“A Curious Nose,” Highly Commended, Mammals category<\/p>\n
Laura Dyer, Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n
Awe-inspiring wildlife portraits, surreal views of flowers as seen by an ant, dramatic encounters in the wild and tender animal moments make up the winning images of the Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/a>competition\u2014one of the world\u2019s most prestigious nature and wildlife photography contests.<\/p>\n Celebrating the beauty of nature photography<\/a>, this year\u2019s contest set a new record with 24,781 photo submissions from photographers across 96 countries competing in 12 categories and, as well, for the Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award.<\/p>\n Such beauty is well represented by the above image, entitled \u201cA Curious Nose\u201d by South African photographer Laura Dyer, which was Highly Commended in the Mammals category and showcases one of the most elusive and remarkable African animals, an aardvark.<\/p>\n Mostly nocturnal creatures, aardvarks are notoriously difficult to spot and even more to photograph as they emerge under the cover of darkness to search for ants and termites, of which they can eat up to 50,000 in one night. <\/p>\n Feeding at night allows them to feel safer as they are harder then to spot by predators against whom their only defense is a quick retreat into their burrow or a battle with their very sharp claws.<\/p>\n Using those long ears, aardvarks listen intently to the underground activity of insects that they then dig out with their claws.<\/p>\n Competition and Prizes<\/p>\n Open to both amateur and professional photographers, the Nature Photographer of the Year <\/a>competition awards a \u20ac3,000 grand prize to the overall winner and \u20ac500 plus photo gear to each category winner. <\/p>\n Organized by Nature Talks,<\/a> the team behind the annual Nature Talks Photo Festival in the Netherlands, the competition also supports conservation initiatives through partnerships with groups such as Photographers Against Wildlife Crime.<\/a><\/p>\n The Nature Photographer of the Year <\/p>\n Norwegian photographer \u00c5smund Keilen earned the 2025 top honor with a breathtaking image capturing a lone bird silhouetted against a glowing summer sun. <\/p>\n At first glance, the photograph appears almost abstract \u2014 like leaves drifting across a cosmic sky. But a closer look reveals each shape as a bird in motion.<\/p>\n Competition chairman Tin Man Lee praised the winning image: \u201cThe photographer\u2019s impeccable timing captured a single bird perfectly aligned with the glowing sun, creating a dreamlike moment suspended between stillness and motion. With its ethereal colors, perfect balance, and otherworldly atmosphere, the image feels both timeless and universal.\u201d<\/p>\n Nature Photographer of the Year 2026 Opens Soon<\/p>\n Submissions for the Nature Photographer of the Year 2026 competition will open on December 8, 2025, inviting photographers worldwide to showcase their best work.<\/p>\n Overall Winner <\/p>\n Sundance, Overall Winner, Category: Birds<\/p>\n \u00c5smund Keilen , Norway – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Impression of a reflection – or a reflection of an impression? The photo was taken just outside Oslo on a hot summer day as small orange birch seeds had fallen onto the blue roof of \u00c5smund Keilen\u2019s car during the night, and the summer sun reflected alongside dancing common swifts in the sky. Freedom seemed to take form in chaos.<\/p>\n Amazing Animal\u2019s Portraits, Mammals <\/p>\n Shared Wonder, Category Winner, Animal Portraits. Bwindi Forest, Uganda<\/p>\n Mary Schrader, U.S. – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n \u201cBeneath the lush canopy of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, I observed a young female mountain gorilla from the Binyindo family gently nestled against the protective bulk of a silverback,\u201d says Mary Schrader. \u201cThe atmosphere was serene, filled with the soft sounds of the forest, until a sudden burst of delicate color broke through the calm.<\/p>\n \u201cAn unexpected vibrant butterfly, appeared out of nowhere, fluttering through the air. Captivated, the young gorilla\u2019s eyes widened, and a beautiful interaction began to unfold. At the fleeting moment, when wild strength met fragile beauty, I pressed the shutter. A rare and precious encounter that united them in a shared world of curiosity, wonder and discovery.\u201d<\/p>\n Lioness Eyes Behind Birds, Highly Commended, Animal Portraits category<\/p>\n Willem Kruger, South Africa – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n \u201cThe Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park lies in a semi-arid environment and can be very dry, with only a few thundershowers per year,\u201d noted Willem Kruger. \u201cThis image was taken during a very dry season when, as a result, we saw several small birds arriving in flocks at the waterhole to drink.<\/p>\n \u201cOne early morning a pride of lions approached the waterhole and as they moved closer, the birds kept coming, landing briefly on the edge of the water before taking off again. The lioness in the photo kept a watchful eye on the birds, as lions are natural hunters and anything that moves interests them. However, she made no attempt to catch or chase them away.\u201d<\/p>\n Picasso\u2019s Elephant, Highly Commended, Animal Portraits category.<\/p>\n Ilse Koks, The Netherlands – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Ilse Koks is a KLM flight attendant who flies around the world \u2014 and never forgets to pack her camera. \u201cDuring a layover in Johannesburg,\u201d she recalls, \u201cI made a short trip to Madikwe Game Reserve with plans to focus on long-exposure photography to create more artistic wildlife images. <\/p>\n \u201cAfter an unsuccessful safari, on the way back to Johannesburg, we suddenly came across a herd of elephants. It felt like one last chance to put my long-exposure plan into practice. I moved my camera in sync with the curves of the tusks to emphasize them even more. The slow shutter broke the elephant\u2019s shape into angular, fragmented forms, making it look like a Cubist painting.\u201d<\/p>\n Polar Meal, Category Winner, Mammals<\/p>\n P\u00e5l Hermansen, Norway| – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Polar bears confront serious problems from climate change \u2014 not least, the melting of sea ice. \u201cBears rely on ice to hunt seals, and when the ice disappears during the Arctic summer, many are stranded onshore and unable to hunt. <\/p>\n \u201cThis polar bear was observed far north on Svalbard in May, where it had been fortunate to catch a walrus. Preying on a walrus is rare and difficult for polar bears, but in this case, the walrus was likely sick or disabled. The bear appears content and relaxed beside its prey.<\/p>\n Although the scene may seem slightly humorous, it also highlights serious concerns for the future of polar bears and the Arctic ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n No Fear, No Mercy, Highly Commended, Mammals category<\/p>\n Tomasz Szpila, Poland – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Tomasz Szpila finds that many of Africa\u2019s most fascinating animals are its smallest warriors: \u201cAmong them, the honey badger has earned a reputation for unmatched courage and determination. Despite its modest size, this fearless predator can fend off much larger adversaries, often attacking with surprising aggression and stamina. <\/p>\n Protected by exceptionally tough skin and a natural resistance to bites and stings, honey badgers can survive encounters that would doom most other animals. Yet, as with all creatures, youth and inexperience can tip the scales, making young individuals especially vulnerable to apex predators such as lions.<\/p>\n The rare confrontation in the image happened an early morning on the open plains near Lake Ndutu, in the southern Serengeti ecosystem. The young lion, had managed to corner a honey badger. At first glance, the scene appeared almost playful: the lion pawing, circling, and testing its opponent, as if enjoying a game. The honey badger summoned all its strength and ferocity in a desperate attempt to resist.<\/p>\n The young lion, however, held the advantage in both size and stamina and the outcome was clear. The lion prevailed, asserting dominance over one of Africa\u2019s most resilient fighters.\u201d<\/p>\n Chamois, Highly Commended, Mammals category<\/p>\n Radomir Jakubowski, Germany – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Eastern France\u2019s Vosges mountain range offers the gift that keeps on giving to Radomir Jakubowski. \u201cThe chamois that live there have long been my favorite subject. In this particular morning, conditions seemed to work against a good shot, until the sun broke through.<\/p>\n \u201cThick high fog lay over the mountains, the air was damp, the grasses along the path dripped with dew and the light appeared flat. Yet these very conditions transformed the landscape into a golden dreamscape.<\/p>\n When I spotted a young chamois on a rocky outcrop, I deliberately chose to include the foreground, with the chamois standing sharply outlined against the backlight while the dew-laden foreground glows with a fairytale shimmer \u2014 a reminder that nature photography often finds its greatest power in embracing the unplanned.\u201d<\/p>\n Nature Photographer Of Other Animals<\/p>\n Silent Scream, Category WInner, Other Animals<\/p>\n Bence M\u00e1t\u00e9, Hungary – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Bird Island is a tiny, two-kilometer-wide, coral sand island in the Seychelles. \u201cThe island is privately owned, and thanks to the efforts of its caretakers, the last rat, introduced by humans, was eradicated in the 1980s,\u201d explains Bence M\u00e1t\u00e9. \u201cCombined with controlled vegetation management, the island now is home to more than 700,000 pairs of sooty terns. <\/p>\n \u201cA distress call caught my attention: A struggling chick, lying defenseless on the ground, was swarmed by crabs that began devouring it alive. In no time, nearly ten crabs had surrounded the chick, dragging it into the bushes, one of nature\u2019s rawest moments.\u201d<\/p>\n Blue Army, Runner-Up, Other Animals category<\/p>\n Imre Poty\u00f3, Hungary – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n After not appearing for decades, in 2012 the endangered Danube mayfly suddenly reappeared in the Danube River, a probable beneficiary of better water quality after water pollution had forced its departure from Central European rivers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe summer of 2024 will undoubtedly be remembered as this year\u2019s season for the insect,\u201d says Imre Poty\u00f3. \u201cOne massive swarm of Danube mayflies approached the illuminated city of Szentendre, Hungary. Drawn by the city lights, millions of insects swarmed last summer, overwhelming street lamps along the Danube promenade. <\/p>\n \u201cDense clouds of mayflies also engulfed restaurants, vendors, wine bars, and concerts, creating both an unmissable and alarming spectacle. The insects circled the lights for hours, unable to escape, before falling to the asphalt, where they perished.\u201d <\/p>\n Nature Art In Black And White And Color<\/p>\n The Way of The Ridge, Category Winner, Black and White<\/p>\n Sebastian van der Greef,, The Netherlands |- Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Sebastiaan van der Greef captured this image while in a boat trip with his family plying the Arctic waters surrounding Svalbard, Norway. \u201cOn the final days of our voyage, we set foot on land in search of the elusive Arctic fox,\u201d he recalls \u201cOne afternoon, we spotted a lone figure climbing a shallow ridge, a solitary brushstroke of white against the dark rock.\u201d<\/p>\n Peekaboo, Highly Commended, Black and White category<\/p>\n Paul Eijkemans, The Netherlands – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Paul Eijkemans took this photograph in Marsa Shagra, Egypt, a well-protected bay . \u201cI spotted the Starry Puffer on an early afternoon dive,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt was an unusually large puffer. When I approached it, I saw that it was being cleaned by a cleaning wrasse and although the picture was shot in color, it looks like a black-and-white image.\u201d <\/p>\n Moose in Snow, Category Winner, Nature Art<\/p>\n P\u00e5l Hermansen, Norwa – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Through the years, P\u00e5l Hermansen set up several cameras with infrared sensors not far from his southern Norway home, placing them along trails where animals pass. <\/p>\n \u201cOn this January night,\u201d he says, \u201ca heavy snow blizzard swept through and a moose passed. I feel the rough quality of the image suits the mood perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n Injured Guillemot, Runner-Up, Nature Art category<\/p>\n Knut-Sverre Horn, Norway – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Knut-Sverre Horn \u201cthought the guillemot was about to die when I found it lying still on the ground, partly covered in blood running from its right eye, on Horn\u00f8ya, Varanger, Northern Norway. The drops of blood made a striking contrast against the dark brown and white feathers.<\/p>\n \u201cI kneeled down and took a few photos when the bird suddenly took flight. It was apparently able to see me with its left eye. I don\u2019t know what caused the injury, but guillemots may fight fiercely, and I have also seen them collide mid-air when they circle the colony in huge swarms.\u201d<\/p>\n Young Nature Photographers<\/p>\n On Gulliver\u2019s Back, Runner-Up, Youth category<\/p>\n Chamathki Induwara Fernand, Sri Lanka – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Chamathki Fernando was 15 when he was \u201cdeep inside Kumana National Park on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka one quiet evening, patiently waiting by a waterhole after hearing a sudden alarm call, a likely sign that a leopard was nearby. <\/p>\n \u201cBut just as the sun bathed the landscape in golden light, something entirely unexpected drew my focus away: a cluster of tiny frogs, glistening like bronze beads, perched on the back of a water buffalo.<\/p>\n \u201cThe small and agile paddy field frogs were calmly resting on the broad, bristled back of a half-submerged buffalo. Like a scene from a fable, these frogs, like Lilliputians, had found refuge on their own living giant, another example of peaceful coexistence and of a subtle, almost comical partnership between two wildly different species.\u201d<\/p>\n Couple, Highly Commended, Youth category<\/p>\n Andres Dominguez Blanco, Spain – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Short-eared owls perch on a sunflower at dusk, in the plains near Valladolid, Spain during the summer season when both adult and juvenile owls assemble after the breeding season. <\/p>\n \u201cThe sunflowers offered excellent visibility and natural camouflage to the owls, which are usually associated with open natural areas but have also showed a remarkable ability to adapt to agricultural landscapes, making effective use of farmland when prey is abundant,\u201d explains Andres Luis Dominguez Blanco.<\/p>\n Nature, Animals And The Human Factor <\/p>\n Echolocation, Highly Commended, Human and Nature category<\/p>\n Lana Tannir, Croatia| – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Lana Tannir says: \u201cHarbor porpoises are small, elusive cetaceans found in coastal waters across the Northern Hemisphere. They rely on echolocation to navigate, communicate, and hunt. However, populations in many regions are declining due to human impacts such as underwater noise, pollution, overfishing, and bycatch in fishing nets.<\/p>\n \u201cAt 30 years old, Freja is the most studied and oldest recorded Harbor Porpoise in the world. Since 1997, she has lived at Fjord & B\u00e6lt, a research facility in Kerteminde, Denmark, after being caught in a fisherman\u2019s net and deemed non-releasable. <\/p>\n \u201cFreja participates in non-invasive behavioral experiments such as this one, in which her eyes are covered with suction cups while she is asked to discriminate between two underwater targets, one made of aluminum and the other of plastic. A DTAG monitoring device on her back records her acoustic responses.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough these studies, scientists aim to understand how harbor porpoises use echolocation to hunt and how underwater noise affects their foraging abilities. Such research helps guide conservation strategies to support the survival of these elusive marine mammals in the wild.\u201d<\/p>\n Two Giants, Highly Commended, Human and Nature category.<\/p>\n Richard Peters, UK – Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 <\/p>\n Mara North Conservancy in the greater Maasai Mara reserve provides a wonderful array of wildlife, says Richard Peters. \u201cAs a large digger was left parked in the central road following recent maintenance work, a curious elephant decided to give it a closer look. <\/p>\n \u201cCombined with the soft glow of a sunset sky, the moment was a beautiful way of showing how wildlife and humans coexist in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n From An Ant\u2019s Perspective<\/p>\n Flowerscapes, Winner of the Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award<\/p>\n Theo Bosboom, The Netherlands – Nature Photographer Of The Year 2025<\/p>\n What would an ant see if it looked up while walking through a field of flowers? Or a ladybird resting for a moment on the stem of a flower? How fantastic would it be if you could photograph this view. <\/p>\n When a long, narrow, wide-angle macro lens that can rotate 360 degrees came onto the market, photographer Theo Bosboom saw an opportunity to make that dream a reality: \u201cIt was as if I had been given the key to a wonderful secret world.\u201d<\/p>\n The ever-surprising perspectives made Bosboom fall under the spell of flowers that for this winning project he shows in a totally new way, the emphasis much more on the life of the flowers and the habitats they are part of.<\/p>\n Flowerscapes, Winner of the Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award<\/p>\n Theo Bosboom, The Netherlands – Nature Photographer Of The Year 2025<\/p>\n Yet, Bosboom was alarmed by the small number of insects he encountered. In places where there should be great insect activity, it was sometimes eerily silent. <\/p>\n Both flowers and insects have been in serious decline in Western Europe (and many other countries) in recent decades due to intensive agriculture, urbanization and ever-expanding infrastructure, among other factors. <\/p>\n Flowerscapes, Winner of the Fred Hazelhoff Portfolio Award<\/p>\n Theo Bosboom, The Netherlands – Nature Photographer Of The Year 2025<\/p>\n This is a very serious threat to biodiversity, because there is a complex ecosystem that wildflower meadows support. <\/p>\n Fortunately, there have also been positive developments, such as the new mowing and verge management practices adopted by many municipalities in the Netherlands in recent years, with much greater attention to wildflowers and insects. <\/p>\n The next edition of the Nature Photographer Of The Year contest for 2026 <\/a>will open on December 8, 2025.<\/p>\n MORE FROM FORBESForbesAmazing Nature In 21 Photos Shortlisted For Close-Up Photographer Of The YearBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a>ForbesWildlife Photographer Of The Year 2025: 18 Winning Photos From London\u2019s Natural History MuseumBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a>ForbesWinter In Europe: Top 10 Fairy-Tale European Christmas Markets, Per New SurveyBy Cecilia Rodriguez<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“A Curious Nose,” Highly Commended, Mammals category Laura Dyer, Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 Awe-inspiring wildlife portraits,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":275804,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[112983,101331,112980,112982,90,56,54,55,4407,112981,112979],"class_list":{"0":"post-275803","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-award-winning-wildlife-photos","9":"tag-best-nature-photos-2025","10":"tag-nature-photographer-of-the-year-2025","11":"tag-nature-photography-competition","12":"tag-science","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom","15":"tag-unitedkingdom","16":"tag-wildlife","17":"tag-wildlife-photography-awards","18":"tag-wildlife-photos"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=275803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/275803\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/275804"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=275803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=275803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=275803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}