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Nature showed up strong in best of 2025—and photographers from every corner of the planet were ready. From frozen mountaintops to steamy rainforests, raging oceans to silent deserts, this year’s award-winning nature photos proved one thing loud and clear: the natural world is still the greatest storyteller of them all.
These 30 inspiring nature photos didn’t just look good—they meant something. Selected from major international photography awards, each photograph stood out among thousands of global submissions. Photographers poured their souls into capturing rare moments: a predator mid-hunt, light breaking perfectly over a lonely landscape, fragile ecosystems hanging on by a thread. Timing, patience, and pure grit played a role in every frame.
What makes the 2025 winners hit different is the emotion. These aren’t just pretty pictures for the wall. They speak about climate change, resilience, survival, and beauty that still exists despite the chaos. Some images are loud and dramatic, others quiet and poetic—but all of them stop you mid-scroll.
The diversity is unreal. Wildlife photographers waited weeks for a single moment. Landscape artists chased storms and sunrise light. Conservation-focused shooters documented nature under pressure, reminding us what’s at stake. And thanks to international competitions, voices from all over the world got a seat at the table.
In a year where photographers submitted work from across continents, these 30 images rose to the top—not because they followed trends, but because they told honest, powerful stories. They remind us why nature photography matters and why protecting these wild places is more urgent than ever.
This is the best of 2025—raw, breathtaking, and impossible to forget.
#1. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – Nature Photographer of the Year: "Breach" by Jarrod Saw
"Where silence ends and thunder begins. A single moment frozen in flight."
#2. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – Silver: "Iceberg’s Edge" by Randall Hanna
"Melting iceberg along the West Coast of Greenland"
#3. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – Bronze: "Naturally Unfolding" by Michael Paul
"At the foot of Wyoming’s Tetons the waning day brings a cast of characters together to mingle for a moment of refreshingly untouched nature."
#4. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – People’s Vote Award: "Relaxing" by Thong Vu Duy
"At dawn or after soft rain, birds pause to bathe in dew, letting cool droplets glide across their feathers. As they preen and shake off the world’s dust, they melt into the calm of the wild, creating a quiet, shimmering moment that reveals nature’s tender, timeless grace."
#5. Monochrome Awards – 1st Place Winner: "Black woodpecker flying through the trees" by Zdeněk Vošický, Czech Republic
"Black woodpecker flying between the trunks of an old tree in the autumn mood of Slavkov Park."
#6. Monochrome Awards – 2nd Place Winner: "Aquatic Flame" by Juan Carlos Pinto, Mexico
"This image taken in the moat of the imperial palace in Tokyo shows a swan floating on the dark surface of a moat, viewed from above. Its neck curves back along its body, creating a shape that resembles a white flame. The scene evokes the principles of ma—the beauty of space and stillness—and wabi-sabi, the appreciation of impermanence and simplicity."
#7. Monochrome Awards – 3rd Place Winner: "Whispers Of The Immortal Tree" by Alicja Zmysłowska, Poland
"This image captures a dog listening intently within the Tree Root Cave, a space carved beneath the iconic Tree of Life in the Pacific Northwest. With its exposed, suspended roots defying gravity and logic, the tree seems to whisper its secrets to those who pause to listen. The dog’s quiet presence in this surreal environment emphasizes the wonder and mystery of this natural anomaly—a living paradox, thriving despite constant erosion and the absence of soil. This photograph celebrates the unique beauty of the tree and the sense of quiet connection it evokes."
#8. Nature Conservancy Oceania Photo Contest – Grand Prize Winner: "Tauhi" by Miesa Grobbelaar, Australia
"I never imagined – we answered a call about an entangled humpback whale thrashing in distress. Arriving, we saw a heavy rusted chain cutting deep into her tail. Diving in, we worked carefully and silently to free her. When the chain finally snapped, she paused and looked at us, as if saying thanks. It was a powerful, humbling moment, reminding me how deeply connected we are to the ocean and its creatures, and how much respect and care truly matters."
#9. 1839 Photographer of the Year Awards – 1st Place: "Blue Hour Guardian" by Alexander Tasho
"Just before sunrise, this cheetah lay perfectly still, deciding whether I was a threat or not before taking a drink. It felt like I’d stumbled into a painting, where even time had stopped to look."
#10. 1839 Photographer of the Year Awards – Silver: ‘SUPERCELLS – Mother Nature Unleashed" by David Baxter III
"Tornado Alley across the United States of America can produce some of the most wild weather across planet Earth. Supercells traverse Tornado Alley during the Spring and Summer Seasons bringing breath taking views as Mother Nature creates unbelievable atmospheric sculptures."
#11. 1839 Photographer of the Year Awards – Silver: "Into the Wild" by Luiza Michalewicz
"Into the Wild represents the very raw of nature. Nothing pre planned, nothing staged or arranged. Just the place and the right moment…"
#12. Nature Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner: "Sundance" by Asmund Keilen
"The photo was taken just outside Oslo on a hot summer day. I was on my way to the store to buy food. I have a habit of leaving my coffee cup on the roof of my car when unlocking our old blue Mercedes, and more than once I’ve forgotten it there and driven away.
That day, when I backed out of the driveway, the cup tipped over but somehow stayed on the roof. A little discouraged, I reached to pick it up – and immediately saw what would become this photograph. Small orange birch seeds had fallen onto the blue roof during the night, and the summer sun reflected alongside dancing common swifts in the sky. Freedom seemed to take form in chaos."
#13. Chromatic Photography Awards – 1st Place winner: "Climbing" by Alessandro Cantarelli, Italy
"360° panorama in the Fritz Roy area, my vision of Patagonia. When we decided to do this scouting in Patagonia I had no idea how to deal with such an iconic and objectively inflated location. The best artists in the world made breathtaking images from reallyvirtually every perspective, it was necessary to come up with something."
#14. Chromatic Photography Awards – 2nd Place winner: "Volcanic Blue Flames" by Hong Huazheng, Singapore
"There are a few volcanoes around the world where the lava appears blue or has blue flames, but none that consistently exhibit blue flames as Kawah Ijen does. The electric-blue flames are caused by the combustion of sulphuric gasses in the oxygen-rich air. Through the combustion, the sulphuric gasses condense into blue molten sulphur that spills down the mountainside, in dazzling electric-blue flames through a phenomenon called electronic excitation. At such high pressure, sometimes the temperature reaches 600°C."
#15. Chromatic Photography Awards – 3rd Place winner: "Heart of the glacier" by Jeremiasz Gądek, Poland
"The photo depicts ice chunks broken off from the front of Hoffellsjökull glacier, floating in a glacial lagoon that, in spring, has taken on the color of a latte. Among the hundreds of detached ice chunks, I spotted this one, uniquely heart-shaped. I wonder how many such moments I have missed, unaware of their existence. An hour earlier, an hour later, and the heart could have disappeared, dissolved into the icy chaos. Nature, constantly changing its face, gifted me this fleeting masterpiece, reminding me how precious the moments are that we can capture only for an instant."
#16. Annual Photography Awards – Nature Photographer of the Year: "Xavier Delorme" by Sombre Lumière
"These many years, traveling the roads of the country to photograph storms, led me to a search for more striking compositions between sky and earth. I started with cereal landscapes, but the storm structures are not very varied. So I went looking for new horizons to immortalize lightning and stage landscapes where the human imprint confronts the power of nature."
#17. Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner: "Fractal Forest" by Ross Gudgeon, Western Australia
"Inside-out view of a cauliflower soft coral. Named for its characteristic appearance that resembles a cauliflower, with numerous small, rounded, bump-like polyps that give it a puffy texture. This unique perspective was made possible by the Nauticam EMWL, an underwater version of the probe or insect eye lens."
#18. BigPicture Natural World Awards – Winner: "Third Eye" by Marcin Giba, Poland
"A frozen lake photographed from a drone showcases one of nature’s unblinking eyes, freckled by the footsteps of creatures unknown. In this image, we’re likely seeing the process of how lakes freeze, from the perimeter to the center, in action. This explains the staggered transition of coloration from snow, to ice, then ultimately open water. Taken in the photographer’s hometown, he notes that while he has documented other images featuring this eye motif, he never fails to be surprised by the outcome."
#19. BigPicture Natural World Awards – Winner: "Floating Upwards" by Sandra Bartocha, Germany
"Waves crash just along the coast of Rügen, Germany’s largest island. At first glance, this inspiring image feels more like an impressionistic painting rather than a photographic portrait of a storied island. With settlements established as early as the Stone Age, Rügen has undergone many changes over the course of centuries; now, it’s one of Germany’s most popular holiday destinations, known for its many gorgeous beaches. As the viewer sits with this incredible moment water crashes onto the island, one can almost see history written in the waves."
#20. BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition – Grand Prize Winner: "Lemur’s Tough Life" by Donglin Zhou, China
"Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar – A Common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus) carries her baby on her back while making a harrowing leap from one towering cliffside to another. This remarkable image was captured after a day of persistence on the photographer’s part—hiking an hour through rugged limestone terrain to her position. Only after waiting until the early evening did her patience pay off when this plucky primate emerged onto the scene, likely leading the troop in search of food. Ordinarily Brown lemurs have no set dominance hierarchy, with groups composed of males and females, old and young alike, but it appeared clear to this photographer that the focal lemur was the leader of the pack. This daring lemur navigated her group deftly through the sharp peaks and crevices of the stone forest, resulting in the immortalization of this once-in-a-lifetime leap."
#21. Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year – Winner – Photographer of the Year 2025: "Casting Off" by Christina Schwenck
"A soaked leopard emerges from slumber, casting off the night’s rain. Kruger National Park, South Africa."
#22. Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year – Runner-Up: "Survival by an Inch" by Ernest Porter
"A red-headed finch survives by an inch as a young lanner falcon strikes and misses. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa."
#23. Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year – Runner-Up: "Shared Wonder" by Mary Schrader
"A mountain gorilla lies in quiet contemplation as an orange butterfly flutters by – a fleeting moment of connection. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda."
#24. GDT Nature Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner: "Dipper flying through waterfall" by Konrad Wothe
#25. Nature’s Best Photography Awards – Winner: "African Leopard Fight" by Kevin Dooley, USA
"In addition to the difficulty of focusing on the action, dust was in the air; but it all added to one of my favorite memories as a nature photographer."
#26. Nature’s Best Photography Awards – "Bengal Tiger" by Krishna Daga, India
#27. Nature’s Best Photography Awards – "African Lion Cubs" by Keith Bannerman, USA
#28. Sony World Photography Awards – Winner: Estebane Rezkallah, France
#29. Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards, Winner: "Radiant Bond" by Alvaro Herrero, Spain
"A mother humpback whale accompanies her calf to the surface for its first breath early in the morning. The youngster is releasing a few bubbles as it rises, perhaps this is because it is still learning to control its breathing, or it is simply experimenting with its own body. Every year, during the southern winter, I travel to French Polynesia to photograph these majestic animals. My favourite time of day is the early morning, because the light is soft and angled, allowing me to find the perfect angle to clearly define the shape of these animals in blue. For me, this photo is one that shows a mother’s love for her calf, communicating both the fragility and beauty of our oceans, and revealing one of the amazing species with whom we share our home world."
#30. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – "Night Magic" by Ngar Shun Victor Wong
"The night skies in Namibia and New Zealand always create magics which amaze us."
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