Now in its 56th year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest will, for the first time, be hosted virtually. Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. This year attracted nearly 50,000 entries.

This week, the museum released a sneak peek of entries, showcasing some of the world's best nature photography and photojournalism taken by both amateur and professional photographers alike.

Among the recently revealed "Highly Commended" images is a photo snapped by 13-year-old Arshdeep Singh. Singh captured an image of a douc, a critically endangered primate, while accompanying his father on a business trip in Vietnam.

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Many images feature rare and endangered animals, but some of the most striking images show human impact on the environment, such as Charlie Hamilton James' image of a lone tree surrounded by the flames of an aggressive forest fire in the Amazon. Likewise, Garth Lenz's aerial photo shows the vast expanse of Alberta's Mildred Lake Tar Mine, which was once a boreal forest.

The winners will be announced in a virtual awards ceremony streaming from London's Natural History Museum on Tuesday, Oct. 13, judged by a panel of industry experts judging by each image's creativity, originality and technique.

Click through the slideshow above to view some of this year's entries deemed "Highly Commended."