South African crowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025

London, 14 October – South Africa’s Wim van den Heever has won the coveted title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025, after first taking the Urban Wildlife category prize. His remarkable image of a brown hyena navigating the ghostly town of Kolmanskop in Namibia is a rare glimpse into the life of these reclusive hyenas, known to pass through Kolmanskop on their way to hunt Cape fur seal pups or scavenge for carrion along the Namib Desert coast.

Van den Heever revealed that the photograph was the product of extraordinary persistence, consistently returning to the location season after season. “It took me 10 years to finally get this one single image of a brown hyena, in the most perfect frame imaginable,” he said. The shot was achieved through painstaking use of camera traps, countless 3 a.m. starts, and near miss after near miss before everything aligned.

Before he began the project, Van den Heever realised the potential of capturing this rare scene. “I knew there were brown hyenas in that area; I could see the droppings and every now and again I could see their tracks coming through. It always stuck in the back of my mind: ‘you’ve got to try and photograph this’.”

Now in its 61st year, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition continues to showcase the world’s most extraordinary wildlife moments, blending art, science, and conservation. For South Africa, 2025 marks a proud double recognition on the world stage.

See all the winners below

Category: Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Weaver’s Lair by Jamie Smart, UK – Winner, 10 years and under

Jamie Smart (UK) spots an orb weaver spider inside its silken retreat on a cold September morning.

Alpine Dawn by Lubin Godin, France. Winner, 11–14 Years

Lubin Godin (France) finds himself in mist-shrouded mountains with silhouetted ibex.

After the Destruction by Andrea Dominizi, Italy. Winner, 15 – 17 Years

Andrea Dominizi (Italy) finds a longhorn beetle – a forest sentinel observing an intruder.

Category: Animals in their Environment

Like an Eel out of Water by Shane Gross, Canada

Peppered moray eels (Gymnothorax pictus) hunt in the intertidal zone often coming completely out of the water in their pursuit. Image made on D’Arros Island, Seychelles.

Category: Animal Portraits

Shadow Hunter by Philipp Egger, Italy

Philipp Egger’s (Italy) patience is rewarded with the orange glint of an eagle owl’s eyes and the evening light falling on its feathers.

Category: Behaviour – Birds

Synchronised Fishing by Qingrong Yang, China

Qingrong Yang (China) perfects photographic timing to sh
ow a ladyfish snatching its prey from right under this little egret’s beak.

Category: Behaviour – Mammals

Cat Amongst the Flamingos by Dennis Stogsdill, USA

Dennis Stogsdill (USA) witnesses a caracal hunting a lesser flamingo in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

Category: Behaviour – Amphibians and Reptiles

Frolicking Frogs by Quentin Martinez, France

Quentin Martinez (France) discovers a gathering of lesser tree frogs in a breeding event.

Category: Behaviour – Invertebrates

Mad Hatterpillar by Georgina Steytler, Australia

Georgina Steytler (Australia) showcases the strange headgear of a gum-leaf skeletoniser caterpillar.

Category: Oceans – The Bigger Picture

The Feast by Audun Rikardsen, Norway

Audun Rikardsen (Norway) witnesses feeding time around an Atlantic fishing vessel during a polar night in northern Norway.

Category: Plants and Fungi

Deadly Allure by Chien Lee, Malaysia

Chien Lee (Malaysia) uses a UV torch to reveal the fluorescent world of an insect-attracting pitcher plant.

Category: Natural Artistry

Caught in the Headlights by Simone Baumeister, Germany

Simone Baumeister (Germany) shows an orb weaver spider on its web on a pedestrian bridge, silhouetted by lights from the cars below.

Category: Underwater

Survival Purse by Ralph Pace, USA

Ralph Pace (USA) beautifully illuminates the egg case of a swell shark, tethered to the base of a giant kelp.

Category: Urban Wildlife

Ghost Town Visitor by Wim van den Heever, South Africa (and overall winner)

Wim van den Heever (South Africa) photographs this haunting scene of a brown hyena among the skeletal remains of a long-abandoned diamond mining town.

Category: Wetlands – The Bigger Picture

Vanishing Pond by Sebastian Frölich, Germany

Sebastian Frölich (Germany) finds a springtail among a galaxy of neon green gas bubbles in Austrian moorlands.

Category: Photojournalism

How to Save a Species by Jon A Juárez, Spain

Jon A Juárez (Spain) documents the groundbreaking science to save the northern white rhino from extinction through in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Category: Photojournalist Story Award

End of the Round-up by Javier Aznar González de Rueda, Spain

Javier explores the complex relationship between humans and rattlesnakes across the United States.

For centuries, rattlesnakes have been viewed in vastly different ways across the American continent – from reverence and respect to fear and suspicion. Annual rattlesnake round-ups, where hunters compete to collect the highest weight of snakes, began in the 1930s. Today, these competitions are losing their appeal, but in some states, anti-rattlesnake sentiment remains strong.

In this portfolio, Javier calls for respect and protection for these creatures before they disappear from the American landscape.

Location: USA

Visitors gaze at hundreds of western diamondback rattlesnakes at the annual rattlesnake round-up in Sweetwater, Texas. Many of these snakes will be killed and sold for their skin and meat. Round-ups can harm other animals too: snakes are often driven from their rock shelters using petrol fumes, which also affect any creatures sheltering alongside them.

Despite their fearsome reputation, rattlesnakes don’t seek out humans to attack. This black-tailed rattlesnake was spotted on the road at night outside Fort Davis, Texas. In this instance, its tail is raised and rattling in response to the perceived threat of the snake handler who rescued it from the road.

This snake has been killed and is being skinned by a volunteer at Sweetwater. Its meat and skin were later sold. Proponents of rattlesnake round-ups sometimes cite revenue from these sales as a reason to continue. However, some events have shifted their focus to education programmes, where visitors learn about and celebrate rattlesnakes.

This Pennsylvanian festival celebrates the importance of rattlesnakes to the ecosystem. Organisers advocate for any captured snakes to be returned to the wild, although it’s up to the hunters to decide what they do.

Kyle Vargas has a passion for rattlesnakes. He collects under permit and keeps them in enclosures stocked with plants, soil and wood from their native habitats. Collecting and keeping rattlesnakes isn’t permitted in every US state, however, as it can pose a threat to many snake species.

Javier highlights another side of the story: the importance of snakes to human health. Drops of deadly venom drip into a glass as an eastern diamondback rattlesnake is milked. The venom is used to produce antivenom and has the potential to treat certain medical conditions, such as chronic nerve pain.

Category: Rising Star Award

Watchful Moments by Luca Lorenz, Germany

Luca explores his passion for the natural world by viewing it through an artistic lens.

Luca’s childhood ambition was to learn everything he could about birds. He spent long hours in the parks around his home on the outskirts of Berlin, observing them. He bought his first camera when he was 13, and photography became a passion.

Through photography, Luca is able to spend time in nature and highlight its beauty. His portfolio aims to show people his personal view of nature and inspire others to protect it.

Location: Germany

Luca was photographing mute swans on an urban lake one evening when a coypu, a rodent introduced from South America, appeared in the frame. Having been shipped across the world for the fur trade, coypu have since established many feral populations.

When the heavens opened, Luca was out with his camera. He minimised the lens aperture to ensure the full expanse of the sea was in focus and framed an inquisitive harbour seal enjoying the patter of the rain.

This tiny, secretive Eurasian pygmy owl hunts using both sight and sound, striking silently. This unusual black-and-white composition makes the most of the background silhouettes, which Luca felt suited a bird that lives among the shadows.

Luca was lying flat on the dewy grass for a better perspective of one of the park’s ubiquitous blackbirds when four deer emerged from the mist and stopped to assess the situation. Time stood still and he caught the moment.

Luca arrived early as dawn broke, ensuring he didn’t miss the first rays of sunlight on the water. He heard the red-throated divers before he saw them. Later, he rotated his original image 180 degrees to bring the mirrored pines and spruces into an upright position.

Luca had been watching a tree hole where this Eurasian pygmy owl and its mate were nesting. When one disappeared, the other continued feeding the chicks. On this day, the remaining bird returned clutching the chicks’ breakfast in its claws, and called for its mate, but there was no reply.

Category: Portfolio Award

Visions of the North by Alexey Kharitonov, Israel/Russia

Alexey Kharitonov finds art in unexpected perspectives across Russia’s northern swamps.

Alexey is a self-taught photographer with a passion for landscape photography. His artistic exploration of remote regions in the Russian North, Siberia and Asia highlights taiga and Arctic tundra scenes as summer rapidly turns to winter.

Using drones, he picks out details in these vast terrains, showcasing their wild beauty through striking compositions. Yet beyond this visual feast lie human-made threats – not least a pressing vulnerability to climate change.

Location: Russia