The 2025 Nature “inFocus” Photography Contest Has Just Announced Its Winners (40 Pics)

Location: Eastern Steppe, Mongolia

"On the windswept steppes of Mongolia, six young Pallas’s cats emerge from their rocky shelter. Still dependent on their mother’s care, these eight-week-old kittens explore their surroundings with caution and wonder, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of this elusive species."

Location: Eastern Mongolia

"Blanketed by frost in the Mongolian wilderness, a Pallas’s cat endures the aftermath of a snowstorm at -35°C. Perfectly adapted to its frozen world, this elusive feline’s dense fur, flattened ears, and high-set eyes allow it to vanish into the landscape. "

Location: Komodo, Indonesia

"After days of fieldwork with local rangers, the photographer captures a Komodo dragon resting in shallow coastal water. As cold-blooded animals, they use water and mud to cool themselves and often swim or walk along the seabed while searching for food or mates."

Location: Uganda

"In the forests of Uganda, a young male chimpanzee lounges effortlessly on a twisted vine, pausing to observe the world below."

Location: Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

"In the Maasai Mara, two elephants intertwine their trunks in a gentle moment of play. The black-and-white frame highlights the texture of their skin and the quiet connection shared between them."

Location: Japan, Hokkaido, Obihiro

"Monmongas, or flying squirrels, live in Hokkaido, Japan. Though not uncommon, photographing them is difficult. They are small, fast, and nocturnal, active mostly at dawn or dusk. During mating season, this one finally peeked out of its nest, 5 metres high, long enough for a single photo."

Location: Vashlovani National Park, Georgia

"In a cluster of unusually shaped trees, the photographer sets soft lights using flashes and fabric to guide a fox into view. With the setup blending into the canopy, the moment offers a brief look at a usually elusive visitor moving through the night."

Location: Chennai, India

"From a hollow tree in Chennai, a family of Spotted Owlets peers curiously at the world outside."

Location: Land of the Leopard National Park, Russia

"In Russia’s Land of the Leopard National Park, one of the world’s rarest big cats moves quietly through its forest home. The photographer recalls that the Amur leopard appeared for only a moment before slipping back into the dense cover of the trees."

Location: Mysore, Karnataka

"Adaptable and elusive, leopards have long lived alongside people in many parts of India. But as towns grow and natural spaces shrink, encounters like this have become more common. This moment of a leopard moving past an open doorway offers a glimpse into the delicate relationship shared by people and wildlife in changing landscapes."

Location: Maldives

"Drawn from the ocean’s depths by plankton gathered near a boat’s light, a whale shark glides through the dark waters. The scene feels celestial, its white spots gleaming like distant stars, the light below forming a stairway through the sea."

Location: Wrangel Island, Russia

"On Wrangel Island, a polar bear pauses after a successful hunt, a trail of blood marking its path across the snow."

Location: Udaipur, Rajasthan

"A young leopard feeds on a cow carcass beside garbage and fast-moving traffic. The scene reflects how adaptable these cats are and how closely they now live to human settlements."

Location: Bakonybél, Hungary

"After five years of observation, the photographer captures a badger emerging from one of its many sett exits beneath a star-filled sky. The scene brings together earth and cosmos, offering a sense of scale between a small night wanderer and the vastness above."

Location: Anilao, Philippines

"During a nighttime blackwater dive, a female Paper Nautilus clings to a drifting leaf, using it as a temporary refuge in the open sea. The encounter offers a brief look at how ocean creatures adapt to life in deep, open waters and the world below the waves."

Location: Andhra Pradesh

"An endangered Fishing Cat looks into a DSLR camera trap, surrounded by litter carried in by the tides. It offers a glimpse of how deeply human activity influences even the most hidden corners of the wild."

Location: Badlapur, Maharashtra

"Mongooses often visit this backyard, inspiring the photographer to document their hidden world. In this image, a female and her young one explore a small patch of land they depend on, now scattered with an empty mango box.f"

Location: Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh

"During a safari in Dudhwa, the photographer watched a jungle cat drag a monocellate cobra onto the road, beginning a 20-minute duel of strikes and lunges. With quick reflexes and precision, the cat overpowered its venomous opponent and claimed its meal."

Location: Busanga plains , Kafue National park, Zambia

"In Zambia’s Busanga Plains, the rains bring back the mud that hippos love most. From above, they can be seen resting and playing in their muddy paradise on the African plains."

Location: Aurangabad, Maharashtra

"A grey heron lifts into the air, backlit by the afternoon sun. Startled by a passing fisherman, it circles above the lake, offering the photographer an unexpected view as it poops in flight. The moment is playful reminder of how nature creates its own surprising patterns."

Location: Bishnupur, West Bengal

"At Kaladai, elephants wade toward the river while villagers shine torchlight and set off firecrackers to keep them away. The scene reflects a river that both sides depend on, where the needs of people and the elephants meet."

Location: Borivali, Maharashtra

"When the monsoon arrives in Mumbai, leftover open spaces become temporary breeding grounds for Indian bullfrogs. As natural soil patches disappear, frogs turn to places like this half-built bus depot. A male in breeding colours calls for a mate with parked buses forming the backdrop."

Location: Shiraki Military Airfield, Kakheti, Georgia

"On an abandoned Soviet airfield now used for grain storage, rodents thrive and attract barn owls. New nest boxes installed through a conservation effort allowed the owls to settle and breed. Under the pale morning moon, an owl stands watch as a horseshoe bat crosses the quiet sky."

Location: Ellesmere Island, Canada

"An Arctic Wolf shows signs of a recent hunt as a muskox herd forms a defensive circle, horns facing out to guard their calves. But chaos followed when the pack seized a few young ones and tore them apart for a small meal before moving on."

Location: Socorro Islands, Mexico

"In a rocky crevice, Caribbean spiny lobsters gather on one side while resting whitetip reef sharks occupy the other. The unusual pairing shows how very different species find safety in the same underwater shelters."

Location: Binbrook, Toronto, Canada

"While walking a familiar trail in Canada, the photographer noticed a maple tree releasing its colourful leaves across the grass. Wanting to capture the shift of the season, they used an in-camera multiple exposure to layer the colours into a soft impression of autumn."

Location: Kerala, Mezhathur, India

"In Kerala, stingless bees of the Tetragonula family guard the tube-shaped entrance of their hive, built from wax, resin, and mud. Their careful work and quiet vigilance reflect the intricate lives of these small pollinators."

Location: Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

"An elephant moves through a landfill, its foot sinking into the waste that now surrounds its foraging paths. A deep cut on its trunk, likely from a wire trap, reveals the risks hidden in human altered spaces. The scene reflects how closely wildlife lives with the challenges we create."

Location: Zala county, Hungary

"As dusk settles over a small Hungarian floodplain, snake’s head fritillaries reveal their reddish, bell shaped flowers beneath swaying trees. The soft blue hour light gathers around them, creating a quiet moment where the photographer needs only to pause and press the shutter."

Location: Sepoydhura Tea Garden, West Bengal

Location: Amboli, Maharashtra

"A Malabar gliding frog rests quietly on a yam-footed plant in the northern Western Ghats. Blending into the layered greens around it, the frog becomes part of the habitat, showing how well these amphibians use colour and form to stay hidden."

Location: Kasarsai, Maharashtra

"Two snails feed on a decaying Termitomyces mushroom, lit from behind with a LED torch. A long exposure captures the slow stillness of the snails while revealing drifting spores and subtle diffraction colours, creating a gentle look at life unfolding on the forest floor."

Location: Qatar

"A single eye peers through the bars of a cage, capturing a quiet moment of confinement."

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat

"This image shows how city development keeps expanding while urban birds learn to adapt. On his way to work, the photographer discovered a colony of Bank Mynas nesting in a wall that had once been covered with writing. It reflects how development may be constant, yet nature continues to find its own way to survive within it."

Location: Coorg, India

"The photograph captured several males surrounding a female Western Ghats tree frog in a rare polyandrous ritual. In this form of mating, one female mates with multiple males, thereby increasing the odds of her eggs being fertilised."

Location: Agumbe, Karnataka

"While birding in Agumbe, the photographer noticed movement on the forest floor. On a closer look, it turned out to be an Indian jumping ant carrying a roach almost its own size, a striking display of strength from one of nature’s tiniest creatures."

Location: Kollur, Karnataka

"A fishing spider rests at the edge of a waterbody, holding its freshly caught fish. The moment captures how aptly it is named and how remarkable nature’s hunters can be."

Location: Aurangabad, Maharashtra

"At his city railway station, the photographer noticed rosy starlings perched above an advertisement showing a smiling face. He managed to capture the moment from a brief gap in traffic. "

Location: Gujarat, India

"On a cold night beneath a bright sky, a fox moves across a ridge during a long exposure, its shape turning almost transparent. A shooting star passes behind it, creating a quiet blend of motion and starlight that feels like a moment borrowed from an old story."

Location: Ras Al Khor wildlife sanctuary, Dubai

"At Ras Al Khor, flamingos feed peacefully against Dubai’s towering skyline. This urban wetland, home to over 25,000 migratory birds each winter, thrives amid rapid development, filtering water, storing carbon, and sustaining life even as the city grows around it."