14 moving images from the 2025 Nature Photographer of the Year awards

By Popular Science Team

Published Nov 22, 2025 8:00 AM EST

a chimp looks at a monarch butterfly — "Shared wonder." Category winner, Animal Portraits.
Credit: Mary Schrader / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025

“A tender and poetic moment unfolds as a butterfly flutters gracefully beside a gorilla’s face, its golden hues mirroring the warmth in the animal’s eyes.” That’s how Nature Photographer of the Year Chairman Tin Man Lee artfully described the Animal Portrait category winner (seen above). “The contrast between the fragile insect and the powerful primate evokes a delicate balance between strength and gentleness. This imaginative composition captures a fleeting instant of harmony.”

More than 24,000 entries from photographers in nearly 100 countries competed at this year’s awards.

an aardvark in front of a sunset in brown grass — “A Curious Nose”
Category, Animal Portraits
Credit: Laura Dyer / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

From moments of brutality to tenderness, the contest beautifully showcases the stunning wildlife that calls Earth home. Åsmund Keilen, a photographer from Norway, earned the prestigious title Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 for his image, “Sundance” (seen below).

“As a photographer, I’m impulsive and never plan in advance what or how I’m going to photograph. For me, photography is a way to approach nature – a tool to sharpen the senses and observe with a free mind,” Keilen explained.

-a bird flies in front of the sun — “Sundance”
Category, Birds. Overall winner.
Credit: Asmund Keilen / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

a baby sloth cuddling in its mother's arms — “In Mothers Arms”
Category, Mammals
Credit: Dvir Barkay / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

a tiger walking in the jungle — “The Hidden Grail of Sumatra Island”
Category, Mammals
Credit: Vladimir Cech Jr. / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

a lion in front of a badget — “No Fear, No Mercy”
Category, Mammals
Credit: Tomasz Szpila / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

a bobcat carries a small animal in its mouth — “Panning bobcat”
Category, Youth
Credit: Leo Dale / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

a polar bear lays next to a bloodied walrus on the snow — “Polar Meal”
Category, Mammals
Credit: Pal Hermansen / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

-a dolphin wearing a device on the side of its head — “Echolocation”
Category, Human and Nature
Credit: Lana Tannir / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

-two crabs surround a baby bird — “Silent Scream”
Category, Other Animals
Credit: Bence Máté / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

-a lynx in a snowy landscape behind a barbwire fence — “Difficult Crossing”
Category, Human and Nature
Credit: Xingchao Zhu / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

-two lizards in a metal hole — “Unique Home”
Category, Youth
Credit: Vidyun Hebbar / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

the silhouette of an elephant next to a construction digger — “Two Giants”
Category, Human and Nature
Credit: Richard Peters / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

the silouhette of a bird against an eclipse — “The Frigatebird and the Diamond Ring”
Category, Birds
Credit: Liron Gertsman / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –

-a lizard in the sand — “Above the Parapet”
Category, Other Animals
Credit: Phil Hall / Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 –