Best of 2025: 30 Inspiring Nature Photos That Received International Photography Awards

Nature confirmed up robust in better of 2025—and photographers from each nook of the planet had been prepared. From frozen mountaintops to steamy rainforests, raging oceans to silent deserts, this 12 months’s award-winning nature pictures proved one factor loud and clear: the pure world remains to be the best storyteller of all of them.

These 30 inspiring nature pictures didn’t simply look good—they meant one thing. Selected from main worldwide images awards, every {photograph} stood out amongst hundreds of world submissions. Photographers poured their souls into capturing uncommon moments: a predator mid-hunt, gentle breaking completely over a lonely panorama, fragile ecosystems hanging on by a thread. Timing, endurance, and pure grit performed a task in each body.

What makes the 2025 winners hit completely different is the emotion. These aren’t simply fairly footage for the wall. They talk about local weather change, resilience, survival, and wonder that also exists regardless of the chaos. Some photographs are loud and dramatic, others quiet and poetic—however all of them cease you mid-scroll.

The range is unreal. Wildlife photographers waited weeks for a single second. Landscape artists chased storms and dawn gentle. Conservation-focused shooters documented nature beneath strain, reminding us what’s at stake. And due to worldwide competitions, voices from everywhere in the world acquired a seat on the desk.

In a 12 months the place photographers submitted work from throughout continents, these 30 photographs rose to the highest—not as a result of they adopted tendencies, however as a result of they instructed trustworthy, highly effective tales. They remind us why nature images issues and why defending these wild locations is extra pressing than ever.

This is the perfect of 2025—uncooked, breathtaking, and unimaginable to overlook.

#1. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – Nature Photographer of the Year: “Breach” by Jarrod Saw

“Where silence ends and thunder begins. A single moment frozen in flight.”

#2. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – Silver: “Iceberg’s Edge” by Randall Hanna

“Melting iceberg along the West Coast of Greenland”

#3. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – Bronze: “Naturally Unfolding” by Michael Paul

“At the foot of Wyoming’s Tetons the waning day brings a cast of characters together to mingle for a moment of refreshingly untouched nature.”

#4. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – People’s Vote Award: “Relaxing” by Thong Vu Duy

“At dawn or after soft rain, birds pause to bathe in dew, letting cool droplets glide across their feathers. As they preen and shake off the world’s dust, they melt into the calm of the wild, creating a quiet, shimmering moment that reveals nature’s tender, timeless grace.”

#5. Monochrome Awards – 1st Place Winner: “Black woodpecker flying through the trees” by Zdeněk Vošický, Czech Republic

“Black woodpecker flying between the trunks of an old tree in the autumn mood of Slavkov Park.”

#6. Monochrome Awards – 2nd Place Winner: “Aquatic Flame” by Juan Carlos Pinto, Mexico

“This image taken in the moat of the imperial palace in Tokyo shows a swan floating on the dark surface of a moat, viewed from above. Its neck curves back along its body, creating a shape that resembles a white flame. The scene evokes the principles of ma—the beauty of space and stillness—and wabi-sabi, the appreciation of impermanence and simplicity.”

#7. Monochrome Awards – third Place Winner: “Whispers Of The Immortal Tree” by Alicja Zmysłowska, Poland

“This image captures a dog listening intently within the Tree Root Cave, a space carved beneath the iconic Tree of Life in the Pacific Northwest. With its exposed, suspended roots defying gravity and logic, the tree seems to whisper its secrets to those who pause to listen. The dog’s quiet presence in this surreal environment emphasizes the wonder and mystery of this natural anomaly—a living paradox, thriving despite constant erosion and the absence of soil. This photograph celebrates the unique beauty of the tree and the sense of quiet connection it evokes.”

#8. Nature Conservancy Oceania Photo Contest – Grand Prize Winner: “Tauhi” by Miesa Grobbelaar, Australia

“I never imagined – we answered a call about an entangled humpback whale thrashing in distress. Arriving, we saw a heavy rusted chain cutting deep into her tail. Diving in, we worked carefully and silently to free her. When the chain finally snapped, she paused and looked at us, as if saying thanks. It was a powerful, humbling moment, reminding me how deeply connected we are to the ocean and its creatures, and how much respect and care truly matters.”

#9. 1839 Photographer of the Year Awards – 1st Place: “Blue Hour Guardian” by Alexander Tasho

“Just before sunrise, this cheetah lay perfectly still, deciding whether I was a threat or not before taking a drink. It felt like I’d stumbled into a painting, where even time had stopped to look.”

#10. 1839 Photographer of the Year Awards – Silver: ‘SUPERCELLS – Mother Nature Unleashed” by David Baxter III

“Tornado Alley across the United States of America can produce some of the most wild weather across planet Earth. Supercells traverse Tornado Alley during the Spring and Summer Seasons bringing breath taking views as Mother Nature creates unbelievable atmospheric sculptures.”

#11. 1839 Photographer of the Year Awards – Silver: “Into the Wild” by Luiza Michalewicz

“Into the Wild represents the very raw of nature. Nothing pre planned, nothing staged or arranged. Just the place and the right moment…”

#12. Nature Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner: “Sundance” by Asmund Keilen

“The photo was taken just outside Oslo on a hot summer day. I was on my way to the store to buy food. I have a habit of leaving my coffee cup on the roof of my car when unlocking our old blue Mercedes, and more than once I’ve forgotten it there and pushed away.

That day, after I backed out of the driveway, the cup tipped over however by some means stayed on the roof. A little bit discouraged, I reached to select it up – and instantly noticed what would grow to be this {photograph}. Small orange birch seeds had fallen onto the blue roof through the evening, and the summer time solar mirrored alongside dancing frequent swifts within the sky. Freedom appeared to take kind in chaos.”

#13. Chromatic Photography Awards – 1st Place winner: “Climbing” by Alessandro Cantarelli, Italy

“360° panorama within the Fritz Roy space, my imaginative and prescient of Patagonia. When we determined to do that scouting in Patagonia I had no concept methods to cope with such an iconic and objectively inflated location. The finest artists on the planet made breathtaking photographs from reallyvirtually each perspective, it was essential to provide you with one thing.”

#14. Chromatic Photography Awards – 2nd Place winner: “Volcanic Blue Flames” by Hong Huazheng, Singapore

“There are a couple of volcanoes around the globe the place the lava seems blue or has blue flames, however none that constantly exhibit blue flames as Kawah Ijen does. The electric-blue flames are attributable to the combustion of sulphuric gasses within the oxygen-rich air. Through the combustion, the sulphuric gasses condense into blue molten sulphur that spills down the mountainside, in dazzling electric-blue flames by means of a phenomenon referred to as digital excitation. At such excessive strain, typically the temperature reaches 600°C.”

#15. Chromatic Photography Awards – 3rd Place winner: “Heart of the glacier” by Jeremiasz Gądek, Poland

“The picture depicts ice chunks damaged off from the entrance of Hoffellsjökull glacier, floating in a glacial lagoon that, in spring, has taken on the colour of a latte. Among the a whole bunch of indifferent ice chunks, I noticed this one, uniquely heart-shaped. I ponder what number of such moments I’ve missed, unaware of their existence. An hour earlier, an hour later, and the center may have disappeared, dissolved into the icy chaos. Nature, continually altering its face, gifted me this fleeting masterpiece, reminding me how treasured the moments are that we will seize just for an on the spot.”

#16. Annual Photography Awards – Nature Photographer of the Year: “Xavier Delorme” by Sombre Lumière

“These a few years, touring the roads of the nation to {photograph} storms, led me to a seek for extra placing compositions between sky and earth. I began with cereal landscapes, however the storm buildings aren’t very diversified. So I went searching for new horizons to immortalize lightning and stage landscapes the place the human imprint confronts the facility of nature.”

#17. Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner: “Fractal Forest” by Ross Gudgeon, Western Australia

“Inside-out view of a cauliflower comfortable coral. Named for its attribute look that resembles a cauliflower, with quite a few small, rounded, bump-like polyps that give it a puffy texture. This distinctive perspective was made attainable by the Nauticam EMWL, an underwater model of the probe or insect eye lens.”

#18. BigPicture Natural World Awards – Winner: “Third Eye” by Marcin Giba, Poland

“A frozen lake photographed from a drone showcases considered one of nature’s unblinking eyes, freckled by the footsteps of creatures unknown. In this picture, we’re probably seeing the method of how lakes freeze, from the perimeter to the middle, in motion. This explains the staggered transition of coloration from snow, to ice, then finally open water. Taken within the photographer’s hometown, he notes that whereas he has documented different photographs that includes this eye motif, he by no means fails to be stunned by the result.”

#19. BigPicture Natural World Awards – Winner: “Floating Upwards” by Sandra Bartocha, Germany

“Waves crash simply alongside the coast of Rügen, Germany’s largest island. At first look, this inspiring picture feels extra like an impressionistic portray quite than a photographic portrait of a storied island. With settlements established as early because the Stone Age, Rügen has undergone many adjustments over the course of centuries; now, it’s considered one of Germany’s hottest vacation locations, identified for its many beautiful seashores. As the viewer sits with this unbelievable second water crashes onto the island, one can virtually see historical past written within the waves.”

#20. BigPicture Natural World Photography Competition – Grand Prize Winner: “Lemur’s Tough Life” by Donglin Zhou, China

“Tsingy de Bemaraha Strict Nature Reserve, Madagascar – A Common brown lemur (Eulemur fulvus) carries her child on her again whereas making a harrowing leap from one towering cliffside to a different. This outstanding picture was captured after a day of persistence on the photographer’s half—mountaineering an hour by means of rugged limestone terrain to her place. Only after ready till the early night did her endurance repay when this plucky primate emerged onto the scene, probably main the troop seeking meals. Ordinarily Brown lemurs don’t have any set dominance hierarchy, with teams composed of men and women, young and old alike, however it appeared clear to this photographer that the focal lemur was the chief of the pack. This daring lemur navigated her group deftly by means of the sharp peaks and crevices of the stone forest, ensuing within the immortalization of this once-in-a-lifetime leap.”

#21. Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year – Winner – Photographer of the Year 2025: “Casting Off” by Christina Schwenck

“A soaked leopard emerges from slumber, getting rid of the evening’s rain. Kruger National Park, South Africa.”

#22. Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year – Runner-Up: “Survival by an Inch” by Ernest Porter

“A red-headed finch survives by an inch as a younger lanner falcon strikes and misses. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa.”

#23. Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year – Runner-Up: “Shared Wonder” by Mary Schrader

“A mountain gorilla lies in quiet contemplation as an orange butterfly flutters by – a fleeting second of connection. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.”

#24. GDT Nature Photographer of the Year – Overall Winner: “Dipper flying by means of waterfall” by Konrad Wothe

#25. Nature’s Best Photography Awards – Winner: “African Leopard Fight” by Kevin Dooley, USA

“In addition to the issue of specializing in the motion, mud was within the air; however it all added to considered one of my favourite recollections as a nature photographer.”

#26. Nature’s Best Photography Awards – “Bengal Tiger” by Krishna Daga, India

#27. Nature’s Best Photography Awards – “African Lion Cubs” by Keith Bannerman, USA

#28. Sony World Photography Awards – Winner: Estebane Rezkallah, France

#29. Underwater Photographer of the Year Awards, Winner: “Radiant Bond” by Alvaro Herrero, Spain

“A mom humpback whale accompanies her calf to the floor for its first breath early within the morning. The teenager is releasing a couple of bubbles because it rises, maybe it is because it’s nonetheless studying to manage its respiratory, or it’s merely experimenting with its personal physique. Every 12 months, through the southern winter, I journey to French Polynesia to {photograph} these majestic animals. My favorite time of day is the early morning, as a result of the sunshine is comfortable and angled, permitting me to search out the right angle to obviously outline the form of those animals in blue. For me, this picture is one which exhibits a mom’s love for her calf, speaking each the fragility and great thing about our oceans, and revealing one of many superb species with whom we share our residence world.”

#30. Refocus Photographer of the Year Awards – “Night Magic” by Ngar Shun Victor Wong

“The evening skies in Namibia and New Zealand at all times create magics which amaze us.”

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