Wildlife Photographer of the Year shares stunning shortlisted shots

By Mike O'Connor | 27 August 2025

The annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has shared a selection of the shortlisted images from its sixty-first edition, which will be showcased in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, from Friday 17 October 2025.

Nature Reclaims Its Space by Sitaram Raul (India), Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Nature Reclaims Its Space by Sitaram Raul (India), Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The exhibition will spotlight 100 images from the natural world, selected from a record-breaking 60,636 entries and judged anonymously on their creativity, originality and technical excellence by an international panel of judges across wildlife photography, filmmaking, science and conservation.

Jelly Smack Summer by Ralph Pace (USA), Highly Commended, Underwater | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Jelly Smack Summer by Ralph Pace (USA), Highly Commended, Underwater | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Among the newly released images features a dramatic stand-off between a lion and a cobra by Gabriella Comi, a portrait of an inquisitive pack of Arctic wolves by Amit Eshel and awe-inspiring photographs of flamingoes, coyotes and red deer by some of the finest emerging young wildlife photographers today, some as young as nine years old.

A Tale of Two Coyotes by Parham Pourahmad (USA), Highly Commended, 11-14 Years | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A Tale of Two Coyotes by Parham Pourahmad (USA), Highly Commended, 11-14 Years | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The category winners and the prestigious Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards will be announced on Tuesday 14 October 2025 at a ceremony hosted at the Natural History Museum by wildlife TV presenters and conservationists Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin.

The ceremony will be available to watch live on the Natural History Museum’s YouTube channel.

Pink Pose by Leana Kuster (Switzerland), Highly Commended, 15-17 Years | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Pink Pose by Leana Kuster (Switzerland), Highly Commended, 15-17 Years | Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Alongside the award-winning photos, the exhibition will provide information about habitat loss, aided by the Natural History Museum’s novel Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII).

Deadly Lessons by Marina Cano (Spain), Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Deadly Lessons by Marina Cano (Spain), Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Toxic Tip by Lakshitha Karunarathna (Sri Lanka), Highly Commended, Photojournalism | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Toxic Tip by Lakshitha Karunarathna (Sri Lanka), Highly Commended, Photojournalism | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Slime Family Portrait by Kutub Uddin (Bangladesh), Highly Commended, Natural Artistry | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Slime Family Portrait by Kutub Uddin (Bangladesh), Highly Commended, Natural Artistry | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Essence of Kamchatka by Kesshav Vikram (India), Highly Commended, 11-14 Years | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Essence of Kamchatka by Kesshav Vikram (India), Highly Commended, 11-14 Years | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Clouds of Gold by Jassen Todorov (USA), Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Clouds of Gold by Jassen Todorov (USA), Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Rutting Call by Jamie Smart (United Kingdom), Highly Commended, 10 Years and Under | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Rutting Call by Jamie Smart (United Kingdom), Highly Commended, 10 Years and Under | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fragile River of Life by Isaac Szabo (USA), Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Fragile River of Life by Isaac Szabo (USA), Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wake-up Call by Gabriella Comi (Italy), Highly Commended, Animal Portraits | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wake-up Call by Gabriella Comi (Italy), Highly Commended, Animal Portraits | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Inside the Pack by Amit Eshel (Israel), Highly Commended, Animal Portraits | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Inside the Pack by Amit Eshel (Israel), Highly Commended, Animal Portraits | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
No Place Like Home by Emmanuel Tardy (France), Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
No Place Like Home by Emmanuel Tardy (France), Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Ice Edge Journey by Bertie Gregory (United Kingdom), Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment | Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Ice Edge Journey by Bertie Gregory (United Kingdom), Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment | Wildlife Photographer of the Year