30 Outstanding Nature & Wildlife Winning Photos from the 2025 Monovisions Photography Awards

The 2025 Monovisions Photography Awards once again proved the timeless beauty and storytelling power of black-and-white photography. This year’s Nature & Wildlife category delivered breathtaking images that blend artistry, patience, and an intimate connection with the natural world. The 30 winning photographs capture the wild in its raw, untamed glory—stripped of color, yet bursting with emotion and life.

Photo by: Gurdal Bibo

Each image tells a story. From the stillness of a lone bird perched against a foggy sky to the intensity of a predator mid-hunt, the photos transcend mere documentation. In monochrome, every texture is amplified: the ripple of water, the delicate feathers of a bird, the fur patterns of majestic mammals. The absence of color draws viewers closer, inviting them to notice light, shadow, and detail in ways that color photography often conceals.

The winning works are a testament to the photographers’ technical mastery and deep respect for wildlife. Many of the scenes required hours—sometimes days—of patience, waiting for the perfect moment when behavior, light, and composition align. Others are the result of being in the right place at the right time, ready to capture fleeting natural wonders that may never happen again.

What makes these photos remarkable is their ability to evoke emotion. Some inspire awe with grand landscapes inhabited by wild creatures; others feel deeply personal, offering intimate glimpses into the lives of animals in their habitats. Collectively, they remind us of the fragility and resilience of the natural world.

These 30 outstanding images from the 2025 Monovisions Photography Awards not only honor the photographers’ skill but also celebrate the beauty, mystery, and importance of nature and wildlife. They are powerful visual calls to appreciate—and protect—the wonders of our planet.

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#1. 1st Place Winner: "Acacia Tree with Giraffe" by Xuejun Long, China

"Being illuminated by each other is what it means to meet. The acacia tree has thorns and secretes venom, while also parasitizes a type of ant to defend against external enemies. But the year-round arms race between giraffes and acacia has evolved various means to deal with these obstacles."

#2. 2nd Place Winner: "Wildebeest" by Rajiv Bhambri, United States

"I took this photograph in Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya during the wildebeest migration in late July 2024. Our guide spotted a herd moving towards the river, and we decided to wait on a hill top on the opposite bank. After sometime, a group of wildebeest came down to the riverbank to drink water, and then ran back up the way they had come to the grassland. I was able to capture a few pictures of this brief mass movement of wildebeest running together, stirring up the dust with their hooves."

#3. 3rd Place Winner: "Power of Three" by Miles Hewitt-Boorman, United Kingdom

"I watched as this mother and her cubs were initially chased off of a walrus carcass and retreat. However they regathered and together returned and reclaimed their meal."