Nature Photography Contest Reveals 2025's Stunning Winners

An orangutan peers through the thinning canopy of its disappearing forest, and that single moment just earned photographer Thomas Vijayan the top honor at The Nature Photography Contest 2025.

The winning image, titled "Please spare our home," captures a mature orangutan surrounded by the devastated remnants of its habitat. The photograph delivers a gentle but urgent reminder about deforestation threatening these magnificent apes with extinction in the wild.

"We humans can easily find an alternative option than these palm oil," Vijayan noted when describing his winning shot. The orangutan he photographed sometimes visits a nearby feeding station for food, a heartbreaking sign of how habitat loss has disrupted its natural way of life.

But this year's contest offered joy alongside its environmental messages. The competition's diverse categories celebrated nature in all its glory, from intimate macro shots to sweeping landscapes, underwater wonders to perfectly timed bird photography.

Angela J Sanchez claimed the Photographer of the Year title with her stunning "Mobula Rocket" image. She also dominated the Funny Nature category with two finalist entries including "Good Grief" and "Bravery or a Death Wish," proving wildlife photography can capture humor as powerfully as it documents struggle.

Panagiotis Xaxiris won the Funny Nature category with "Into the Gape: Dalmatian Pelican at Dawn," a perfectly timed shot that showcases nature's lighter side. Other category winners included James Welch's moody "Before the Storm" for Birds and Pawel Zygmunt's mesmerizing "The Earth's eye" for Natural Landscape.

Why This Inspires

These photographers spent countless hours in the field, waiting for perfect light and fleeting moments most of us will never witness in person. Their dedication brings the natural world into our homes and hearts, creating bridges of understanding between humans and the wild creatures sharing our planet.

The contest received thousands of entries from photographers worldwide, each one documenting the incredible diversity and resilience of nature. From the honey keepers of Sundarbans to whales gliding through ocean depths, these images remind us what we stand to lose and what's worth fighting to protect.

The 37 featured images in this year's gallery represent nature at its most vulnerable, most playful, and most awe-inspiring.