Step into the wild with 15 entries to Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025, showcasing breathtaking images from around the world. From cheetahs training their young in Kenya to emperor penguins leaping off Antarctic ice shelves, these photos capture the beauty, drama, and fragility of the natural world. Each entry tells a unique story of survival, adaptation, and the urgent need to protect our planet’s wildlife and habitats. Which image is your favorite? Comment below and share your thoughts! For more details, visit the official site: www.nhm.ac.uk
List of photographers names from the 15 entries:
Marina Cano, Samburu National Reserve, Kenya
Sitaram Raul, Maharashtra, India
Leana Kuster, Camargue, France
Ralph Pace, Monterey Bay, California, USA
Parham Pourahmad, San Francisco, USA
Lakshitha Karunaratna, Ampara, Sri Lanka
Kutub Uddin, Slindon Wood, West Sussex, UK
Kesshav Vikram, Kurile Lake, Russia
Bertie Gregory, Ekström Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Emmanuel Tardy, Costa Rica
Gabriella Comi, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Jassen Todorov, San Francisco Bay, USA
Jamie Smart, Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, UK
Amit Eshel, Ellesmere Island, Canada
Isaac Szabo, Columbia County, Florida, USA
Each year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition reveals breathtaking glimpses into the beauty and struggles of the natural world. In 2025, photographers from across the globe captured rare and powerful moments — from the frozen Arctic to tropical forests, from mighty predators to the tiniest organisms. Here are 15 of the year’s most unforgettable images.
Deadly Lessons
In Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, three young cheetahs practice their hunting skills on a Günther’s dik-dik. With their mother watching nearby, the cubs sharpen instincts they will need for survival. Captured by Marina Cano from Spain, this powerful black-and-white image was highly commended in the mammals’ behaviour category.
Nature Reclaims Its Space
In the ruins of an old monument in Maharashtra, India, fruit bats erupt from their roost into the night. Photographer Sitaram Raul worked in total darkness, relying on flash to reveal this fleeting moment. His shot reminds us that nature always finds a way to reclaim forgotten spaces.
Pink Pose
In the wetlands of Camargue, southern France, a greater flamingo scratches its head in a moment of quiet elegance. Leana Kuster from Switzerland captured this while on holiday, earning high commendation in the 15–17 years category. A simple gesture turned into an unforgettable work of art.
Jelly Smack Summer
In Monterey Bay, California, a bloom of Pacific sea nettle jellyfish drifts in glowing green water. Photographer Ralph Pace braved stings to capture this otherworldly scene. With warming seas, jellyfish are thriving in greater numbers — a reminder of nature’s adaptability in a changing climate.
A Tale of Two Coyotes
In San Francisco’s Bernal Heights Park, a coyote peers through the curve of its partner’s tail. Patient photographer Parham Pourahmad followed the pair for hours to capture this intimate moment. About 100 coyotes now live within the city, proof of their incredible adaptability.
Toxic Tip
In Ampara, Sri Lanka, a solitary Asian elephant stands amid a sea of plastic waste. Lakshitha Karunaratna has documented human–elephant conflict here for years, revealing a tragic reality: dozens of elephants have died after eating plastic from rubbish dumps. This striking image is a wake-up call to the cost of human waste.
Slime Family Portrait
On a tree in Slindon Wood, West Sussex, tiny slime moulds stand like living sculptures. Each just 1–2 millimetres wide, these blueberry-like forms are the reproductive parts of a single-celled organism. Captured by Kutub Uddin, the photo also shows a yellow insect egg nearby, offering scale to life’s smallest wonders.
Essence of Kamchatka
At Kurile Lake in Russia’s far east, a brown bear walks along the shore as a gull soars past and a volcano looms in the background. Kesshav Vikram from India waited patiently for days to capture this scene during the salmon run. His image evokes the wild majesty of Kamchatka’s untamed landscapes.
Ice Edge Journey
On the Ekström ice shelf in Antarctica, a colony of emperor penguins gathers at the brink. With no easy ice ramp, chicks leap 15 metres into the freezing sea to begin their hunting life. Captured by Bertie Gregory from the UK, this dramatic photo foreshadows the challenges penguins may face as sea ice declines.
No Place Like Home
In Costa Rica, a three-toed sloth clings to a fencepost as forests around it disappear. Photographer Emmanuel Tardy from France highlights how habitat loss forces sloths to dangerous ground travel. Conservation groups are now building aerial bridges to reconnect their fragmented homes.
Wake-up Call
In Tanzania’s Serengeti, a lioness faces off with a cobra that ventured too close to her pride. Gabriella Comi from Italy captured this tense moment as predator confronted predator. With some 3,000 lions roaming the Serengeti, such encounters show the raw unpredictability of life on the savanna.
Clouds of Gold
From his light aircraft, Jassen Todorov captured San Francisco Bay’s salt ponds glowing like liquid gold. The South Bay restoration project has removed artificial dykes, allowing tidal marshes — and the wildlife that depends on them — to return. An image of hope and renewal from industry back to nature.
Rutting Call
In Bradgate Park, Leicestershire, a red deer stag bellows during the rut. Jamie Smart from the UK, competing in the under-10s category, had to stretch above tall grasses to frame the shot. The image captures the raw energy of the season, where stags clash and call to win mates.
Inside the Pack
On Ellesmere Island in Canada, Arctic wolves approach through blinding snow, close enough for photographer Amit Eshel to smell their breath. Taken in -35°C conditions, the photo reveals the rare white subspecies of grey wolf. Unfamiliar with humans, their curiosity shines through in this rare and intimate encounter.
Fragile River of Life
In the clear springs of Florida’s Columbia County, a female longnose gar swims pursued by males during mating season, while a diamondback terrapin drifts above. Captured by Isaac Szabo from the US, the image reveals the fragile beauty of spring-fed rivers that sustain both wildlife and nearly half of Florida’s people.
From the smallest slime moulds to the mightiest predators, these images remind us of the fragile, resilient, and extraordinary life we share the planet with. Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 celebrates not just photography, but the urgent stories these moments tell. Which image spoke to you the most?