{"id":340393,"date":"2025-12-10T22:49:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T22:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/340393\/"},"modified":"2025-12-10T22:49:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T22:49:17","slug":"2025-national-wildlife-photo-contest-winners-powerful-impressions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/340393\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 National Wildlife Photo Contest Winners: Powerful Impressions"},"content":{"rendered":"

2025 National Wildlife Photo Contest Winners: Powerful Impressions<\/p>\n

They captured nature\u2019s raw strength and its ability to amaze. See winners of the 2025 National Wildlife Photo Contest.<\/p>\n


\n By Jennifer Wehunt
\n
\n
\n Wildlife Photos
\n
\n
\n Dec 10, 2025
\n <\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/p>\n

IN REVIEWING THIS YEAR\u2019S PHOTO CONTEST ENTRIES, our judges noted a couple of unmistakable themes. First, there are astonishing glimpses of nature\u2019s sheer strength, from an onrush of lava in Iceland to a shimmering burn set to contain a wildfire in Pennsylvania. And then there are surprises that defy the everyday: a night bus of nautical hitchhikers, a fox straight out of a fairy tale. That ability to amaze\u2014that\u2019s also the power of nature. If you\u2019re motivated to grab your own camera, our 2026 contest opens January 14<\/a>.<\/p>\n

See all of the 2025 winners below.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

GRAND PRIZE
Kathleen Borshanian
\"location\u00a0St. George Island, Alaska<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the high bluffs of St. George Island, there is a 1,000-foot sea cliff where numerous fox trails cut a path precariously close to the edge,\u201d says Borshanian of this enchanting sun- and fog-dappled scene. As she approached the island\u2019s west end, she spotted a female blue Arctic fox about 75 feet away. Hiding behind a tussock, the Salt Lake City photographer used a telephoto lens to record the moment without disturbing the fox or her kits, sleeping nearby.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

BABY ANIMALS
FIRST PLACE
Steffen Foerster
\"location\u00a0San Juan Island, Washington<\/p>\n

San Juan Island\u2019s red foxes were introduced in the 1900s to manage the local rabbit population and since have become part of the ecosystem. Foerster<\/a> of New York City photographed them from a safe distance to avoid disturbing their behaviors. The foxes get enough stimulation on their own. \u201cDuring a play session, one of the kits sought comfort from its mother nearby,\u201d he says of this photo.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

BABY ANIMALS
SECOND PLACE
Robert Cook
\"location\u00a0Manhattan, Montana<\/p>\n

Cook of Earlville, New York, was visiting Montana when he heard of a turkey<\/a> that had taken up residence near the Gallatin River. After spotting the bearded hen and her poults, he located his camera about 50 yards from a stand of cottonwood trees where, as daylight faded, the family returned to roost. \u201cIt was such a rare opportunity that I had never witnessed before,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

BIRDS
FIRST PLACE
Jack Zhi
\"location\u00a0San Diego, California<\/p>\n

Zhi<\/a> has spent seven years investigating a question with his camera: How do peregrine falcons<\/a>, the fastest animals on Earth, protect their young? \u201cWith sheer speed and agility,\u201d the Irvine, California, resident learned while documenting broods. The mothers \u201cwere on duty, attacking the much larger brown pelicans<\/a>\u00a0when they ventured too close to the nest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

BIRDS
SECOND PLACE
Ajay Kumar Singh
\"location\u00a0Eker, Bahrain<\/p>\n

In winter, Eker Creek is one of the few sites in a settled area \u201cwith some mangrove patches still left,\u201d attracting large numbers of greater flamingos<\/a>, says Singh<\/a> of Manama, Bahrain. He shot this photo \u201cin early morning, when it was dark, and the building and streetlights were still on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
FIRST PLACE
J. Fritz Rumpf
\"location\u00a0Woods Canyon Lake, Arizona<\/p>\n

What do you see in this photo? Maybe \u201crays emanating from a distant planet, waves crashing against a cliff or deep furrows in a desert scene,\u201d as the Phoenix-based Rumpf<\/a> suggests? Think smaller. \u201cOn one of my first wild mushroom foraging trips, I found this mushroom, and not recognizing it as an edible one, I almost put it back,\u201d he says of the milk cap. \u201cLuckily I noticed the vibrant colors.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

LANDSCAPES & PLANTS
SECOND PLACE
Jason Mirandi
\"location\u00a0Slatington, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

Mirandi<\/a>, a wildland firefighter from Downingtown, Pennsylvania, describes this fall 2024 photo as the aftermath of a back-burn: \u201ca fire intentionally set to consume fuel between a fire break and an oncoming, uncontrolled fire,\u201d lit and managed by crews to contain a 600-acre wildfire near the Lehigh Gap. The image \u201cshows the raw power of fire,\u201d he says, with the \u201cglowing embers and gnarled branches creating a scene of haunting beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

MAMMALS
FIRST PLACE
Deena Sveinsson
\"location\u00a0Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming<\/p>\n

Sveinsson<\/a> of Estes Park, Colorado, calls this photo one of her favorites from the Grand Tetons<\/a>. \u201cIt looks like a movie poster,\u201d she says, making it worth some discomfort. When she saw the bull moose<\/a>\u00a0headed for a channel after hours of waiting, \u201cI squatted as low as I could get in the cold, muddy water. My socks, pants and coat got completely soaked with that smelly mud.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

MAMMALS
SECOND PLACE
Mark Panasuk
\"location\u00a0Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a surreal experience, as the bison<\/a>\u00a0just kept walking in formation towards our vehicle,\u201d says Panasuk<\/a> of Douglas, Wyoming, who snapped this shot from inside a snow coach driven by a park guide in January 2024. Outside, it was minus 20 degrees F. \u201cYou can see a heat fog coming off the bison,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

MOBILE
FIRST PLACE
Paige Rudolph
\"location\u00a0Escondido, California<\/p>\n

Rudolph<\/a> took this shot at home, which doubles as her place of business: Sage Hill Ranch Gardens, a no-till regenerative farm where \u201cwe work with the land and not against it,\u201d she says. \u201cThe farm is also my favorite place to observe the fascinating microworld of insects and amphibians,\u201d including this tree frog nestled amid a \u201cminiature jungle\u201d of microgreens.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

MOBILE
SECOND PLACE
Jess Steggall
\"location\u00a0Plymouth, Minnesota<\/p>\n

While Steggall<\/a> credits this photo to luck\u2014\u201cI truly didn\u2019t think I got the shot\u201d\u2014she has put ample effort into making her yard a wildlife habitat, planting \u201chundreds\u201d of native grasses, trees and shrubs. The green immigrant leaf weevil, an introduced species seen here on an American hazelnut, isn\u2019t considered an invasive threat, although severe infestations can cause damage.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

OTHER WILDLIFE
FIRST PLACE
Massimo Giorgetta
\"location\u00a0Lembeh Strait, Indonesia<\/p>\n

On a blackwater dive, Giorgetta<\/a> of Latina, Italy, encountered \u201ca mysterious sea creature so transparent, it\u2019s almost invisible,\u201d he says: a salp, with a mini ecosystem along for the ride, including a juvenile boxfish, crabs, marine worms and other invertebrates\u2014all within the space of 2 or so inches.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

OTHER WILDLIFE
SECOND PLACE
Remuna Beca
\"location\u00a0Bimini, Bahamas<\/p>\n

Nurse sharks are among the most commonly seen sharks along Atlantic and eastern Pacific reefs, but this view is anything but ordinary. With only its eye breaking the surface and its barbels\u2014sensory organs equipped with taste buds\u2014in stark profile, this shark peeked at Beca<\/a> of Pompano Beach, Florida, as it swam by. \u201cI captured our moment of eye contact,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

PEOPLE IN NATURE
FIRST PLACE
Mike Mezeul II
\"location\u00a0Grindav\u00edk, Iceland<\/p>\n

On February 8, 2024, the Fagradalsfjall volcano southwest of Reykjav\u00edk began erupting. That morning, Mezeul<\/a> of Arvada, Colorado\u2014who had permission to shoot by drone under police supervision\u2014caught this image of a utility vehicle heading south. The van \u201cmade it through just a few minutes before the lava covered the road, completely destroying it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

PEOPLE IN NATURE
SECOND PLACE
Yhabril Moro
\"location\u00a0Pyrenees Mountains, Spain<\/p>\n

In capturing extreme skiers preparing to tackle la Suela de la Zapatilla\u2014or \u201cthe sole of the shoe\u201d in English, \u201cone of the most coveted descents in the Pyrenees\u201d\u2014Moro<\/a> of Villan\u00faa, Spain, \u201cwanted to emphasize the steepness, creating a powerful sense of scale that highlights the smallness of the skiers against the vastness of the landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
FIRST PLACE
Leo Dale
\"location\u00a0Point Reyes National Seashore, California<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m always on the lookout around dusk,\u201d says Dale<\/a> of Sonoma, California, who was 17 when he took this photo on a fall evening in 2024. He spotted a solo coyote in silhouette atop a grass-covered hill \u201cas a magnificent, clouded sunset was materializing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

YOUNG NATURE PHOTOGRAPHERS
SECOND PLACE
Jasper Jonnalagadda
\"location\u00a0Morgan Hill, California<\/p>\n

\u201cRiding my bike under a freeway overpass, I heard some high-pitched squeaking,\u201d says Jonnalagadda, who was 16 in 2024, when he took this photo. \u201cSkidding to a stop and looking up, I saw this group of pallid<\/a> and Mexican free-tailed<\/a> bats jam-packed into a weep hole,\u201d illustrating how wildlife have been able \u201cto utilize human infrastructure for specific habitat needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

PORTFOLIO
FIRST PLACE
Zhengze Xu
\"location\u00a0Christmas Island, Australia<\/p>\n

Xu<\/a> was thrilled to witness two directions of the annual Christmas Island red crab migration in December 2022: thousands of females headed toward the shore to spawn, as well as millions of juvenile crabs relocating to the forest, where they\u2019d spend the next couple of years before starting the mating cycle over again. All that movement amounted to what the Shanghai photographer calls a \u201crewarding\u201d traffic jam: \u201cI got up every day at 2 a.m., drove in darkness towards the beach, then parked the car and walked [over a mile] with my camera equipment, because the roads were occupied by countless crabs.\u201d<\/p>\n