25 spectacular images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
25 spectacular images from Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
The winning images of the 61st Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have been revealed.
It was one of those really cold misty mornings where the sun was just starting to break through the mist and cloud. I was out in my garden looking for mini beasts to photograph when I spotted this grasshopper clinging to a blade of grass with it's back to
The overall winner is Wim van den Heever for his image of an endangered brown hyena prowling the abandoned streets of a ghost town in Namibia.
On his photograph, Wim commented "It took me 10 years to finally get this one single image of a Brown Hyena in the most perfect frame imaginable. I was ecstatic when I finally had success".
Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year is Andrea Dominizi for his poignant image of a longhorn beetle in the Lepini Mountains of central Italy.
The winning photos will be showcased at an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, from 17 October 2025–12 July 2026.
Here are the winners and some of our favourites from this year's competition.
Overall winner – Ghost Town Visitor by Wim van den Heever
A camera trap image of the endangered Brown Hyena prowling the abandoned streets Kolmanskoppe, Namibia. This abandoned ghost town that used to be a diamond mine is slowly being reclaimed by the harsh Namib desert. The rarest hyena species in the world, brown hyenas are nocturnal and mostly solitary. They are known to pass through Kolmanskop on their way to hunt Cape fur seal pups or scavenge for carrion washed ashore along the Namib Desert coast. Photo by Wim van den Heever/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
10 years and under, highly commended – Morning Hopper by Jamie Smart
A field grasshopper rests against a backdrop of soft lines of grass. Like most grasshoppers, this small, widespread species has short antennae and powerful hind legs – ideal for jumping. When rubbed against its wings, the legs produce intermittent chirps, detected by sensory organs on the abdomens of other grasshoppers. Photographed in Llandrindod Wells, Wales, UK. Photo by Jamie Smart/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
10 years and under, winner – The Weaver’s Lair by Jamie Smart
A dew-laden web of an orb weaver spider on a cold September morning in Llandrindod Wells, Wales, UK. This spider’s web is constructed from a scaffold of radial threads, overlaid with a spiral of sticky silk to hold ensnared insects. A strong signal thread transmits vibrations to the spider’s hiding place, triggering it to emerge and collect its prey. Photo by Jamie Smart/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Animal portraits, winner – Shadow Hunter by Philipp Egger
In this image we can just about make out the eagle owl's orange eye. About twice the weight of a buzzard and with a wingspan approaching 180 centimetres (6 feet), these formidable nocturnal predators are among the largest owls. They nest on sheltered cliff ledges or in crevices, often returning to the same site for years. Photographed in South Tyrol, Italy. Photo by Philipp Egger/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Animals in their environment, highly commended – Ocean Lion by Griet Van Malderen
Gamma, pictured here, is the first lioness in generations to traverse Namibia's dunes to the coastline, where she hunts seals. This is indeed a rare and extraordinary adaptation of desert lions. Around 80 lions live in this extreme environment where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean. Photo by Griet Van Malderen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Natural artistry, winner – Caught in the Headlights by Simone Baumeister
An orb weaver spider (Araneidae) on its web on a pedestrian bridge, silhouetted by lights from the cars below. Photographed in Ibbenbüren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Photo by Simone Baumeister/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Underwater, highly commended – A Closer Look by Hussain Aga Khan
An Amazon river dolphin or Boto (Inia geoffrensis) swims the Rio Negro river in Manaus, Brazil. Botos are incredible, strange-looking animals - one of only 4 or 5 species of river dolphin. Photo by Hussain Aga Khan/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Plants and fungi, winner – Deadly Allure by Chien Lee
Much like flowers, many carnivorous plants utilize ultraviolet light (UV) reflectance patterns to lure insects. Although an abundant component of sunlight, UV is invisible to humans but it is highly conspicuous to the insect eye. Here at the onset of nightfall, a UV torch reveals a normally hidden fluorescence of blue light on the pitchers of Nepenthes mirabilis. Photographed in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Photo by Chien Lee/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: mammals, highly commended – Training Day by Hua Dai
A mother puma has taken control of a baby alpaca. So in order to hone her children's hunting skills, she handed over the fate of the little alpacas to two baby pumas. Obviously, the two baby pumas did not know how to deal with the prey in front of them. Photo by Hua Dai/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Underwater, highly commended – A Monk's Life by Greg Lecoeur
One of Europe's most elusive and endangered marine mammals of the world - the Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus). Listed as Endangered by the IUCN, this extraordinary species once teetered on the brink of extinction. These seals have faced tremendous threats from habitat loss, hunting, and human activity. Yet, thanks to dedicated conservation programs and increasing public awareness, the Mediterranean monk seal is slowly but surely reclaiming its place in the waters of the Mediterranean. Photo by Greg Lecoeur/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Animals in their environment, highly commended – Ice Edge Journey by Bertie Gregory
Emperor penguin chicks travelling at the ice shelf edge in search of a place for their first swim, Atka Bay, Antarctica. In this image, a group of several hundred penguins march along the edge of this 15m ice cliff searching for a place to enter the water. This first swim is normally done off of sea ice and involves a much smaller drop than this. Photo by Bertie Gregory/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Animal portraits, highly commended – Kitten Rock by Amit Eshel
A group of Pallas's cats (Otocolobus manul) rest on a rock formation in Mongolia. A rare encounter with an unusually large litter of 6 Pallas's cat kittens who came out of their hiding place and aligned perfectly together on their rock pile, shortly after sunset. Pallas's cats like to shelter in rocky outcrops. Photo by Amit Eshel/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: amphibians and reptiles, winner – Frolicking Frogs by Quentin Martinez
A group lesser tree frogs take part in a large gathering in an effort to find a suitable mate. Huge numbers gather, and the spectacular event (which is triggered by heavy rains) lasts for just a few hours. Photographed in Kaw Mountain, French Guiana. Photo by Quentin Martinez/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: mammals, highly commended – A Narrow Escape by Willie van Schalkwyk
A black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas) attempts to catch a cape turtle dove (Streptopelia capicola) at a waterhole on the Nossob riverbed in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. Photo by Willie van Schalkwyk/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Animals in their environment, winner – Like an Eel out of Water by Shane Gross
Peppered moray eels (Gymnothorax pictus) hunt in the intertidal zone on D'Arros Island in the Seychelles. As can be seen in this image, the often come completely out of the water in their pursuit of prey. This is likely the first time this behavior has ever been photographed. Photo by Shane Gross/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: birds, highly commended – Make and Mend by Georgina Steytler
A male satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) sets about repaired his bower after another male came in whilst he was away and pulled it apart, before making off with a few prized adornments such as a flower and a leaf. Photo by Georgina Steytler/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: invertebrates, highly commended – Special Delivery by Bidyut Kalita
Bidyut Kalita photographs a hard-working potter wasp mid-flight with caterpillar prey for its young. Bidyut spotted this potter wasp building a mud chamber on a picture frame in his home in Goalpara, northeast India. Noticing it coming and going several times a day, he wedged the door open to allow it access until he finally saw it returning with prey gripped in its jaws. Photo by Bidyut Kalita/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Oceans: the bigger picture, winner – The Feast by Audun Rikardsen
Gulls attempt to feed on Atlantic herring trapped by fishing nets, in this choatic scene during the dark polar night in northern Norway. The Atlantic herring migrate to sthe Kvænangen fjord during the winter for 2-3 months before they continue to their spawning location. The gulls have learnt to follow the sound of the boats to find a herring feast. Photo by Audun Rikardsen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
15-17 years, winner – After the Destruction by Andrea Dominiz
A longhorn beetle (Morimus asper) photographed by abandoned logging machinery on the Lepini Mountains (Lazio, Italy). This species, like other cerambycidae, lays its eggs in the dead wood of different types of trees. As longhorn beetles tunnel into dead wood, fungi find their way inside, helping to break it down and recycle nutrients. If the beetles’ habitat is disturbed or destroyed, the effects ripple across the entire ecosystem. Photo by Andrea Dominiz/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: birds, winner – Synchronised Fishing by Qingrong Yang
A ladyfish snatches its prey from right under a small egret’s beak, in this amazingly-timed image. Yundang Lake is a natural habitat for egrets. When the seawater rises and rushes into the water inlet of Yundang Lake, thousands of small fish follow the tide into Yundang Lake from the sea. Photo by Qingrong Yang/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: mammals, winner – Cat Amongst the Flamingos by Dennis Stogsdill
Caracals have a varied diet, from insects to antelope, and are renowned for the acrobatic leaps they make to snatch birds from the air. But there are few, if any, records of them hunting flamingos. Photographed at Ndutu Lake, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. Photo by Dennis Stogsdill/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Behaviour: invertebrates, winner – Mad Hatterpillar by Georgina Steytler
The Mad hatterpillar is a gum leaf skeletoniser (Uraba lugens). These unique insects keep their old heads as they shed on their head like a shrunken head totem pole. Photo by Georgina Steytler/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Rising Star award
Dawn Watch by Luca Lorenz
A blackbird sits on dew-covered grass as a group of four fallow deer emerge from the brushes behind. Photographed at Blankenfelde, Berlin, Germany. Photo by Luca Lorenz/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Seal Serenity by Luca Lorenz
A harbour seal pokes its head out of the waters of the North Sea, by the small island of Heligoland. A sandbank stretches out in front of the seal's head made the water appear brighter and turquoise-colored, which led to the overall striped composition of the picture. Photo by Luca Lorenz/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Reflected Glory by Luca Lorenz
A delicate mist hangs over the still waters of a small lake deep in an ancient Swedish forest. Spruce and pine trees are clearly reflected on the water's surface as a red-throated loon swims across the lake. As the sun rises, its rays gradually light up the mist, casting a soft, golden hue over the landscape. Photographed at Tiveden, Sweden. Photo by Luca Lorenz/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Group visual editor for BBC Countryfile, BBC Wildlife and BBC Science Focus
James Cutmore is the group visual editor for BBC Countryfile, BBC Wildlife and BBC Science Focus Magazine. He has worked as a picture editor for over two decades, telling compelling science and nature stories through the use of striking imagery.
