Travel Photo Competition Finalists 2025 – Wildlife Category

Browse through our shortlisted images

Wildlife photographs are often admired first for their visual impact, but their value can extend well beyond aesthetics. The shortlisted images in this year’s Wildlife category reflect both sides of that balance. Alongside striking compositions of thrilling wildlife encounters, these photographs tell stories – about animal behaviour, the environments species depend on, and the ways wildlife increasingly intersects with human activity. Together, the finalists demonstrate how wildlife photography, when approached thoughtfully, can be both visually engaging and informative, offering insight into the natural world and the realities it faces.

Our judges had a tough job picking the top ones, but here’s the shortlist for you. Congrats to everyone featured! Check out the Landscape and People & Cultures categories as well, with winners to be announced shortly.

Title: Crown of Thorns
Photographer: Alia Noordin
Location: Borneo
Description:
“In the heart of Tanjung Puting, Borneo, torrential rain turned the forest into a curtain of water. Standing soaked in the dense undergrowth leeches clinging to boots and skin. I watched as this orangutang responded to the downpour not with movement, but with intention. Slowly, it drew nearby branches overhead, pulling leaves into place as shelter. Eyes closed, it waited out the storm. For me this became a quiet symbol of resilience in one of Earth’s most threatened rainforest.” 

Title: Maternal Serenities
Photographer: Estebane Rezkallah
Location: Greenland
Description:
“Here, on a still-winter sea ice, we are almost trapped as the polar night begins to fall. A mother and her two cubs, clearly hungry, force her to slow down and take care of them. In this moment, she seems to enter a state of meditation, as if she forgets the rest of the world to give strength and calm to her young. This scene, full of quiet and delicacy, perfectly shows the balance between survival and maternal instinct in the Arctic.”

Title: Parenting
Photographer: Santanu Bose
Location: India
Description
“I had a major patience win capturing this black-hooded oriole parenting moment. After several days of patiently waiting for this little one to peek out of its cozy nest, I finally got this shot of the dedicated bird’s parenting strategy, focusing on ensuring the survival of their young.”

Title: Life Hangs by a Thread
Photographer: Xiaoping Lin
Location: China
Description:
“This was taken on the Yundang Lake​ in Xiamen, China. Xiamen​ has long pursued sustainable ecological practices, improving bay water dynamics and protecting the marine ecosystem, with the lake area’s environment greatly improved. Every time the tide rises, the gates of the West Embankment in Xiamen are opened to let seawater into Yundang Lake. It is often seen that small fish are rolling and leaping in the surging seawater, and egrets in the air and big fish in the lake are competing for the small fish at the gate – a spectacular sight of egrets and fish flying together.  

This photograph was taken on June 17, 2024. On the turbulent sea surface, half of a small fish’s body had fallen into the wide-open mouth of a big fish, as an egret chased closely above. The fish’s life hung by a thread. Between the huge mouth and the sharp beak, the struggle of the fish’s fragile life was captured by the camera, forcing us to confront the harsh essence of survival. Yet what surges in the depth of the lens is not merely the law of the jungle, but the astonishing tension of life bursting forth in the face of adversity. The small fish actually escapes. This photograph records the most primal game in nature from a nearly cold perspective – a silent interpretation of survival of the fittest.”

Title: The Cold Buffet
Photographer: Estebane Rezkallah
Location: Greenland
Description:
“During a four-month of expedition in this region of the world, I had the opportunity to witness an event of exceptional rarity – approximately 68 polar bears gathered around a whale carcass. Capturing this image required nearly 16 hours of patience under particularly demanding environmental conditions. Constant temperature fluctuations made fog ever-present, requiring long periods of waiting to capture the rare moments when the light became usable. 

The scene reveals the two sides of the natural world: the death of one being enabling the survival of another. Normally solitary, polar bears display an unusual behavior here; no significant aggression was observed. This social sharing, exceptional for the species, represents an essential survival strategy. This shared food resource will allow them to endure the Arctic summer and may even extend their chances of survival throughout the year. This scene, both powerful and fragile, bears witness to wildlife adaptation in a changing environment and highlights the growing fragility of these natural balances.”

Title: Lioness Eyes Behind Birds
Photographer: Willem Kruger
Location: South Africa
Description:
“I took this image during a very dry season in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. While a pride of lions approached a waterhole, birds also arrived in flocks. The birds landed on the edge of the waterhole – just to sit for a second on the edge before taking off again. In the photo, a flock of a variety of small birds took off while one of the lionesses was drinking water. She kept an eye on the birds as lions are natural hunters and anything that moves interest them.”

Title: Albatros Argument
Photographer: Simon Roberts
Location: Falkland Islands
Description:
“Black-browed albatrosses at “the neck”, Falklands. The high concentration of nests leads to regular squabbles and I was able to get down low, removing the background for a high-key image.”

Title: Silent Victims of Human Waste
Photographer: Damith Danthanarayana
Location: Sri Lanka
Description:
“This picture reveals a sad reality – elephants eating garbage in Ampara, Sri Lanka. Even though plastic waste threatens their lives, there’s no effective solution from authorities. We found a small elephant hurt by a homemade explosive, which highlights the danger elephants pose. This picture remind us to act quickly to reduce the impact of reckless waste disposal on elephants and promote peaceful coexistence between humans and wildlife.”

Title: Corsac Fox Cub in Daisies
Photographer: Olga Rudchenko
Location: Russia
Description:
“Fluffy ears and a surprised look – heading towards a big, new world! This cub emerged from his burrow with wide-open eyes. It is still learning to listen to the wind, distinguish scents, and hide in the tall grass. The steppe warms him with the warm spring sun and embraces him with daisies – tenderly, like his mother. This is his first spring!

I spent almost a month in Kalmykia observing a family of corsac foxes (steppe foxes). I would come and lie down off to the side so as not to disturb the peace of the corsac family. In the heat, in the cold, for 5-6 hours every day. The babies grew up before my eyes. I kept my distance and gradually, with patience, moved a bit closer. The fox, seeing that I poses no threat to her and her cubs, allowed me observe.

Not every successful photograph of a wild animal is just about technique. It’s about trust, cultivated step by step, breath by breath. And about the invisible love that connects the photographer and nature in a single, silent dialogue.”

Title: Jackal King
Photographer: Willem Kruger
Location: South Africa
Description:
“This was taken in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. A group of lions killed an eland the previous day and when we arrived at the sight early the next morning, after the lions had left the kill. Around the killing were about 15 black backed jackals lying having their turn they have a bite from the carcass.”