21 Fascinating Award Winners from the 2025 Natural Landscape Photography Awards

The winners of the 2025 Natural Landscape Photography Awards (NLPA) have been announced, showcasing a breathtaking collection of images that celebrate the raw, untouched beauty of our planet. This year’s competition received over 11,000 entries from more than 1,100 photographers across 64 countries, with a strict rule against digital manipulation and AI-generated content. The awards champion authentic, in-camera photography, verifying each finalist’s RAW file to ensure the integrity of the scene.

Australian photographer Joy Kachina was crowned Photographer of the Year for her captivating portfolio focusing on the mossy forests and misty landscapes of Tasmania. Her work impressed the judges with its intimacy and grandeur, reflecting the competition’s ethos of celebrating the "real experiences we have in nature."

Other notable winners include Margrit Schwarz, who won Photograph of the Year for her abstract image of rock formations in the Grand Canyon. The Grand Landscape category was won by Luis Vilariño, while David Shaw took the prize for Intimate Landscape. The winning photographs span diverse environments, from frozen worlds to tropical landscapes and deserts, serving as a powerful reminder that the most compelling art often comes from a deep respect for the natural world as it is.

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#1. Photographer of the Year, Winner: Joy Kachina

“I can hardly believe it—I just found out that I won this year’s NLPA Competition! I was simply hoping to be included in the NLPA Photobook, so this is such a wonderful surprise! I’ve always loved the NLPA Photo volumes and have taken them with me on many adventures in Tasmania. Being awarded Photographer of the Year by the Natural Landscape Photography Awards is such an honour, and I’m deeply touched by it.

The NLPA awards have always set an exceptional standard for landscape photography, celebrating the beauty of nature in all its forms. This competition showcases stunning images from around the world, reminding us of the beauty we can find in our natural surroundings, especially in a time when so much of our creative space is now generated by Artificial Intelligence. The imagery in this competition wonderfully highlights the real experiences we have in nature. Through our photographs, we gain a deeper appreciation for the magic and wonder of our natural world.

#2. Photographer of the Year, Runner Up: Lukas Furlan

#3. Photographer of the Year, Third Place: Matt Jackisch

#4. Photographer of the Year, Fourth Place: Scott Oller

#5. Photographer of the Year, Fifth Place: Vojtech Schmidt

#6. Photographer of the Year, 6th Place: Magnus Reneflot

#7. Photograph of the Year: Margrit Schwarz

“I am deeply honored to receive Photograph of the Year, and I thank the founders and judges for their dedication to this fantastic competition. It is a privilege to have my work recognized among so many exceptional photographs submitted and awarded this year. This image is a synthesis of my emotions and experiences during a twelve-day river trip deep inside the Grand Canyon. What moved me most were the hidden abstract forms shaped by stone, water, and time — details that spoke with as much power and mystery as the immense landscapes above.” – Margrit Schwarz

#8. Grand Landscape, Winner: Luis Vilariño

“As a photographer, I feel very fortunate when I return home with a photograph that captures that special moment, when the light and the landscape combine to create a unique scene. If, in addition, that image is recognized by leading photographers in a competition as demanding as the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, the joy is enormous. This award gives me the opportunity to share with many more people the same feelings I enjoyed in that magical moment. I hope you feel the cold biting your skin among gigantic blocks of ice in the depths of winter. Many thanks to the NLPA for striving to show Nature without additives, just as it is!” – Luis Vilariño

#9. Intimate Landscape, Winner: David Shaw

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have won the Intimate Landscape category in the Natural Landscape Photography Awards. I’m especially grateful to the judges for appreciating the photo, and to my long suffering family for tolerating my Sunday woodland wanderings that led me to this image. It’s a real privilege to see my work alongside the other awarded photographers, and to be in such esteemed company. Thank you!” – David Shaw

#10. Abstract Landscape, Winner: Ilan Shacham

“I am truly humbled to have my name listed on the prestigious winners list of the Natural Landscape Photography Awards, especially as the winner of the Abstract Landscape category, a longtime passion of mine, and with a photo of the Dead Sea, one of my favorite locations.
Ever since its inception, I have been looking forward to receiving my copy of the NLPA book, as I find it to be a true masterclass of landscape photography – Educating, inspiring and entertaining. I am thrilled to have my photo featured in it again.” – Ilan Shacham

#11. Project, Winner: "Sápmi – Living Landscapes" by Hanneke Van Camp

Ever since I first traveled to Sápmi, the Sami homeland in Northern Europe, I’ve felt a deep connection to its landscapes. I kept coming back and stayed longer and longer, learning more about both the environment and the culture it harbours.

These last few years it’s become my part-time home, and while I’ve grown attached to it, I’ve also become more aware of the threats and challenges it faces today.

#12. Project, Runner Up: "Guilty Trashures" by Feli Hansen

Plastic pollution is everywhere. Yet, somehow, remains unseen by many. It has become such a part of our environment that it is no longer noticeable. I wanted to make the invisible visible again, so it cannot be ignored.

Plastic pollution doesn’t just mar our landscapes; it poisons them. Is this how we want to see our nature? We must act now, to preserve the beauty and vitality of our planet.

I had to find the waste like this. A little twisting, stretching, crumpling or wiggling was allowed, but it must always keep a tangent to the original spot.

#13. Project, Third Place: "Flowerscapes – A bug’s eye view" by Theo Bosboom

What would an ant see if it looked up while walking through a field of flowers? Or a ladybird resting for a moment on a stem of a flower? How fantastic it would be if you could photograph this view! Until recently, you could only dream and fantasize about this. But some time ago, when a long narrow wide-angle macro lens that you can rotate 360 degrees came on the market, I saw an opportunity to make the dream a reality. It was like I was given the key that gave access to a wonderful secret world, I felt very privileged and excited!