Top Photo Contests of 2025 Celebrate Beauty, Humor, and Humanity Through the Lens
Dec 28, 2025
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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As 2025 comes to a close, it’s time to look back at the photography contests that stirred our emotions, made us laugh, and left us awestruck. After all, each platform we use now has the “year in review,” so why wouldn’t we? We love to look back at the year behind us and reflect on what we accomplished and what left the biggest impression.
These top photo contests of 2025 brought us unforgettable images and reminded us once again why we love photography. So, here’s a look at the contests that made this year one to remember.
Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2025
Starting off strong with one of my personal favorites: Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards. As always, the 2025 contest merged an infectious sense of joy with wildlife photography, and honestly, I’m always up for it. The winning image of a dancing gorilla captured that magical blend of impeccable timing and absurd charm. Behind the laughs, the contest continues its mission of wildlife conservation, supporting the Whitley Fund for Nature and encouraging us all to see the wild with fresh, compassionate eyes.
Northern Lights Photographer Of The Year 2025
It could be because of my personal bucket list item, but the Northern Lights Photographer of the Year is also one of my favorite competitions that I never miss. And 2025 was a dream year for both aurora chasers and us who enjoy their photos.
As usual, the Capture the Atlas selection did not disappoint. In fact, this year’s selection could be the best one yet, as the contest just keeps getting better and better every year. The 2025 contest brought us southern and northern lights captured in icy caves, remote mountains, and unexpected locations like Michigan and Denmark.
Nature Photographer Of The Year 2025
I love nature and photography. So, of course, I also enjoy nature photography. One could say it’s natural for me to love it (cringe pun intended). Therefore, the Nature Photographer of the Year is also one of the contests I gladly follow year after year. But the 2025 winner left me speechless. I was staring at the creative, unique ghostlike reflection of a bird and absorbed every pixel of it. It’s the kind of image that stops you mid-scroll and makes you look again. And again.
World Press Photo 2025
After the stunning natural world, we come to a side of our reality that isn’t always easy to face. A heart-wrenching portrait titled How Will I Hug You took first place in the World Press Photo 2025, and it’s one of those images that etched itself into my memory the moment I saw it. As always, the World Press Photo winners left us in awe — with a lump in our throat, yes — but also with a glimmer of hope in our hearts.
Sony World Photography Awards 2025
Among the top photo contests 2025, the Sony World Photography Awards felt especially thoughtful this year. Its winning series tackled the delicate and sometimes frustrating relationship between humans and nature. With strong entries across the Pro, Open, National and Regional, and Student and Youth categories, it was a reminder of how wide and rich the spectrum of visual storytelling really is.
International Pet Photography Awards 2025
Moving back to lighter topics with the International Pet Photography Awards. The 2025 edition of the contest reminded us that pets are more than just cute. They’re expressive, weird, full of quirks, and even more full of love. I absolutely love animals, so this is another one of my top photo contests that warms my heart every year.
Astronomy Photographer Of The Year 2025
This year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year entries reached cosmic heights, both literally and figuratively. The winning images from the 2025 contest were technically brilliant and visually poetic. Like each year, these photos gave me a strange feeling of peace while watching them.
Ocean Photographer Of The Year 2025
Let’s go from the surface and from the galaxies far, far away to what lies beneath the ocean surface. This year, the Ocean Photographer of the Year awarded yet another marvelous selection of photos. The spotlight was put on the miniature and adorable nudibranchs, also known as “ladybugs of the sea.” As always, the contest brought us so much from the ocean world we don’t normally see, and I honestly, truly enjoyed the 2025 winners.
Nikon Small World 2025
There’s something undeniably fascinating about seeing the tiniest, hidden worlds revealed in jaw-dropping proximity and clarity. For me, it’s the other side of the coin with astrophotography. From magnified grains of pollen to bizarrely beautiful insect anatomy, Nikon Small World 2025 winners made the case that there’s a whole universe waiting beneath our microscopes – and it’s incredibly photogenic.
World Sports Photography Awards 2025
The World Sports Photography Awards celebrated speed, strength, and timing with a jaw-dropping image of a surfer soaring mid-air during the Olympics. The photo is so surreal that people thought it was created by AI or, at the very least, a photo collage. But it’s neither. It’s just a marvelous, skillful photographer behind the lens.
That’s a Wrap on Top Photo Contests 2025
From funny wildlife moments to gut-wrenching portraits; from celestial scenes light-years away to microscopic motifs right in front of us, the top photo contests of 2025 reminded us of photography’s extraordinary reach. Each contest added something unique to the visual tapestry of the year, and together, they tell the story of our world with all its beauty and ugliness, complexities and simple pleasures, and all its sadness and joy. These were just some that left the strongest impression on me, but there were plenty more amazing photo contests and plenty more to come. I can’t wait!
Dunja Đuđić
Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, concerts, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.
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