Queer Nature Photography Awards 2026
"Community"
Ysabela Coll
"Community"
Same-sex pairing behavior has been documented in several penguin species, including African penguins. These partnerships can involve courtship, nest building, and raising chicks together, revealing that care, bonding, and family in nature are not always defined by traditional binary structures.
For me, African penguins symbolize resilience through community. Living in dense colonies, their survival depends on cooperation, connection, and collective care. In a species now threatened by climate change and overfishing, these bonds become even more meaningful.
This image is a reflection of tenderness, belonging, and the many ways love and identity exist naturally in the wild.
About the Photographer
Name: Ysabelle Coll
Age: unknown
Nationality: the Dominican Republic
How does your identity influence your work?
My identity has taught me to embrace difference rather than fear it. It gives me the confidence to experiment, to create authentically even when I know my work may not always be understood, and to celebrate the success of others, knowing that creativity flourishes when everyone has the freedom to be themselves.
What message do you hope to convey with your work about the intersection of queerness and biodiversity in nature?
Nature has always been our greatest teacher. The remarkable diversity of queerness found throughout the natural world reminds us that there is no single way to exist. I hope my work encourages people to move beyond societal biases and embrace the complexity, diversity, and beauty that nature has always embodied.
What do you think is the importance of highlighting diversity in both nature and society, and how can photography play a role in this?
Photography has the power to connect us with experiences that feel distant. I hope my images spark curiosity, inspire wonder, and challenge preconceptions we may have. My goal is not only to show what I see in nature, but to share how it feels, inviting others to hopefully feel it too.
What is your favorite example of queerness in nature?
As an underwater photographer, I’m fascinated by the adaptability of marine life. Many species challenge the rigid beliefs humans impose on the world. But nature doesn’t reject diversity; quite the opposite, it thrives because of it. I hope we can approach one another with the same openness and celebration of the differences that make us unique.
A note from the Narwhal Rainbow Alliance
African penguins are one of the most celebrated and scientifically documented examples of both same-sex pairing and successful "rainbow parenting" in the animal kingdom. Within their colonies, both male-male and female-female pairs form stable, long-term monogamous bonds that can last for years. These dedicated couples participate in every stage of partnership: they perform elaborate courtship rituals, cooperatively construct nests, and defend their territories. Because they cannot produce an egg together, same-sex pairs frequently ‘adopt’ abandoned eggs or foster chicks, proving to be exceptionally attentive and successful parents. This shows that in nature, the survival and nurturing of the next generation is driven by commitment, love, and cooperative care rather than rigid biological binaries. Today, African penguins face a devastating path toward extinction due to severe overfishing of their primary food sources (sardines and anchovies), habitat loss, and climate change. Protecting them requires establishing immediate commercial fishing exclusion zones around their breeding colonies, restoring nesting habitats, and combating global ocean warming.
African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) – Endangered 🔴
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