10 extraordinary award-winning photos of 2025 you need to see

A pair of praying mantises - CEWE Photo Award 2025 overall winner

(Image credit: Hasan Baglar)

These are the 10 most captivating award-winning photographs of 2025, showcasing the very best in wildlife, macro, landscape, astrophotography, food photography and more.

Discover the visuals that amazed judges, from erupting volcanoes to awe-inspiring galaxies, and the gear and stories behind these photo contest winners from the last year…

The Long Shadow – Christopher Harrison

A solitary tree casts a long shadow in a misty landscape, illuminated by warm golden light, creating a serene, atmospheric scene — Discover the full story here (Image credit: Christopher Harrison, British Photography Awards 2025)

British Photography Awards Drone category
Drone Photo Awards Nature category
Gear: DJI Air 2S

Christopher Harrison's The Long Shadow is one of 2025's most celebrated drone images. Shot with a DJI Air 2S, this photograph captures a solitary tree casting a long shadow across misty Oxfordshire fields at sunrise. The dramatic light cloud inversion and aerial perspective showcase why Harrison secured top honors in both competitions.

Tauhi – Miesa Grobbelaar

A diver interacts with a humpback whale underwater, capturing a unique moment in the ocean's vibrant, blue depths — Read the full story behind the still here (Image credit: Miesa Grobbelaar /TNC 2025 Oceania Photo Contest)

Oceania Photo Contest Grand Prize + People & Nature category

Miesa Grobbelaar's Tauhi captures a dramatic moment underwater as a diver frees a humpback whale entangled in a rusted chain. This nature photograph combines tension, emotion and human-nature connection, highlighting both the vulnerability of marine life and the courage of those protecting it.

Last Fireworks – Alex Wides

A vast desert landscape at sunset, featuring unique rock formations silhouetted against a vibrant sky with a lone figure on a peak — More info about Wides' masterful technique here (Image credit: Alex Wides / The 16th Epson International Pano Awards)

Epson International Pano Awards Open Photographer of the Year + Nature/Landscape category
Gear: Sony A7 IV + fisheye lens

Alex Wides' Last Fireworks is a breathtaking 360° desert panorama, captured at sunset using a Sony A7 IV and fisheye lens. This panoramic photograph combines vibrant skies, dramatic rock formations and meticulous multi-exposure stitching to create an immersive landscape experience.

Danlock – Hasan Baglar

CEWE Photo Award 2025 category winner — Read the full story here (Image credit: Hasan Baglar)

Cewe Photo Award Grand Prize + Close-up/ Macro category
Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV + 100mm macro lens

Hasan Baglar's Danlock captures two praying mantises seemingly dancing in perfect sync, celebrating the beauty and intimacy of wildlife up close. This macro photograph combines precision, patience and a rare natural moment to win the world's biggest photography competition.

The Andromeda Core – Weitang Liang, Qi Yang & Chuhong Yu

Glowing spiral galaxy with vibrant pink and red hues, featuring swirling gas clouds and sparkling stars. Aesthetic and awe-inspiring cosmic scene — Get more information and discover more winning images here (Image credit: Weitang Liang, Qi Yang, Chuhong Yu)

ZWO Astronomy Photographer of the Year (Royal Observatory Greenwich) Overall Winner

Gear: PlaneWave Instruments CDK20 telescope, Baader LRGB and Chroma H-alpha filters, PlaneWave Instruments L500 mount, Moravian Instruments C3-61000 Pro camera

The Andromeda Core reveals the galaxy's intricate central structure in stunning detail. Captured with a long focal-length telescope and multiple long exposures totaling 38 hours, this astrophotography showcases swirling gas clouds and sparkling stars above Nerpio, Spain.

The Anthropocene Illusion – Zed Nelson

The Anthropocene Illusion - The painted backdrop of this chimpanzee enclosure at Shanghai Wild Animal Park in China is impressive in its artistry, but serves to provide a comforting illusion only to human observers. In their natural habitat in the forests of Central Africa, chimpanzees spend most of their days in the treetops. Being one of the most socially complex species among all non-human primates, chimpanzees in the wild live in societies ranging in size between 20 and 150 individuals. — Discover the full story and more winners here (Image credit: © Zed Nelson, United Kingdom, Winner, Professional competition, Wildlife & Nature, Sony World Photography Awards 2025)

Sony World Photography Awards Professional Competition + Wildlife & Nature category

Zed Nelson's The Anthropocene Illusion examines the fractured relationship between humans and wildlife, capturing a chimpanzee with the painted enclosure of Shanghai Wild Animal Park.

Beating 419,820 entries from 206 countries, this photograph not only earned top honors but also drew global attention to the fragile balance between humans and wildlife, sparking conversation about conservation and our role in the natural world.

The Elderly Having Delicious Food – Xiaoling Li

Five elderly women sit in a row on chairs and wheelchairs, enjoying food in colorful attire, against a rustic wooden backdrop — More information and category winners here (Image credit: Xiaoling Li/World Food Photography Awards sponsored by Tenderstem® Bimi® Broccolini)

World Food Photography Awards Overall Winner

Xiaoling Li's image celebrates friendship, joy and the simple pleasures of food, showing five elderly women in Sichuan Province, China, sharing rolls and laughter in colorful attire. The composition and vibrant colors beautifully convey cultural tradition and communal connection.

Ancient Rivals – Amith Eshel

An arctic wolf with a reddish face and paws walks across a snowy landscape, while a herd of musk oxen grazes in the background — Read the story behind the still and more about the gear here (Image credit: Amit Eshel, Nature inFocus Photography Awards 2025)

Nature inFocus Photography Awards Animal Behavior category
Gear: Canon EOS R5, RF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM

Amit Eshel's Ancient Rivals captures an Arctic wolf stalking a herd of musk oxen on Ellesmere Island, Canada. The wolf's intense focus and the herd's protective formation tells a dramatic story of predator-prey dynamics in the Arctic wilderness. This image combines timing, composition and deep knowledge of wildlife behavior to win recognition for its gripping depiction of survival in extreme conditions.

Etna's Paroxysm – Gianluca Gianferrari

Photograph titled Edna's Paroxysm, taken by Gianluca Gianferrari and the Grand Prize winner of the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) 2025. Description reads: Above Sicily's Etna Volcano, glowing lapilli erupt against a snowy backdrop, and thus creating a striking contrast. The fiery bursts settle on fresh snow, forming a kaleidoscope of colors under the night sky. This is a testament to the unpredictable beauty of nature, where destructive power merges with serenity in a fleeting embrace that is eternally captured by the lens of the camera. — Get more details about this awarded shot here (Image credit: Gianluca Gianferrari)

Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award Grand Prize

Gianluca Gianferrari's Etna's Paroxysm captures glowing lapilli erupting from Mount Etna, Sicily, against a snow-covered landscape. The dramatic contrast between molten fire and icy terrain, combined with perfect timing and composition, transforms a volcanic eruption into a vivid, almost painterly spectacle.

This powerful image earned him the world's richest photography prize, highlighting nature's unpredictable beauty and elemental force.

Fishing in Raining Season – Kyaw Zay Yar Lin

A fisherman in orange attire navigates a wooden boat, catching fish under heavy rain, with water splashing around him — Explore more about the story and gear here (Image credit: Kyaw Zay Yar Lin, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025)

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year (Royal Meteorological Society) Mobile category
Gear: Xiaomi camera phone

Kyaw Zay Yar Lin's Fishing in Raining Season captures two Inle Lake fishermen navigating a sudden monsoon storm in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, in Southeast Asia. Their traditional single-leg, single-oar technique was frozen in vivid detail.

Against splashing water and torrential rain, this striking photo demonstrates the power of mobile photography, combining timing, skill, and modern technology. It showcases how smartphones can rival traditional cameras in capturing dramatic moments.

You might also like...

Browse the best professional cameras, the best camera for beginners, the best mirrorless camera and the best DSLRs.

Looking for competitions to enter? Here are 10 photo contests now open for entries from December to May.

Kim is a photographer, editor and writer with work published internationally. She holds a Master's degree in Photography and Media and was formerly Technique Editor at Digital Photographer, focusing on the art and science of photography. Blending technical expertise with visual insight, Kim explores photography's time-honored yet ever-evolving role in culture. Through her features, tutorials, and gear reviews, she aims to encourage readers to explore the medium more deeply and embrace its full creative potential.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.