Nature didn’t just show up at the 2025 Chromatic Awards—it showed off. This year’s Wildlife category is bursting with color, emotion, and moments so rare they feel almost unreal. These winning images prove that color photography isn’t just about looking good; it’s about telling stories that stick with you long after you scroll past.
Taking 1st Place, Norwegian photographer Pål Hermansen delivered a jaw-tightening moment with “After the meal.” The image shows a polar bear stretched out, calm and heavy, after feeding on a walrus—an extremely rare prey for polar bears. The colors are muted but powerful, turning a brutal act of survival into a strangely peaceful aftermath. It’s raw, honest, and unforgettable.
2nd Place went to U.S.-based photographer Remuna Beca for “Rare Encounter.” Captured while freediving off the coast of Egypt, the photo documents an intimate moment with a dugong—one of only around 30 remaining in the Red Sea. Wrapped in dreamy blues and soft light, the image is beautiful, but the story behind it hits harder. Dugongs are keystone species, essential to seagrass ecosystems, and this photo quietly screams the urgency of conservation.
Claiming 3rd Place, Fenqiang Liu stunned viewers with “Arrival.” Shot in central Florida during early spring breeding season, the image captures Great Egrets landing at their nests as morning light filters through their wings. It’s pure poetry—movement, light, and life frozen in a split second.
The Chromatic Awards exist to give photographers—both pros and passionate newcomers—a global stage. These 25 wildlife winners don’t just celebrate color; they celebrate survival, fragility, and the wild stories our planet is still telling.
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#1. 1st Place winner: "After the meal" by Pål Hermansen, Norway
"Polar bear relaxing after eating a walrus meal. A very rare prey for polar bears."
#2. 2nd Place winner: "Rare Encounter" by Remuna Beca, United States
"A rare and intimate encounter with a dugong, captured while freediving off the coast of Egypt. With only an estimated 30 individuals remaining in the Red Sea, dugongs face immense threats from habitat loss, pollution, and unsustainable tourism. As a keystone species, they are vital to the health of seagrass meadows, which serve as carbon sinks and critical marine habitats, underscoring the urgent need for strengthened conservation efforts."
#3. 3rd Place winner: "Arrival" by Fenqiang Liu, United States
"During breeding season in early Spring in central Florida, when Great Egrets build their nests on trees to prevent predators’ attack, it creates perfect opportunities for me to capture their most beautiful moment with the morning sunlight filtering through their wings."
Honorable Mentions
#4. "A Mouthful Of Stars" by Zhayynn James, India
"Waiting in the darkness of the hide, as this giraffe materialised out of the dark for a late night drink, I wanted to freeze the action at the moment when the giraffe raised its head after a drink, knowing that it would spray the last mouthful into the air. I waited for this moment, when it sprayed the droplets into the air, caught by the backlight against the inky blackness, like a galaxy of stars erupting from its mouth."
#5. "Across the river" by Kinga Wnuk, Poland
"Elgoriusz, a purebred Arabian stallion, crossing a river in southern Spain."
#6. "Beneath the Waves" by Remuna Beca, United States
"Two Atlantic spotted dolphins glide through the sun-drenched shallows of the Bahamas, their sleek bodies rippling with reflected light. Known for their intelligence and strong social bonds, these dolphins inhabit one of the few places in the world where humans can observe them behaving naturally in the wild. Capturing this image required patience and freediving to remain unobtrusive in their environment. In this peaceful moment, the ocean’s surface becomes a liquid canvas—its painterly texture adding a surreal quality to the scene."
#7. "Bowing To The Night" by Kinga Wnuk, Poland
"Spain, sunrise on the road to the stable. Elgoriusz, a purebred Arabian stallion, bows to the night disappearing over the horizon."
#8. "Deer" by Hubert Mielnik, Poland
"The photo shows a deer crossing a small stream between two forested areas. The composition was created over several days of shooting. To capture it, I used a camera float, a diving suit, and my camera equipment – a Canon R5 and a 400mm RF lens. The photo was taken early in the morning."
#9. "Giants of the blue" by Khaichuin Sim, Malaysia
"A freediver hovers beside a pod of sperm whales, the largest-toothed predators on Earth, as they glide effortlessly near the surface. These intelligent giants live in close-knit social groups led by matriarchs, communicating through rhythmic clicks that echo through the deep. In this rare moment of calm, human and whale share the same space, connected by curiosity and mutual respect within the endless blue."
#10. "Giraffes drinking" by Seppo Tuomaala, Finland
"This is a photo taken in November 2024 in KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The two giraffes are drinking in symmetrical positions in front of a photo-hide. To fit the two in the photo with part of the reflections of the animals and the surroundings, a wide-angle lens of 18 mm was used."
#11. "Gold and Silver" by Fabian Meckl, Germany
"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."
#12. "Halo" by Remuna Beca, United States
"A Loggerhead Turtle poses gracefully beneath a radiant halo of light in a shallow seagrass meadow, highlighting the beauty of one of the ocean’s most iconic species."
#13. "House Owner" by Itamar Matsry, Israel
"If you encounter a tiger in India’s Ranthambore National Park, it will usually be on trails, near a water source or in the trees. But an unusual sight was caught on my camera when the Bengal tiger came to an abandoned colorful building and stood in its doorway, as if he were the owner of the house. Which is probably true, this is his territory."
#14. "Kingfisher entering the water to catch fish" by Yao Yuan Shang, Taiwan
"Kingfisher entering the water to catch fish"
#15. "Lapland owl landing" by Seppo Tuomaala, Finland
"A great grey owl is landing to catch a shrew. The photo was taken in in late spring in Kuusamo, in northern Finland. There was a lot of snow left during the first days of May 2024."
#16. "Reflections in the Night" by Marcello Galleano, Italy
"In the dark night, an African porcupine approaches a waterhole.It will go back to the protective shadows of the forest in a few minutes. Yet, as it drinks, its reflection in the water accentuates the majesty of its quills, which resemble peacock feathers."
#17. "Sea Puppy Gaze" by Remuna Beca, United States
"An Australian sea lion playfully engages with the camera with curiosity in South Australia’s kelp forests. Listed as Endangered, these rare sea lions face threats from habitat loss, fishing bycatch, and pollution. Protecting these gentle marine icons is vital to preserving ocean biodiversity."
#18. "Silent Hunting" by Tomasz Bednarski, Poland
"Great Grey Owl hunting silently in the Finnish taiga in the wintertime."
#19. "Spin control" by Zhayynn James, India
"In a life or death struggle, a topi tries desperately to fling a cheetah off by spinning around. The cheetah however had a death grip on the topi’s neck and as the topi swung the cheetah around, the cheetah was lifted off the ground, hanging on in desperation and I made this image."
#20. "The Cat from the Wild World" by Marcello Galleano, Italy
"In the Spanish mountains, a wild cat emerges from the bushes. Enigmatic by nature, it knows how to elude both prey and predators. Not to be confused with a domestic cat—it’s a born hunter: fierce and untamable."
#21. "The King of the forest" by Marcello Galleano, Italy
"The ferocity behind the Indian lion’s gaze is so fervent it makes you shudder. He looks like a posing sovereign, a model with perfect proportions who is portrayed in all his mysterious vanity."
#22. "The Wonderer" by Fabian Meckl, Germany
"Beneath the trees that shroud the Sabi River, a male lion pauses, gazing into the canopy as if lost in thought. The yellow leaves of the dry season shimmer in the late morning sun, casting the scene in dusty gold. I cannot help but wonder: what goes through his mind?"
#23. "Tundra" by Luciano Demasi, United States
"This is an image of a tundra. The animal appears very close. Thus, one can assume that a powerful zoom lens was used. NO! The animal was, believe it or not, just 2 m from me and I had a landscape wide angle lens! Sometimes I am puzzled and positively surprised by how nature can be unpredictable."
#24. "White Rhinos" by Valentina Bollea, Italy
"Majestic and threatened, the white rhino is one of the most fascinating and vulnerable animals on the planet. Victim of poaching and habitat loss, it barely survives amid reserves and conservation efforts. Mistakenly called "white" due to a linguistic misunderstanding, it symbolizes strength, but also fragility."
#25. "Celebrities on the red carpet" by Guanhua Ren, China
"As twilight bathed the red salt flats, a herd of elk trod across the crimson expanse, their light brown fur bobbing in the crimson tide. Occasionally, a fawn would pause to look back. A drone’s camera captured this verse of wild poetry, its hoofprints becoming a newly written rhyme on the earth."
In Summary
What are the Chromatic Awards?
- The Chromatic Awards are an international photography competition focused exclusively on color photography, open to professionals and amateurs worldwide.
Who won the Wildlife category at the 2025 Chromatic Awards?
- 1st Place: Pål Hermansen (Norway) – After the meal
- 2nd Place: Remuna Beca (USA) – Rare Encounter
- 3rd Place: Fenqiang Liu (USA) – Arrival
What makes these wildlife photos special?
- They capture rare moments in nature using color to amplify emotion, storytelling, and environmental awareness.
Why is conservation important in these winning images?
- Many of the photos highlight endangered species and fragile ecosystems, drawing attention to urgent conservation needs.
Who can participate in the Chromatic Awards?
- Both professional and amateur photographers from around the world can submit their work.
