A herd of musk ox protect their young from a hungry arctic wolf, a flock of flamingoes chill near Dubai’s imposing skyline, and a flying squirrel pops out for a quick hello. These are just a few of the stunning wildlife scenes captured in the 2025 Nature inFocus Photography Awards.
Winner, Animal Portraits
In the forests of Uganda, a young male chimpanzee lounges effortlessly on a twisted vine, pausing to observe the world below.
Location: Uganda
This year, photographers from 38 countries submitted nearly 16,000 images. The judges awarded prizes across eight categories: Animal Portraits, Animal Behaviour, Conservation Photography, Creative Nature Photography, Wildscape & Animals in Their Habitat, Portfolio, Coexistence, and Young Photographer (under 17 years of age).
“Every year, the submissions reveal fresh perspectives on the natural world and shed light on urgent conservation challenges,” Rohit Varma, co-founder of Nature inFocus, said in a statement. “The growing number of participants and the expanding geographical reach reflect just how global this platform has become.”
Runner-up, Young Photographer
In Sri Lanka’s dry zone, a female elephant leaps over an electric fence as her herd follows, hurrying back to the forest at dawn after raiding nearby paddy fields. The scene highlights how shrinking habitats push elephants to navigate man-made barriers in their search for food.
Location: Thammanawa Wewa, Sri Lanka DANUJA PALIHAWADANA
Winner, Animal Behaviour
An Arctic Wolf shows signs of a recent hunt as a muskox herd forms a defensive circle, horns facing out to guard their calves. But chaos followed when the pack seized a few young ones and tore them apart for a small meal before moving on.
Location: Ellesmere Island, Canada
Runner-up, Animal Portraits
On the windswept steppes of Mongolia, six young Pallas’s cats emerge from their rocky shelter. Still dependent on their mother’s care, these eight-week-old kittens explore their surroundings with caution and wonder, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of this elusive species.
Location: Eastern Steppe, Mongolia
Winner, Coexistence
At Ras Al Khor, flamingos feed peacefully against Dubai’s towering skyline. This urban wetland, which hosts over 25,000 migratory birds each winter, thrives amid rapid development—filtering water, storing carbon, and sustaining life even as the city expands around it.
Location: Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, Dubai SARTHAK AGRAWAL
Winner, Ramki Sreenivasan Conservation Photography Award
A young leopard feeds on a cow carcass beside garbage and fast-moving traffic—an unsettling reminder of how closely these adaptable cats now live alongside human settlements.
Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan
Special Mention, Animal Behaviour
The photograph captured several males surrounding a female Western Ghats tree frog in a rare polyandrous ritual. In this form of mating, one female mates with multiple males, thereby increasing the odds of her eggs being fertilised.
Location: Coorg, India
Special Mention, Wildscape & Animals in Habitat
In Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park, one of the world’s rarest big cats moves quietly through its forest home. The photographer recalls that the Amur leopard appeared for only a moment before slipping back into the dense cover of the trees.
Location: Land of the Leopard National Park, Russia
Special Mention, Animal Behaviour
On Wrangel Island, a polar bear pauses after a successful hunt, a trail of blood marking its path across the snow.
Location: Wrangel Island, Russia
Special Mention, Animal Portraits
Monmongas, or flying squirrels, live in Hokkaido, Japan. Though not uncommon, photographing them is difficult. They are small, fast, and nocturnal, active mostly at dawn or dusk. During mating season, this one finally peeked out of its nest, 5 metres high, long enough for a single photo.
Location: Japan, Hokkaido, Obihiro
Special Mention, Coexistence
Adaptable and elusive, leopards have long lived alongside people in many parts of India. As towns grow and natural habitats shrink, these encounters have become increasingly common. This moment—of a leopard slipping past an open doorway—captures the fragile relationship between people and wildlife in fast-changing landscapes.
Location: Mysore, Karnataka
Special Mention, Ramki Sreenivasan Conservation Photography Award
In Kaladai, elephants wade toward the river as villagers flash torchlight and burst firecrackers to deter them. The moment captures a shared river—one both people and elephants depend on—where needs overlap and tensions rise.
Location: Bishnupur, West Bengal
Special Mention, Creative Nature Photography
A grey heron lifts into the air, backlit by the afternoon sun. Startled by a passing fisherman, it circles above the lake, offering the photographer an unexpected view as it poops mid-flight. The moment is a playful reminder of the surprising patterns nature creates.
Location: Aurangabad, Maharashtra SARTHAK AGRAWAL
Special Mention, Young Photographer
In the Maasai Mara, two elephants intertwine their trunks in a gentle moment of play. The black-and-white frame accentuates the texture of their skin and the quiet connection shared between them.
Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya ROHAN SHAH
Special Mention, Wildscape & Animals in Habitat
On an abandoned Soviet airfield now used for grain storage, rodents thrive—and with them, barn owls. New nest boxes installed through a conservation effort have allowed the owls to settle and breed. Under the pale morning moon, an owl stands watch as a horseshoe bat crosses the quiet sky.
Location: Shiraki Military Airfield, Kakheti, Georgia
Runner-up, Animal Behaviour
A fishing spider rests at the edge of a waterbody, holding its freshly caught fish. The moment captures how aptly it is named and how remarkable nature’s hunters can be.
Location: Kollur, Karnataka
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