Discover the winners of the 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards. See how photographers captured rare wildlife moments across Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and New Guinea.
The competition is owned by the South Australian Museum and run with Australian Geographic. For 22 years it has documented wildlife and natural wonders from:
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Australia
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New Zealand
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Antarctica
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New Guinea
Why these awards matter
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The photos capture both discoveries and losses in nature.
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Judges face tough choices because of the high standard of work.
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Technology keeps shaping new ways to view the natural world.
Highlights from the 2025 winners
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Ross Gudgeon – Overall winner. Captured an inside-out view of cauliflower soft coral using an underwater probe lens.
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Etienne Littlefair – Used a camera trap to freeze a ghost bat mid-flight.
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Isabella Rogers (Junior category) – Photographed birds resting on a streetlight, raising awareness about light pollution. She described struggling before sunrise to capture her shot, a story many photographers will relate to.
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Sara Corlis (Our Impact category) – Showed a garden skink trapped in a brick wall.
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Peter McGee (Portfolio category) – Focused on Sydney cephalopods living near people in Australia’s biggest city.
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Charles Davis (Animals in Nature category) – Documented thousands of spider crabs surrounding a Port Jackson shark.
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Talia Greis (Macro category) – Captured a paper nautilus riding a jellyfish.
What makes a winning image
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Patience and presence in nature.
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A clear vision before even lifting the camera.
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Finding unexpected interactions between species.
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Telling layered stories through simple, everyday moments.
What you can learn from the winners
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Technology like underwater lenses and camera traps can open new perspectives.
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Simple scenes, like birds on a streetlight, can hold powerful meaning.
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Ideas matter as much as timing. Great photographers plan and wait.
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Ask yourself: What behaviors in nature are you overlooking in your own surroundings?
The 2025 winners remind us that great photography is not only about equipment. It’s about curiosity, patience, and seeing beyond the human experience.
The 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year awards celebrate powerful images of wildlife and natural moments across Australia and beyond. Winning entries highlight both new technologies in photography and timeless patience in observing nature.
