Winners of the 2025 Nature Photography Contest were recently announced, awarding prizes across 10 categories, including Birds, Environmental Impact, Funny Nature, Macrophotography, Natural Landscape, Night World, Plant Life, Sharing the Planet, Underwater, and Wildlife. Here are a few of the award-winning photos that highlight the beauty of the natural world.

Please Spare Our Home

The “Photography of the Year” honor was awarded to Thomas Vijayan for his image titled “Please Spare Our Home”, which features an orangutan sitting amongst chopped trees to represent how humans’ desire for palm oil has destroyed a lot of their habitats. Orangutans typically live in trees, drinking water from holes in the trees and feeding on wild fruits like lychees, mangosteens, and figs.

“The photograph goes beyond wildlife photography to become a powerful visual statement on deforestation and habitat loss. It reflects the consequences of human activity while reminding us of our shared responsibility toward the species that inhabit our planet,” a press release said of Vijayan’s image.

Mobula Rocket

The Photographer of the Year award was given to Angela J Sanchez, who submitted several photos that were recognized in the contest. One photo titled “Mobula Rocket” featured a mobula ray leaping from the sea and becoming airborne, before eventually belly flopping back into the water. This behavior is a mystery, but researchers have speculated that it’s either a form of communication, parasite removal, a mating ritual, or simply for fun.

Her other two photos in the contest, titled “Bravery or a Death Wish” and “Good Grief”, feature a squirrel squaring up with a young falcon and a black bear taking a springtime bath. As part of her recognition, Sanchez will have the honor of choosing the location where nearly 500 trees will be planted.

Following

The winning image for the Wildlife category, titled “Following” by Janet Gustin, shows a young brown bear following a small seagull across the tidal flats, with golden hues surrounding the animals and their reflections in the ground beneath them.

The Earth’s Eye

The Natural Landscape winning image titled “The Earth’s Eye” by Paul Zygmut is creative and unique, showcasing an aerial view of the Hveravellir geothermal area in Iceland from such a perspective that it appears to resemble an animal’s eye.