Wildlife Photographer of the Year Contest Shares Its Most Dramatic Entries

The Natural History Museum in London is back with its 61st Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. And the submissions are photos taken on Earth, but they look out of this world.

After starting in 1965 as a way to recognize the best imagery nature has to offer, the contest has returned for 2025 and is off to a great start. Now that submissions are closed for the competition, which is open to photographers of all experience levels, Wildlife Photographer of the Year is sharing a stunning smattering of images that represent a handful of the entries received this year.

According to the Natural History Museum, images will undergo an authenticity check during the final round, and submissions will be judged based on originality, narrative, and adherence to ethical practices.

The winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition’s numerous awards will be announced in March. The top prize includes the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year and £10,000 (roughly $13,427 USD). All winners will attend the Wildlife Photographer of the Year awards ceremony and be featured in a touring exhibition, starting with a show at the Natural History Museum in London.

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Read one to see some of the awe-inducing shots up for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize.

“Special Delivery” by Bidyut Kalita

The photographer captured this Potter wasp bringing home a caterpillar to feed larvae in Goalpara, India.

“Rutting Call” by Jamie Smart

Jamie Smart’s shot “Rutting Call” shows a red deer stag in Bradgate Park, U.K., gathering to compete for a female mate.

“Toxic Tip” by Lakshitha Karunarathna

Karunarathna’s gut-wrenching image shows a lone wild elephant walking through a waste disposal site in Sri Lanka

“Wake-up Call” by Gabriella Comi

A lion faces off with a cobra in this tense shot taken at the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

“No Place Like Home” by Emmanuel Tardy

This photo from Costa Rica offers an intimate view of how deforestation is affecting the nation’s sloths.

“Ice Edge Journey” by Bertie Gregory

Gregory captured the moment fledgling penguins prepared for their first plunge into the Antarctic Ocean in this photo.

“Pink Pose” by Leana Kuster

This flamingo was snapped in the wetlands of Camargue, France.

“Deadly Lesson” by Marina Cano

Three young cheetahs learning to hunt share a dik-dik antelope caught in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve in Cano’s black-and-white shot.

“Nature Reclaims Its Space” by Sitaram Raul

Raul captured a pack of fruit bats making their home in the ruins of a historical monument in Banda, India. 

“A Tale of Two Coyotes” by Parham Pourahmad

Two coyotes appear in Pourahmad’s photo from Bernal Heights Park, San Francisco. The photographer managed to snap a photo when one coyote’s tail was framing the face of another coyote.

“Jelly Smack Summer” by Ralph Pace

Pace slathered himself in petroleum jelly to get this shot of a swarm (or smack) of sea nettles without getting hurt.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. To learn more about the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, visit the Natural History Museum’s contest website.