As 2025 inches towards its end, National Geographic is celebrating the year by dropping its annual Pictures of the Year 2025, “highlighting the images that most inspired and defined the past year through the eyes of its photographers and editors.”
“Pictures of the Year is a project that is always inspiring and thought-provoking,” editor-in-chief of National Geographic, Nathan Lump, said in a statement. “Each year, our photographers and editors sift through thousands of images, searching for those rare moments that stop us in our tracks.”
Lump added: “Individually, these photographs speak to beauty, fragility, and wonder. Taken together, I see a collective sense of urgency — a call to preserve what’s in danger of being lost, as well as a reminder of the poetic beauty to be found in carrying on, in daring to dream of a better future.”
The magazine, in a news release, said this year’s collection “showcases 25 extraordinary images that span the breadth of National Geographic’s storytelling, from intimate wildlife portraits and sweeping composites of changing landscapes to groundbreaking scientific discoveries and compelling human narratives.”
Standout images from the collection include the first underwater photograph of a great white shark in Maine, the last Indigenous people of Europe, a female polar bear feasting atop a sperm whale in Svalbard and the exact moment an egg transforms into a chick, among others.
“The photographs capture nature’s most remarkable moments, cutting-edge exploration, and the diverse experiences of people around the world,” Nat Geo said.
The top 25 images were selected from hundreds of thousands of images captured in the field this year and paint “a sweeping portrait of a changing world as seen through the lens of Nat Geo’s global network of photographers across more than 20 countries.”
See: National Geographic’s ‘Pictures of the Year’ 2025
Here are just a few of the compelling images highlighted in National Geographic, photographed by Roie Galitz, Justin Jin, Anand Varma and Brian Skerry.
Nat Geo is also celebrating the collection this year by inviting global audiences to share their own photos and videos using the hashtag #NatGeoYourShotPOY25 from Nov. 18 through the end of December, with a chance to be featured on NatGeoYourShot. The magazine’s photo editor Anne Farrar will select her favorites by Dec. 31, which will then be shared across Nat Geo’s social accounts, the publication said.
View the full collection at NatGeo.com/Photos or in National Geographic’s December issue.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.