Wildlife photography isn’t just about animals—it’s about timing, patience, and being ready when nature decides to drop the mic. And the 2025 Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards delivered exactly that. This year’s wildlife winners feel raw, electric, and wildly alive, capturing moments that most humans would miss even if they stood there all day.
Among the standout victories, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year title went to Baiju Patil from India for his jaw-dropping image “The Perfect Heist.” Shot in the wetlands of Bharatpur, the photo captures a blink-and-you-miss-it moment where Grey Herons snatch fish mid-air from Darters—a full-on wildlife crime scene frozen in perfect clarity. After returning to the same location for over 15 years, Baiju finally nailed the frame that proves patience isn’t just a virtue—it’s a strategy.
The 25 winning images from the Refocus World Photo Annual Awards wildlife category showcase nature at its most intense and intimate. These photographs don’t feel distant or decorative. They pull you straight into the action—predators mid-hunt, birds locked in aerial chaos, mammals navigating survival with instinct and grit. Every image carries tension, beauty, and the unfiltered reality of life in the wild.
What makes this year special is the storytelling. These aren’t just “pretty” wildlife photos. They’re visual narratives about balance, survival, and the fragile relationship between animals and their environment. From remote forests to wetlands bursting with motion, photographers from around the globe captured moments that feel almost cinematic—except they’re 100% real.
Together, these 25 outstanding wildlife winners remind us why wildlife photography matters. It connects us to a world beyond our screens, sparks awe, and quietly urges us to protect what still remains wild.
You can find more info:
#1. Wildlife Photographer of the Year: "The Perfect Heist" by Baiju Patil
"For 15+ years I’ve returned to Bharatpur’s wetlands, but last year was unique. Algae blooms boosted fish, drawing Darters—and opportunistic Grey Herons. In a split-second heist, herons snatched fish mid-air from Darters. After years of patience, I finally captured this breathtaking drama."
#2. Silver: "Haven" by Preeti & Prashant Chacko
"In the rising heat of morning, a young elephant escapes the sun in the only shade available—pressed close to its mother. As the mother flings dust to cool herself, the cloud hangs in the air, cocooning the calf in a soft, protective glow in Amboseli, Kenya."
#3. Bronze: "Pulse of the Plains" by Matt Dusig
"Dozens of Yilki horses gallop across the Anatolian dust in perfect formation, like a heartbeat echoing through the landscape. From the youngest foals to the lead stallions, every step beats with the rhythm of survival and tradition."
#4. Bronze: "Snow Leopard In Her Domain" by Gero Heine
"Himalayas, Ladakh, India"
#5. Bronze: "Heart Attack" by Baiju Patil
"At Sweetwater Lake, I captured a rare moment—a Salmotoma fish striking mating damselflies in heart-shaped flight. Months of patience, manual focus, harsh light, insect bites, and missed chances finally met luck, proving persistence is the true essence of wildlife photography."
#6. People’s Vote Award: "Barney" by Michelle Valberg
"A spirit bear sitting on the rocks at low tide."
Honorable Mentions
#7. "Ocean’s Eye" by Hadrien Foucher
"My intention was to show sharks as they truly are: peaceful and deeply misunderstood.
The shark’s eye, usually light grey, appeared blue from the position of my light, placed above and angled downwards. This created a blue shadow over the eye while restoring the warm colours of the skin above it."
#8. "Cow and Calf" by Pepe Salcedo
"“Caw and Calf” was shot on the Tongan winter during august, when the hump back whales search for safe waters in between the Tongan Islands of Vavau where they breed and grow their babies strong to later head back, face dangerous crossings towards the Antarctic. Facing Krill Overfishing."
#9. "Nature’s Crossing" by Brian Clopp
"A bull moose crosses a misty river in the Tetons one frosty morning. Getting the shot took planning and lots of research. During winter in Grand Teton National Park about twenty bull moose congregate in a specific area of sage flats where a hot spring maintains water flow."
#10. "Sleeping Swan" by Bjørn Jansen
"Sleeping swan kissed by the first rays of sunrise."
#11. "Ghosts of the Arctic" by Randall Ball
"In Ghosts of the Arctic, polar bears emerge from the frozen silence like living specters—symbols of power, solitude, and survival. Captured in stark monochrome, this series reveals the haunting beauty and fragile existence of these elusive giants within their vanishing world."
#12. "Food Fight" by Vince Maidens
"Barn owls are efficient hunters thanks to their sensitive hearing and silent flight. Barn owls are dependent on the availability of small mammal prey. Environmental factors such as the weather and habitat change can threaten their numbers."
#13. "Where Peaks meet the Icy Edge" by Rachel Spencer
"At the Edge of St. Andrews Bay, King Penguins gather to enter and leave the icy waters, their distinctive forms standing out against the snowy peaks and kelp laden rocky shore. The harmony of life and landscape reflects nature’s resilience in one earth’s most remote and breathtaking places."
#14. "Breach" by Jarrod Saw
"Where silence ends and thunder begins. A single moment frozen in flight."
Nominees
#15. "Mother Mary" by Fabian Meckl
"A peaceful moment between a mother vervet monkey and her baby. Nursing in a tree, away from any ground dwelling dangers, her hands gently holding the child to her body. How could people not see us in them?"
#16. "The Long Road Home" by Matt Dusig
"With the twin peaks of Mount Erciyes rising in the distance like silent witnesses, a band of Yılkı horses charges across the vast Anatolian plateau. The land stretches endlessly before them — a muted palette of dust, sage, and sunlight — while the nearby village rests quietly in the background."
#17. "Wild Mustang Horses in a Conversation" by Lisa Campbell
"These three wild stallions share a moment of greeting and conversation. The lighter grey mustang is a mature band stallion and I’m pretty sure he is lecturing the two younger bachelor stallions on some etiquette – as they had been rough-housing all morning long."
#18. "Reflections in the Night" by Marcello Galleano
"In the dark savannah, a Kenyan impala is drinking in a moonlit pond. The glistening surface perfectly duplicates the elegant creature in a parallel realm below the water borderline, as suspended in an ethereal dimension."
#19. "Mirror! Mirror!" by Vicki Santello
"A polar bear stares at his/her reflection at the edge of an ice floe in the High Arctic."
#20. "Gold and Silver" by Fabian Meckl
"Having speared a small fish, an anhinga bursts through the water’s surface in Brazil’s Pantanal wetland. The evening sun paints its neck in molten gold, perfectly offsetting the silver shimmer of its catch. Dark waters, shaded by overgrowing vegetation, form a deep, contrasting background."
#21. "Peekaboo" by Joergen Rasmussen
"I had the privilege to spent some time with this little Bornean Orangutan baby. Humans share 97% of their DNA and I can see so many similarities. Tanjung Puting National Park, Borneo, Indonesia"
#22. "Seehund" by Brandon Rooney
"A colony of (endangered) Australian Fur Seals in Narooma, AU. The puppy-like agile play they engage in is book-ended by slow, sun-drenched meditation. A familiar mirror of the behaviour of our canine counterparts – and ourselves. The moniker aptly derived from the German translation ‘sea hound’."
#23. "When The Sun Goes Down" by Bence Máté
"Interesting imagery can be created from the humblest of the topics, provided that light conditions are exciting enough. The combination of strong backlight and dark background creates extremely fine atmospheres; however, it is a rare condition in nature."
#24. "Sky shark" by Jonathan Allen
"Gliding between worlds, this black tip reef shark is suspended in the blue where the sky and ocean meet. As the waves stretched out as infinitely as the sky above I watched this shark from below and was engrossed in how it moved as though it was flying – weightless, effortless, and free."
#25. "Solitude In Snow" by Sandy Canuel
"A Grey Owl perched on a snow bank looking straight at the viewer."
In Summary
What are the 2025 Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards?
- They are international photography awards recognizing outstanding visual storytelling across multiple genres, including wildlife.
Who won Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2025?
- Baiju Patil from India won for his photograph “The Perfect Heist.”
What is special about the winning wildlife photos?
- They capture rare, high-intensity moments of animal behavior with strong storytelling and emotional impact.
Where was “The Perfect Heist” photographed?
- The image was captured in Bharatpur’s wetlands in India.
Why are these wildlife awards important?
- They highlight conservation, patience, and the power of photography to document nature’s untold stories.
