A split image: a sea turtle glows with green bioluminescence underwater; an owl holds a small rodent in its talons in a moody black-and-white scene; two eagles feed on a carcass on snowy ground while a raven watches.

The German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) has announced the winners of its annual European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, one of the world’s most prestigious nature photography competitions. This year’s winning photos are jaw-dropping, and in some cases, heartbreaking. Nature can be as brutal as it is beautiful.

Alongside category winners, featured below, and the winners of the Fritz Pölking Prize and Rewilding Europe Award announced earlier this fall, the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition features an overall winner. Revealed at an award ceremony today, the grand prize winner this year is 20-year-old self-taught German photographer Luca Lorenz. The young, passionate photographer took top honors for the remarkable black-and-white photo below, Silent Despair.

A black and white photo of an owl perched on a branch, holding a small rodent in its talons, surrounded by blurred tree branches and foliage in the background.Silent Despair by Luca Lorenz — GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Overall Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025

The emotional impact of this image goes far beyond this single frame, which shows a doomed mouse clutched in the talons of a male Eurasian pygmy owl (Glaucidium passerinum). The male owl here was holding onto the mouse to feed his owlets, which he had been struggling to care for after his mate vanished, “probably taken by a tawny owl or goshawk,” as Lorenz explains.

However, the owlets the mouse was for had left their hollow for the first time the prior night, and ultimately never returned, most likely having fallen victim to a predator like their mother. The father owl, now entirely alone, called unendingly for the chicks so he could feed them, but they never responded.

“It was a heart-wrenching scene,” Lorenz writes.

“During our long journey through light, color, drama and action, a quiet, almost restrained image caught our attention. Suddenly we found ourselves transported out of the chaos of the world directly into a resin-scented spruce forest,” explains jury member Bruno D’Amicis. “The photographer grants us insight into the hidden life of a silent, inconspicuous creature — an animal that reveals itself only to those who bring patience and respect. It is a timeless story of life and death, told without brutality or blood, without winners or losers, without moral judgment. A nuanced, gentle reminder that there is no evil in nature.”

Category Winners

Alongside Lorenz’s top honors, the competition awards photographers across eight primary categories and two youth ones. The category winners and runners-up for all primary categories are featured below, alongside the two youth winners in the “14 Years and Under” and “15 to 17 Years” categories.

Birds A snowy forest lines the edge of a dark river. Snow falls heavily, and a small group of swans swims together near the riverbank. Pine trees are dusted with snow, creating a wintry scene.Swan Lake by Terje Kolaas, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Two eagles and two crows feed on the carcass of a large animal, possibly a whale, lying on snowy ground near a body of water, with snow-covered rocks and hills in the background.At the Top of the Food Chain by Audun Rikardsen, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Mammals A large animal climbs down a slanted tree trunk over a dark, reflective body of water, surrounded by dense, tangled, leafless branches.Time for a Swim! by Federica Cordero, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Tall, leafless trees stretch into a starry night sky, seen from below. At the base of a tree in the foreground, a small animal, possibly a possum, peeks out from a hole in the trunk.Nighttime Hunter by Csaba Daroczi, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Other Animals A silhouette of a scorpion is seen against a glowing blue, textured background, with light radiating outward and creating a starry effect around the shadowy figure.Amongst the Stars by Andere Tiere, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
Close-up macro photo of a moth in low light, showing its antennae and glowing yellow eyes, with most details fading into a dark blue, shadowy background.Night Vision by Ivo Niermann, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Plants and Fungi A forest is engulfed in intense flames at night, with burning trees and glowing embers illuminating the dark scene. Thick smoke rises among the charred trunks and branches.Inferno by Tobias Richter, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Close-up view from below of tall grasses and fluffy seed heads against a bright sky, with green stems and leaves filling the frame, creating a textured, natural scene.Hare’s-Foot Clover by Theo Bosboom, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Landscapes A distant, sunlit ice shelf glows on the horizon beneath a pastel pink and orange sky over a dark, calm ocean.Minimalistic Triad by David Menzel, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Aerial view of a snowy landscape dotted with numerous frozen, irregularly shaped ponds reflecting golden sunlight, surrounded by sparse trees and patches of snow.Golden Treasure by Sven Začek, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Underwater World Underwater scene showing two mounds of sand on the seafloor, each with a plume of sand or sediment rising upward, surrounded by sparse aquatic plants and illuminated by soft blue light.Unsung Heroes by Angel Fitor, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 A snake submerged in murky water is being attacked by several small, dark leeches clinging to its body, especially around its head and sides. The snake’s pattern is visible through the water.Role Reversal by Jonathan Fieber, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
Men and Nature A sea turtle seen from above glows with green bioluminescence against a dark, star-like underwater background illuminated by neon green lights.Forensics by Britta Jaschinski, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 A whale feeds among dead fish floating on the ocean’s surface at dusk, with a fishing boat illuminated in the background and dark clouds overhead.Dangerous Meal by Audun Rikardsen, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Nature’s Studio Close-up of intricate frost patterns radiating outward from a small central hole on a glass surface, with silvery and bluish hues creating a textured, almost feather-like appearance.War is Near by Hannu Ahonen, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 A large flock of black and white birds with orange beaks standing closely together on a snowy surface, some in motion creating a blurred effect.Black, White, and Red by Anja Brouwer, Runner-Up | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Young Photographers — 14 Years Old and Younger Silhouettes of two mountain goats stand on rocky peaks against an orange, misty sky, with one goat in the foreground and another in the background.At Dawn by Lubin Godin, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 Young Photographers — 15 to 17 Years Old A close-up macro image of a small, reddish-brown pseudoscorpion gripping a translucent prey insect with its large pincers on a textured surface.Predator by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, Winner | GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025

The rest of the award-winning photographs, including third-place and honorable mention shots in every category, are available to view on the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 website.

Image credits: German Society for Nature Photography (GDT). Individual photographers are credited in the image captions.