The Nature’s Best Photography International Awards 2025 just dropped their winning lineup — and it’s absolutely jaw-dropping. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the prestigious contest, and nature photographers from every corner of the planet brought their A-game. Over 20,000 images from 62 countries poured in, each telling a wild, breathtaking story of life on Earth.
Taking home the Grand Prize is “Emperor Penguins” by Canadian photographer Thomas Vijayan — a stunning shot that freezes a tender family moment in the middle of a blizzard. The photo captures two regal Emperor penguins gazing lovingly at their fluffy chick, a scene so pure and powerful it feels almost cinematic. Vijayan’s image is more than just a photo; it’s a reminder of how fiercely devoted parents in the animal kingdom can be, even in the world’s harshest environments.
From epic mountain vistas and secret underwater worlds to emotional wildlife portraits, this year’s winning photos highlight nature’s drama, beauty, and resilience. Each frame bursts with life — a tiger leaping through mist, coral reefs glowing like galaxies, birds frozen mid-flight under golden light.
After an intense judging process, the panel narrowed down nearly 500 shortlisted shots to crown 11 category winners, along with the Youth Photographer of the Year, Lisiqi Ye, whose work shows a fresh and soulful connection to the natural world.
These awe-inspiring images don’t just showcase talent — they remind us why we must protect the planet that gives us such magic.
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#1. Grand Prize: "Emperor Penguins, Antarctica" by Thomas Vijayan, Canada
“A penguin chick finds solace while nestled within the warm embrace of its devoted parents amidst the icy expanse. This tender display of familial unity speaks volumes about the resilience and fortitude of life in one of the harshest environments on Earth.”
#2. Animal Antics – Winner: "Mountain Gorillas, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda" by David Swindler, USA
"These playful youngsters were comical to observe when we trekked through this critical gorilla forest habitat."
#3. Animal Antics – Highly Honored: "Ring-tailed Lemurs, Madagascar" by Andy Rouse, UK
#4. Animal Antics – Highly Honored: "Brotherly Hug, Proboscis Monkeys" by Daniel Valverde Fernández, Spain
#5. Art in Nature – Winner: "Grizzly Bear Crossing, Lake Clark National Park" by Henry H. Holdsworth, USA
“I particularly liked the way the lighting on the cracked and oozing mud made the bear tracks look raised up in places and slightly three-dimensional.”
#6. Art in Nature – Highly Honored: "Owlfly, Vence, Alpes-Maritimes" by Thibault Andrieux, France
#7. Art in Nature – Highly Honored: "Desert Layers, Rub’ al-Khali" by Matteo Strassera, Italy
#8. Birds – Winner: "Grey Crowned Cranes, Amboseli National Park, Kenya" by Steve Mattheis, USA
“This flirtatious pair demonstrates their elaborate courtship dance, which includes jumping, bowing, strutting, head tossing, and wing flapping.”
#9. Birds – Highly Honored: "Prairie Chicken Jump-Off, Craig, Colorado" by Peter Hudson, USA
#10. Birds – Highly Honored: "Greater Flamingos, Mannar, Sri Lanka" by Lakshitha Karunarathna, Sri Lanka
#11. Wildlife – Winner: "Male Jaguars, Pantanal, Brazil" by Hira Punjabi, India
“I spent six full days boating through the Pantanal on safari, tracking these jaguars. After several failed hunting attempts, they finally paused to rest—giving me a rare moment to compose them together in a single frame.”
#12. Wildlife – Highly Honored: "African Elephant & Calf, Amboseli National Park, Kenya" by Torie Hilley, USA
#13. Wildlife – Highly Honored: "Desert Kit Fox Pup with Feather, West Desert, Utah, USA" by Beaumon Day, USA
#14. Landscapes – Winner: "Sunrise at St.Mary Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana" by Dr. Elliot McGucken, USA
“The Crown Jewel of the Continent: At sunrise, I captured the ruby red-colored rocks, with sapphire, topaz, rhodolite, and tanzanite tones surrounding the lake, crowned by clouds that moved into the scene.”
#15. Landscapes – Highly Honored: "Lost Cove Cliffs, Linville River Overlook, North Carolina" by David A. Dobbs, USA
#16. Landscapes – Highly Honored: "Sunset taken at 16,000 feet of Siula Grande and Yerupaja Peaks, Cordillera Huayhuash, Andes, Peru" by Jason Weiss, USA
#17. Outdoor Adventure – Winner: "Skiing the North, Rogers Pass, British Columbia, Canada" by David Swindler, USA
"We donned our skis and started climbing very early on a gray morning. After a couple thousand feet of elevation gain, the sun broke through the fog and revealed this breathtaking view.”
#18. Outdoor Adventure – Highly Honored: "Reflected Serenity, Sunset, Honeymoon Island State Park, Dunedin, Florida" by Tiffany Glöckner, USA
#19. Outdoor Adventure – Highly Honored: "Night with the Ancients, Baobab Alley, Madagascar" by Paul Zizka, Canada
#20. Ocean Views – Winner: "Sand Tiger Sharks, Fish Rock Island, Australia" by Nicolas Remy, Australia
“Fish Rock Island was designated as a ‘Hope Spot’ to help protect marine habitat for these critically endangered sand tiger sharks (aka grey nurse sharks)."
#21. Ocean Views – Highly Honored: "Humpback Whale Calf, Vava’u, Kingdom of Tonga" by Charlie Wemyss-Dunn, USA
#22. Ocean Views – Highly Honored: "Sally Lightfoot Crab, Rabida Island, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador" by Kevin Lohman, USA
#23. Polar Passion – Winner: "Polar Bear in Snowstorm, Hudson Bay, Wapusk National Park, Canada" by Daniel Valverde Fernández, Spain
"In the midst of a windy blizzard, this large polar bear was relaxing and shaking off the snow, which formed a large curtain around him."
#24. Polar Passion – Highly Honored: "Curious Arctic Wolves, Ellesmere Islands, Nunavut, Canada" by Amit Eshel, Israel
#25. Polar Passion – Highly Honored: "Musk Oxen Confrontation, Dovrefjell National Park, Norway" by Daniel Valverde Fernández, Spain
#26. Youth Photographer of the Year – Winner: "Great Hornbill in Flight, Yingjiang, Yunnan, China" by Lisiqi Ye (Age 17), China
“I spent days in a hide watching a tree cavity claimed by a pair of great hornbills. Here, the red-eyed male was coming home facing the wind.”
#27. Youth Photographer of the Year – Highly Honored: "Allen’s Hummingbird, San Diego, California" by Faith Barton (Age 13), USA
#28. Youth Photographer of the Year – Highly Honored: "Harlequin Sweetlips, Raja Ampat, West Papua, Indonesia" by Tinnapat Netcharussaeng (Age 16), Thailand
#29. Conservation Story – Winner: "The Great Turtle Rescue, South Padre Island, Texas" by Sandesh Kadur, India
"Without the incredible effort of this community to rescue nearly 5,000 cold-stunned turtles after an extreme cold front, the island’s entire turtle population would have been decimated. Perhaps this will inspire others to protect their local species of wildlife. The rescue volunteers pictured are Robert ‘DJ’ Lerma, Irving A. Hernandez, and David Daniel Barrera."
#30. Conservation Single Image – Winner: "Sri Lankan Asian Elephant in Waste Pile, Ampara, Eastern Province" by Lakshitha Karunarathna, Sri Lanka
“This photograph isn’t just a record—it’s a cry for awareness, urging immediate action to protect one of Earth’s most iconic yet imperiled species.”
#31. Conservation Single Image – Highly Honored: "Coral Nursery, Hawksbill Sea Turtle, Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Israel" by Dr. Tom Shlesinger, Israel
#32. Conservation Single Image – Highly Honored: "Eurasian Lynx in Barbed Wire, Dulan County, China" by Xingchao Zhu, China
