Coral’s Inside Wins Australian Geographic Competition with Psychedelic Underwater Beauty

The 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition has crowned its winner. Titled Fractal Forest, it’s an underwater marvel that’s as mesmerizing as it is unexpected. Western Australian photographer Ross Gudgeon is the photographer behind the winning photo, captured in the Lembeh Strait off North Sulawesi, Indonesia. With dazzling texture and vivid detail, this image stood out among nearly 2,000 submissions from across 18 countries.

This year marks the 22nd edition of the Australian Geographic competition, owned and produced by the South Australian Museum. True to its mission, the contest continues to spotlight the beauty and diversity of the ANZANG bioregion (Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and New Guinea) through nature photography.

A Macro Masterpiece from the Depths

The winning shot showcases the coral’s surreal interior. Its soft, rounded polyps are lit dramatically from behind. Using a Nauticam extended macro wide lens, an underwater version of a probe lens, Gudgeon threaded his camera through the coral branches without disturbing them.

“Normally dives here are full of weird and wonderful critters, but on this one, there was very little of interest to photograph,” Gudgeon shared. “I found myself surrounded by clumps of soft coral that looked like red cauliflower. After some trial and error and with backlighting from my strobes, I was able to produce my winning image.”

He walked away with the overall winner’s prize of $10,000 and a cruise with Coral Expeditions.

A Celebration of Nature and Conservation

The Australian Geographic competition isn’t just about incredible images. It’s also about impact and conservation. By showcasing the natural world through the lens of talented photographers, the contest invites you to look closer, feel deeper, and consider your own place in nature.

Judge and former two-time overall winner Scott Portelli praised the winning image as “a masterpiece of creativity.”

“The intricate details of this living organism brought to life through a unique macro perspective allows us to enter an ethereal realm,” he noted. “Colour, texture, structure – all captured beautifully.”

Categories and Exhibitions

Ten category winners were also announced, each receiving $1,500. Highlights include:

• Animals in Nature: Charles Davis (NSW) – “PJ & Crabs”
• Macro: Talia Greis (NSW) – “Liftoff”
• Junior: Isabella Rogers (SA) – “Perched” – a sweet image of two galahs on a lamp post at dawn

The exhibition featuring the top 99 shortlisted images opened on August 30 at the South Australian Museum. You have a chance to visit until February 1, 2026. It will travel to the Australian Museum in Sydney from October 25, 2025, through February 15, 2026.

As a bonus, a People’s Choice Award will be revealed in January – giving photography lovers a chance to cast their own vote.

Deeper Message of the Australian Geographic Contest

Gudgeon’s story is a gentle reminder of photography’s deeper lesson: beauty is everywhere if we choose to look. The judges, including ecologist and wildlife photographer Jasmine Vink and professional photographer David Stowe, had their work cut out for them with 1,864 entries.

In the words of South Australian Museum Board Chair Professor Robert Saint:

“This is nature at its finest and a credit to all involved.”

Whether you’re an experienced photographer or a nature lover, the Australian Geographic competition once again proves that there’s no limit to the stories the natural world can tell. So, I will leave you to enjoy the rest of the contest’s category winner and admire the beauty of the natural world. You’ll find more information and photos on Australian Geographic’s website.

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