Queensland’s Ben Blanche snapped the photo at a tinder-dry Mount Barney National Park, south-west of Brisbane, last November.

He has now been recognised as the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year for 2020, an award bestowed by the South Australian Museum.

Recalling the scene that secured him the honour, Mr Blanche said he was helped by a local who provided information on fire conditions “leading up to the day”.

“The fire was rather slow-moving and took some hours to move across the mountain,” Mr Blanche said.

“I got to the location with ample time before the sun had gone down so I could form a rough idea of when the balance of fire and ambient light would be right.

“When I took this image, many Australians were grappling with the very real effects of climate change and how it is impacting our environment, communities, economies and way of life.”

Jasmine Vink’s photo took out the threatened species category.(Supplied: Australian Geographic)

The competition’s judges said the photo “skilfully captures a landscape”.

“In the wave of flames snaking across the mountain, we see the true scale of the fire,” the judges said in their citation.

“For every burning tree that we see, we imagine the shrubs, the vines, the insects, the marsupials and the birds we can’t.”

Scientists have estimated as many as three billion animals were killed or displaced in the horrifying bushfire season, which claimed 34 lives directly.

“I think all Australians will connect with this image and take a moment to pause and reflect on the impact bushfires have on our environment,” South Australian Museum director Brian Oldman said.

“Each year the entries astound me, they capture moments in time that are often invisible to the naked eye.”

Fungi and frogs also secure honours

Of the 1,796 photos entered in the prize, many capture the splendour of Australia’s wildlife.

Belgian photographer Kevin De Vree snapped an unidentified species of fungi at Lamington National Park in Queensland.

Botanical category winner Kevin De Vree was recognised for his fungi photo.(Supplied : Australian Geographic)

“I wondered when the ancient trees would start talking and if the fairies would appear,” he told the award’s organisers.

WA’s Alex Kydd took out the animal behaviour category for photographing a “fever of cownose rays” on Ningaloo Reef.

It shows the rays possibly mating or courting.

“This was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a rarely seen species,” Mr Kydd said.

Alex Kydd’s image won the animal behaviour category.(Supplied: Australian Geogaphic)

Young photographer Tess Poyner won the junior prize for a snap of a “graceful and green” tree frog in the Daintree.

“I was lucky this petite frog caught my eye, as they’re hard to spot due to their size,” she said.

New Zealand’s Richard Robinson took a more sobering photo for the “our impact” category.

Labelled the Wreck of the Penguins, the image shows the aftermath of a penguin die-off on the North Island.

“Most had succumbed to starvation … some scientists are concerned wrecks will become more common as seas warm,” Mr Robinson said.

Jasmine Vink captured an image of a Tasmanian devil on Maria Island.

“The devils on Maria Island are an insurance population used to supplement the numbers and genetic diversity of other populations in Tasmania,” she said.

All of the finalists will be on display at the South Australian Museum until November 15.

They will also go on display at the Australian Museum in Sydney when it opens later in the year.

– ABC / Tom Fedorowytsch