Intimate Rattlesnake Photo Series Wins 2025 Fritz Pölking Prize

Spanish photographer and biologist Javier Aznar has been named the winner of the Fritz Pölking Prize 2025, one of Europe’s most recognized awards for nature photography. 

Aznar was honored for his photo essay Love, Hate and Rattlesnakes, which examines the complex relationship between people and rattlesnakes across cultural, ecological, and scientific contexts.

The award, presented annually by the German Society for Nature Photography (GDT) and Tecklenborg Verlag, recognizes outstanding portfolios that go beyond individual images to tell a coherent story. 

The prize commemorates the late Fritz Pölking, a pioneering German nature photographer known for combining artistic vision with natural history documentation.

2025 Fritz Pölking Prize’ Portfolio Highlights

Aznar’s work stood out this year because it moves beyond traditional depictions of wildlife. Instead of focusing on rattlesnakes solely as dangerous or exotic animals, his portfolio explores the many ways humans perceive and interact with them, including how sometimes with fear, sometimes with respect, and often with contradiction.

The winning portfolio combines natural history with social commentary. Some images show rattlesnakes in their natural habitats, camouflaged in landscapes or active under moonlight. 

In awarding Aznar, the jury applauded how Aznar “achieved the rare feat of creating a cohesive, high-caliber visual narrative that does not shy away from hard facts,” adding that the series shows how he “has a deep understanding of the behavior and character of rattlesnakes.”

“It is this breadth of narrative that allows Javier to make his case: for a shift in perspective, so that these creatures may finally receive the respect they deserve,” Patrick Brakowsky, a jury member, said. 

How Aznar Hopes To Use Photography In Nature Conservation 

Aznar, who trained as a biologist before turning to professional photography, has long focused on reptiles and amphibians in his work to offer “a personal perspective on nature in its wildest and most captivating state.” 

He has specialized in natural history storytelling, wildlife conservation, and the “intricate relationship between humans and the natural world.”

Aznar, an associate fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers and a member of The Photo Society, sees the power of photography as a tool to help preserve the planet and its biodiversity. 

His photos have been featured in the National Geographic Magazine, Smithsonian Magazine, BBC Wildlife, Ranger Rick, and GEO, among others. 

The Fritz Pölking Junior Prize 2025, meanwhile, goes to Tobias Gjerde from Norway, whose portfolio Norwegian Winter showcases the remarkably resilient animals that thrive amid the harsh extremes of the Nordic season.

Visit the awards website to see all the winning photos.

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