Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025: a glimpse into nature’s untamed beauty

A preview of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 showcases breathtaking images—from lions and cobras in the Serengeti to elephants in landfills—celebrating nature’s resilience and fragility.

There’s just one month to go before the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 are announced. The awards ceremony will take place on October 14, followed by an extraordinary exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, where 100 images from around the world will be unveiled. Thanks to the organizers, though, we already get to savor a preview of some of the most striking photographs, a small taste of the wonder that lies ahead.

A window into 60,000 moments

This year, the competition received more than 60,000 entries, a number that already hints at the staggering diversity of perspectives. From flamingos in the Camargue to a pack of wolves roaming the forests of Canada, and the majestic red deer of the United Kingdom, each photograph tells a story that is at once intimate and universal. These images are not merely aesthetic; they invite reflection on the fragile and extraordinary biodiversity of our planet.

As jury chair Kathy Moran put it: “The previewed photographs offer only a glimpse of the 100 extraordinary images that visitors will be able to admire at the October exhibition. These shots, chosen from more than 60,000 images, represent a powerful testament to our connection with the natural world, shared on the world’s largest platform for wildlife photography.”

Rutting call by Jamie Smart

Among the most evocative previews is Rutting Call, a photograph by Jamie Smart capturing a red deer hidden in the tall grass of Bradgate Park, UK. With its antlers raised to the sky, the animal radiates strength and majesty. The shot feels like a whisper of autumn—raw, powerful, and fleeting.

Ice edge journey by Bertie Gregory

In the icy heart of the Antarctic Ocean, Bertie Gregory turned his lens toward a group of small penguins preparing to leap from a cliff nearly 50 feet (15 meters) high. The image is both playful and tense, a reminder of how even the smallest creatures face immense challenges in their daily survival.

Toxic tip by Lakshitha Karunarathna

Few photographs are as unsettling as Lakshitha Karunarathna’s Toxic Tip, which shows a solitary elephant wandering through the waste of a landfill in Sri Lanka. The contrast is brutal—wild majesty against human neglect—and it lingers long after the first glance.

Pink pose by Leana Kuster

The Camargue is famous for its wetlands, and here Leana Kuster captures one of its most iconic inhabitants: the flamingo. Her photograph, Pink Pose, elevates the elegance of this bird into something timeless, a fleeting ballet frozen in light.

Wake-up call by Gabriella Comi

Sometimes nature interrupts itself in the most dramatic ways. Gabriella Comi’s Wake-up Call, taken in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, shows two lions roused from their nap by the sudden appearance of a cobra. The scene is pure tension—predator meets predator, with no guarantee of who will prevail.

Nature reclaims its space by Sitaram Raul

Sitaram Raul’s work is a reminder that nature doesn’t retreat easily. In Nature Reclaims Its Space, bats flutter through the glow of urban light, reclaiming the air that humans try to dominate. It’s a photograph that speaks of resilience, of how life slips back through every crack we leave.

No place like home by Emmanuel Tardy

Costa Rica’s forests are shrinking, forcing sloths to descend in search of new shelter. In No Place Like Home, Emmanuel Tardy shows one such sloth clinging, confused and frightened, not to a tree but to a pole. It’s a heartbreaking symbol of displacement, an animal out of place in its own habitat.

To see all 15 photos previewed by the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025, we suggest you visit the official website here.

Source: Wildlife Photographer of the Year