mahogany. A light oil has already been sprayed on the feathers as part of the restorative process to break up the heavy crude trapped in their feathers.

The image is one of a series of six images (The Price of Oil) detailing BP's disasterous  Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 which won Daniel the 2011 Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year accolade as well as the overall winner's mantle in the competition.

Daniel Beltrá is a fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP) and his photographic work is dedicated to conservation through the vehicle of his powerful and evocative imagery.

The Veolia Environnement competition's on-line gallery can be viewed here with a stunning collection of images submitted by photographers worldwide. You can place your vote for your chosen winner from the images selected and, if you feel inspired, then you can enter for the 2012 competition from 5th December of 2011.