Nature Photographer of the Year 2025, organised by Nature Talks, is an exciting photographic event featuring a wide range of genres, including macro, landscape, underwater, wildlife and storytelling.
Here we bring you the gripping winning and runner-up images, featuring dramatic moments such as a satiated polar bear after a kill, and crabs consuming a tern chick alive – raw, powerful scenes capturing nature at its most real.
This year the organisers received a record-breaking 24,781 entries from photographers in over 96 countries.
Åsmund Keilen from Norway took the coveted prize of overall winner for the image 'Sundance', depicting birds in motion in front of a blazing sun.
Scroll down to see it, plus the other category winners and selected runners-up – along with comments from the judging panel on the winners.
Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 winners
Overall and Birds category winner: Sundance by Åsmund Keilen, Norway
The jury chose this photo of the bird against the glowing sun as the winning image. At first glance, it appears to depict leaves against a cosmic sky – but on closer inspection, each shape reveals itself as a bird. The photographer’s impeccable timing captured a single bird aligned against the sun, transforming the scene into a breathtaking moment of stillness and motion intertwined. Photo credit: Renato Granieri / Nature Photographer of the Year
Mammals winner: Polar Meal by Pål Hermansen, Norway
This composition balances raw power with quiet contemplation in the predator's pose. Beyond its technical mastery, it is a haunting reminder of the harsh realities of Arctic life and the urgent need for polar bear conservation. Photo Credit: Pål Hermansen / Nature Photographer of the Year
Other Animals winner: Silent Scream by Bence Máté, Hungary
We're used to seeing birds attacking crabs – but rarely the other way around. Photo credit: Bence Máté / Nature Photographer of the Year
Plants and Fungi winner: Inferno by Tobias Richter, Germany
Blazing flames, glowing tree trunks and drifting plumes of smoke, this photograph captures both the beauty and the horror of nature in crisis. Photo credit: Tobias Richter / Nature Photographer of the Year
Landscape winner: Time for a Drop by Alexander Hormann, Germany
An intimate landscape, fragile yet timeless, shaped by the photographer’s own creative vision, a fleeting moment that exists only for those who take the time to truly see. Photo credit: Alexander Hormann / Nature Photographer of the Year
Underwater winner: Featherhome by Luis Arpa Toribio, Spain
This mesmerising underwater scene reveals nature's architecture at its most intricate and ethereal. Photo credit: Luis Arpa Toribio / Nature Photographer of the Year
Nature Art winner: Moose in Snow by Pål Hermansen, Norway
Using carefully placed infrared-triggered cameras, invisible to wildlife, Pål Hermansen combined technical precision with artistic vision. The result is an abstract yet deeply evocative vision, almost like a watercolour painting. Photo credit: Pål Hermansen / Nature Photographer of the Year
Human and Nature winner: Difficult Crossing by Xingchao Zhu, China
The simplicity, clarity and depth of the moment that reflects our intense pressure and limits that we impose as humanity on wildlife. Photo credit: Xingchao Zhu / Nature Photographer of the Year
Black and White winner: The Way of the Ridge by Sebastiaan van der Greef, The Netherlands
An exceptional black-and-white image capturing a species rarely seen in such a unique environmental setting – the Arctic fox. Photo credit: Sebastiaan van der Greef / Nature Photographer of the Year
Animal Portraits winner: Shared Wonder by Mary Schrader, USA
The contrast between the fragile insect and the powerful primate evokes a delicate balance between strength and gentleness – a fleeting instant of harmony. Photo credit: Mary Schrader / Nature Photographer of the Year
Nature of “De Lage Landen” winner: Bike Tides by Sam Mannaerts, Belgium
The bicycles, so characteristic and emblematic of the area, serve as the focal anchor of the photograph – an almost abstract drone shot that beautifully and harmoniously combines the contrasting textures and subtle colours of mud and snow. Photo credit: Sam Mannaerts / Nature Photographer of the Year
Youth 10-17 Years winner: Panning Bobcat by Leo Dale, USA
A stunning panning image of this bobcat with the perfect timing of the connection of gazes, which make you feel invited to share its moment of successful hunting. Photo credit: Leo Dale / Nature Photographer of the Year
Fred Hazelhoff Award (Portfolio) winner: Flowerscapes by Theo Bosboom, The Netherlands
Theo Bosboom created a compelling and powerful photo project that addresses the question: What would an ant see if it looked up while walking through a field of flowers? But some time ago, when a long, narrow, wide-angle macro lens that can rotate 360 degrees came onto the market, Bosboom saw an opportunity to make that dream a reality. He said: “It was as if I had been given the key to a wonderful secret world - I felt very privileged and excited!” Photo credit: Theo Bosboom / Nature Photographer of the YearPhoto credit: Theo Bosboom / Nature Photographer of the YearPhoto credit: Theo Bosboom / Nature Photographer of the Year
Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 selected runners-up
Birds runner up: King Penguins by the Pond by Renato Granieri, UK
Photo credit: Renato Granieri / Nature Photographer of the Year
Mammals runner up: The Hidden Grail of Sumatra Island by Vladimir Cech Jr, Netherlands
Photo credit: Vladimir Cech Jr / Nature Photographer of the Year
Other Animals runner up: Blue Army by Imre Potyó, Hungary
Photo credit: Imre Potyó / Nature Photographer of the Year
Plants and Fungi runner up: In the Flow of Time by Balázs Ravasz, Hungary
Photo credit: Balázs Ravasz / Nature Photographer of the Year
Landscape runner up: Cono de Arita by Ignacio Palacios, Australia
Photo credit: Ignacio Palacios / Nature Photographer of the Year
