The 2025 Mangrove Photography Awards have unveiled 25 heart-touching winning photos that celebrate the beauty, fragility, and importance of mangrove ecosystems across the globe. Organized by the Mangrove Action Project, the competition continues to raise awareness about these vital coastal forests and the urgent need for their protection. This year saw a record-breaking 3,303 entries from 78 countries, a powerful reminder of the growing global recognition of mangroves’ ecological significance.
Photo by: Mark Ian Cooks
Taking the top honor is Mark Ian Cook’s breathtaking aerial image titled ‘Birds Eye View of the Hunt’. Captured in Florida Bay, the photo features Roseate Spoonbills soaring above a lemon shark stalking mullet through shallow, mangrove-lined waters. Though visually serene, the image tells a deeper story about the vulnerability of one of the Everglades’ most iconic bird species—its fate tied to the health of the mangrove ecosystem it calls home.
These winning photographs do more than just captivate—they educate. Mangroves are ecological powerhouses, capable of storing five times more carbon than terrestrial forests. They shield over 15 million people from floods, support the livelihoods of millions, and provide critical habitats for marine and terrestrial wildlife alike.
Yet, despite their immense value, mangroves are under threat. It’s estimated that 50% could collapse by 2050 due to deforestation and urban development. Through these 25 evocative images, the 2025 Mangrove Photography Awards bring urgent attention to what’s at stake. Each photo is not just a visual masterpiece, but a call to action—a plea to protect the ecosystems that sustain both nature and humanity.
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#1. Overall Winner: "Birds’ eye view of the hunt" by Mark Ian Cooks
#2. People, Livelihoods: Winner – "Bhoben Biseash and his Otters" by Freddie Claire
#3. People, Livelihoods: Runner Up – "Crab Gatherer" by Danilo O. Victoriano Jr.
#4. People, Conservation & Restoration: Winner – "Mangrove Honey Bees Make Land" by Ian Rock
#5. People, Conservation & Restoration: Runner Up – "Roots in the Sand, eyes on the future" by Christopher Michel
#6. Wildlife, Birds: Winner – "Avain Impressionism" by Mark Ian Cook
#7. Wildlife, Birds: Runner Up – "A Safe Haven and Natural Rest Stop for Migratory Birds on Their Season Journey" by Saudi Arabia
#8. Wildlife, Mammaals: Winner – "A Snack in the Mangrove Forest" by Satwika Satria
#9. Wildlife, Mammaals: Runner Up – "Scent marking went wrong" by Trikansh Sharma
#10. Wildlife, Other Species: Winner – "Night in the Mangrove" by Christian Moldrup Legaard
#11. Wildlife, Other Species: Runner Up – "Claws of Power" by Javier Aznar Gonzalez De Rueda
#12. Landscape, Black & White: Winner – "Take a Bow" by Vladimir Borzykin
#13. Landscape, Black & White: Runner Up – "Living with the tides" by Rajesh Dhar
#14. Landscape, From the Air: Winner – "Mangroves and Modernity" by Ahmed Badwan
#15. Landscape, From the Air: Runner Up – "Dendritic" by Stuart Chape
#16. Landscape, On the Ground: Winner – "Mangrove Under the Milk Way" by Gwi Bin Lim
#17. Landscape, On the Ground: Runner Up – "Life" by Hoan The Nhiem
#18. Mangroves & Threats: Winner – "Paradise Buried" by Tom Quinney
#19. Mangroves & Threats: Runner Up – "Trapped in Shadows" by Daphne Wong
#20. Mangroves & Underwater: Winner – "Low tide on hermit crab island" by Alex Pike
#21. Mangroves & Underwater: Runner Up – "Netted Sulawesi Scene" by Renee Capozzola
#22. Mangroves & Conservation Stories: Winner – "A Woman’s Fight in Sundarbans Mangrove Forest" by Mohammad Rakibul Hasan
#23. Mangroves & Conservation Stories: Runner Up – "Seeding Hope" by Giacomo d’Orlando
#24. Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year: Winner – "Crocodile Galaxy" by Nicholas Hess
#25. Young Mangrove Photographer of the Year: Runner Up – "Mosquito are dangerous than a tiger" by Katanyou Wuttichaitanakorn
