Every year, National Geographic drops a visual bomb of the world’s most incredible moments, and 2025 was no different. From the deepest oceans to the wildest deserts to cities buzzing with life, Nat Geo photographers were out there doing what they do best — chasing stories with their lenses wide open. Out of hundreds of thousands of shots made across the globe, only a tiny handful make the final cut. And this year’s Pictures of the Year hit with serious emotional punch.
These photos weren’t chosen just because they’re pretty — they were chosen because they move you. They tell stories that stick. You get wildlife in raw, unscripted action… scientific discoveries caught at the exact second they mattered… and human narratives powerful enough to stop your scrolling cold. This is the kind of photography that makes you feel something deep — awe, fear, hope, curiosity, maybe even a spark of wanderlust.
What’s wild is the range of techniques behind the shots. We’re talking drone angles that look like sci-fi movie frames, underwater housings capturing creatures we rarely ever see, remote cameras triggered in the perfect millisecond, and carefully crafted composites that combine science, reality, and imagination. Nat Geo photographers don’t just take pictures — they engineer experiences.
This year’s list reminds us why National Geographic remains a storytelling powerhouse. In a world drowning in fast, throwaway images, these photographs rise above the noise. They connect us to the planet, to each other, and to moments we might’ve never witnessed without the brave, persistent shooters who chase them.
These pics don’t just show the world — they make you feel the world.
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#1. "Building A Pop-Up Megacity – Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India" by George Steinmetz
"Every 144 years, India plays host to the world’s largest gathering, the Mahakumbh Mela, a religious festival held at the sacred confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati Rivers.
Photographer George Steinmetz attended the 2025 event, along with more than 400 million Hindu pilgrims living in a temporary metropolis constructed for the occasion, to capture the perspective of what it feels like to be “a molecule in this moving mass.”
#2. "King’s Orders – Luena, Angola" by Jasper Doest
"In the misty highlands of Angola, entry to one of southern Africa’s least studied ecosystems is controlled by King Mwene Chivueka VI, leader of the Luchazi people. For generations, his community has venerated an elusive herd of elephants native to the area—which outside scientists have only recently begun tracking, with the king’s permission."
#3. "A Bee’s ZZZs – Davis, California" by Karine Aigner
"A sunflower chimney bee rests on a pillow of velvety ochers in the early evening, likely already snoozing after a long day’s work pollinating plants. This species of bee often nests at the base of sunflowers, moving with commercial farmers as they rotate their crops."
#4. "River Rebirth – Baghdad, Iraq" by Moises Saman
"On the banks of the Tigris River, women belonging to the Mandaean faith hold ceremonial wreaths of myrtle as part of the group’s core practice: river baptism. Mandaeanism, among the world’s oldest gnostic religions, reveres John the Baptist as the greatest of all prophets. Since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, followers have faced persecution from extremists and high levels of displacement, which have severely threatened their ancient baptismal customs."
#5. "Grand Green Ambitions – Mbaye Awa, Senegal" by Miora Rajaonary
"In the arid plains of western Senegal, Africa’s ambitious Great Green Wall project is well under way. In 2007, African Union leaders conceived a bold initiative to fight desertification by planting one massive line of vegetation stretching nearly 5,000 miles across more than 20 countries. If successful, the multibillion-dollar restoration will be one of the largest steps ever taken to bring back degraded land."
#6. "Shoulder to Lean On – Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil" by Maíra Erlich
"Neighborhoods throughout the coastal city of Maceió are sinking into the ground after decades of rock salt mining. The destruction has displaced tens of thousands of residents like Damião Carlos da Silva, who was forced into temporary housing nearby after losing his home. He finds solace in the precious moments of life, such as this one shared with his pet chick."
#7. "Six Million on the Move – South Sudan" by Marcus Westberg
"A long-awaited aerial wildlife survey released by South Sudan revealed something extraordinary. An estimated six million antelope were documented traversing the eastern plains of the country, changing our understanding of how many animals move across this part of Africa. Photographer Marcus Westberg used a drone to record the phenomenon, the planet’s largest land migration, calling it a “symbol of hope” for a region that has experienced years of civil unrest."
#8. "Elusive Prowler – Rio Doce State Park, Minas Gerais, Brazil" by Fernando Faciole
"While monitoring the burrow of a rare giant armadillo in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, photographer Fernando Faciole came face-to-lens with a different vulnerable animal: the jaguar. Severe deforestation has decimated the population here, and today fewer than a dozen jaguars may remain in the state park where Faciole took this image."
#9. "A Daughter’s Grief – Tocoa, Colón, Honduras" by Brent Stirton
"Julia López, nine, visits the grave of her father, Juan, who was shot and killed in front of her in September 2024. An outspoken opponent of a local mining operation built on a national park, Juan López was one of 18 known climate defenders killed last year in Honduras. Environmental watchdog organization Global Witness ranks the country among the world’s most dangerous for this kind of activism."
#10. "Dinner On Ice – Arctic Ocean, north of Svalbard, Norway" by Roie Galitz
"A sperm whale floats amid shards of polar pack ice, dead and decomposing, mouth hanging open. When photographer Roie Galitz captured the scene with a drone, the image was so arresting that it took a moment to notice the hungry female polar bear stretching her jaw to break through the whale’s leathery skin."
#11. "In the Arms of Family – Poltava Oblast, Ukraine" by Anastasia Taylor-Lind
"As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict grinds into another year, life is more fragile than ever. While Tymofii Tsvetkov’s father was away at war, his family’s hometown near the front lines was taken by Russian forces and they fled to a village in central Ukraine, where they have relatives. Soothed by his aunt Olga Grinik, the toddler wears a T-shirt with a sobering proclamation: “My dad serves in the armed forces of Ukraine.”
#12. "Chicken or Egg? – Berkeley, California" by Anand Varma
"For years, photographer Anand Varma has attempted to document when an egg yolk can still be seen but a bird form has clearly emerged. He experimented by incubating embryos in artificial shells before finally capturing the transformation at 12 days old. Varma separately raised some embryos to chicks, like the one above, which he donated to people in the community."
#13. "Riding Tall – Quebrada de Humahuaca, Argentina" by Natalia Favre
"Diego Paredes, standing on the saddle of his horse, Lobuno, surveys a formerly bustling trade route that cut through this picturesque valley in northern Argentina. With his brother Hugo, Diego takes pride in the new life they bring to the land by leading educational horseback tours with their company, Renaciendo Costumbres (Reviving Traditions)."
#14. "The Unlikely Hero – Wisconsin" by Craig Cutler
"This two-day-old piglet was bred to save lives. Scientists modified its genes in an attempt to harvest kidneys for human transplantation. Pigs like this represent new hope for the tens of thousands of Americans in desperate need of kidneys, 66 percent of whom remain on the waiting list for more than a year."
#15. "A Day’s Worth of Drama – Botswana and Canada" by Stephen Wilkes
"Over the course of one action-packed day, photographer Stephen Wilkes watched animals charge toward a meager water hole at the height of extreme drought in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Wilkes applied his signature Day to Night technique, in which he takes as many as 1,500 pictures from one vantage point over the course of 18 to 36 hours, seamlessly layering the 50 or so best moments to create a final image."
#16. "Another Giant Leap – Houston, Texas" by Micaiah Carter
"NASA’s history-making Artemis II mission to the far side of the moon will launch pilot Victor Glover and three other astronauts some 30,000 miles farther from Earth than any person has gone before. Photographer Micaiah Carter took this picture of Glover as he trains for the unprecedented 10-day journey."
#17. "A Great Sighting – Gulf of Maine" by Brian Skerry
"Photographer Brian Skerry has been chronicling marine life for decades, but this is his first picture of a great white shark off the coast of Maine, where he encountered one from four feet away. Sightings of sharks like this 10-footer are increasing from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, due in part to the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, which allowed seal populations to rebound."
#18. "Life in the Flood Zone – Anamã, Brazil" by Lalo de Almeida
"Relieved by the return of the wet season after two years of unprecedented drought, residents of Anamã, a town on an Amazon River floodplain, played volleyball in waist-high water and navigated the streets by boat. But the magnitude of flooding also reflects an instability brought on by climate change, as residents adapt by raising their homes on higher stilts."
#19. "Traditions On The Brink – Kiruna, Sweden" by Justin Jin
"For the Sami people, reindeer herding is a deeply held tradition passed down through generations. Said to be the only Indigenous group in Europe, and with a population of around 100,000, many live off the land in a territory stretching across parts of northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The Sami are fierce guards of their ancient heritage, repeatedly pushing back against new developments that interfere with reindeer migration routes."
#20. "Star Power – Greifswald, Germany" by Paolo Verzone
"With an eye toward solving the global energy crisis, scientists are developing powerful nuclear fusion devices called stellarators. This model was created at a German lab where international researchers built a much larger one that generated an astonishing 54 million-degree-Fahrenheit reaction. For a record-breaking 43 seconds, it was the hottest entity in the entire solar system—including the sun’s center."
#21. "Protecting Paradise – Tinakula, Solomon Islands" by Manu San Félix
"The Solomon Islands are home to some of the most diverse coral reefs on the planet. Earlier this year, the island nation pledged to preserve 59 million acres of its marine waters—including the seas surrounding this lush isle—which make up part of a vital aquatic region called the Coral Triangle that spans six countries and contains 76 percent of the world’s coral species."
#22. "Doors on the Border – Cuenca Los Ojos Reserve, Sonora, Mexico" by Jaime Rojo
"Along the rugged Mexico-United States border, enormous walls are interrupting the migration patterns of native species. So-called doggie doors (around the size of an eight-by-11-inch sheet of paper) put in by the U.S. government offer a novel solution for smaller creatures like this javelina to pass through—but don’t accommodate black bears or white-tailed deer."
#23. "Better by A Bunch – Tamil Nadu, India" by John Stanmeyer
"As dusk falls, Shyamala Gunasekaran finds peace on her organic banana farm. Many commercial operations in India use pesticides or chemical fertilizers, but Gunasekaran has committed herself to following sustainable agriculture practices as part of the larger Save Soil movement to help restore the planet’s soil."
