Rewilding Europe Award 2025 Celebrates Nature’s Revival with Breathtaking Photos

As part of the GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, the Rewilding Europe Award 2025 has once again honored photographers capturing the rebirth of Europe’s wild places. More than a showcase of visual beauty, this award is a powerful tribute to the rewilding movement – a vision for a continent where nature and people not only coexist but flourish together.

[Related Reading: Intimate Rattlesnake Photo Series Wins 2025 Fritz Pölking Prize]

And the Winner Is… Jon A. Juárez

The first prize goes to Spanish photographer Jon A. Juárez. His image Comeback of the Atlantic Sturgeon captures a groundbreaking moment in Europe’s conservation efforts – the release of juvenile Atlantic sturgeon into Sweden’s Göta River in 2024. This marks the first batch of 100 fully grown sturgeon introduced by the Swedish Anglers Association (Sportfiskarna), part of a broader international effort to revive this critically endangered species.

Shot underwater using a Nikon Z8 with a 14–30mm lens in a Nauticam housing, Juárez’s photo is both artistically compelling and deeply symbolic. It speaks to a two-decade effort that has seen over four million sturgeon larvae released across Germany, Scandinavia, Poland, and the Baltic states.

With the species taking more than ten years to reach sexual maturity, this image becomes a testament to patience, science, and hope, showing how rewilding brings the impossible within reach.

Runner-Up: Zoltán Gergely Nagy

In second place, Romanian photographer Zoltán Gergely Nagy showcases an unexpected oasis of biodiversity in the heart of a city. His aerial photo The Green Heart of Bucharest shows Văcărești Nature Park. Once an abandoned construction site, this place is now a lush, rewilded wetland thriving in the middle of Bucharest.

Captured with a DJI Air 2S drone, the image highlights the ability of nature to reclaim space and adapt. Surrounded by high-rises and concrete, this green haven now supports everything from otters and orchids to dozens of bird species.

Highly Commended: Stories of Resilience, Recovery, and Coexistence

Jonathan Fieber (Germany): Small Beetle – Big Impact

A close-up of a bark beetle (Ips typographus) might not scream “rewilding” at first glance – but German photographer Jonathan Fieber uses macro photography to underscore the vital need for diverse forests. With monoculture plantations increasingly vulnerable to pests and climate change, this image champions forest rewilding through biodiversity.

Christian-D. Morawitz (Germany): In the Pack

Photographed in a restored former coal mine in eastern Germany, Christian-D. Morawitz captures a wolf blending into the recovering wilderness. His image illustrates how ecological succession can recreate viable habitats for apex predators.

Marijn Heuts (Netherlands) A Landscape Architect Dives Deep

Dutch photographer Marijn Heuts spotlights the Eurasian beaver mid-dive. This “landscape architect” is a keystone species, transforming shallow streams into biodiverse wetlands. Heuts’s underwater image speaks to the delicate balance between wildlife restoration and human land use – and the solutions possible through proactive coexistence.

Rewilding Through the Lens: A Call to Action

“This is more than a photography prize,” says Laurien Holtjer, Rewilding Europe’s Director of Engagement and Public Relations. These images inspire real-world rewilding action and remind us of what becomes possible when we give nature space to heal – and lead.

The Rewilding Europe Award 2025 goes far beyond photography. It’s a rallying cry for ecological restoration, reminding us of nature’s innate resilience. But also, the human responsibility to make room for its return.

These winning images are more than moments frozen in time; they are vivid reminders of what’s possible when we reimagine our relationship with the wild. As the European rewilding movement gains momentum, these photographs serve as both evidence and inspiration for a wilder, healthier future.

Stay tuned for the full gallery on the GDT and Rewilding Europe’s website – and let these images move you to action, however small, in support of nature’s comeback.

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