Overall Winner: “Silent Despair” by Luca Lorenz
The 2025 European Wildlife Photographer of the Year Awards, hosted by the German Society for Nature Photography, showcase nature’s raw beauty and brutal truths through breathtaking imagery.
This year’s standout is Luca Lorenz, a 20-year-old self-taught German photographer, whose black-and-white photo “Silent Despair” moved judges with its tragic tale of an owl mourning his lost family. The collection of 25 winning images spans emotional and dramatic scenes—from Arctic fox hunts to intimate elephant moments—each frame revealing deep empathy and storytelling. These photographs go beyond visual appeal, offering a soulful connection to the wild and reminding us of nature’s fragility. More than a competition, the awards are a call to feel, protect, and remain endlessly inspired by the natural world.
More: GDT
Birds – Winner: “Swan lake” by Terje Kolaas
Birds – Runner-Up: “At the top of the food chain” by Audun Rikardsen
Mammals – Winner: “Time for a swim!” by Federica Cordero
Mammals – Runner-Up: “Nighttime hunter” by Csaba Daroczi
Other Animals – Winner: “Amongst the stars” by Tibor Litauszki
Other Animals – Runner-Up: “Night vision” by Ivo Niermann
Plants and Fungi – Winner: “Inferno” by Tobias Richter
Plants and Fungi – Runner-Up: “Hare’s-foot clover” by Theo Bosboom
Landscapes – Winner: “Minimalistic triad” by David Menzel
Landscapes – Runner-Up: “Golden treasure” by Sven Začek
Underwater World – Winner: “Unsung heroes” by Angel Fitor
Underwater World – Runner-Up: “Role reversal” by Jonathan Fieber
Man and Nature – Winner: “Forensics” by Britta Jaschinski
Man and Nature – Runner-Up: “Dangerous meal” by Audun Rikardsen
Nature´s Studio – Winner: “War is near” by Hannu Ahonen
Nature´s Studio – Runner-Up: “Black, white and red” by Anja Brouwer
Young Photographers to 14 Years – Winner: “At dawn” by Lubin Godin
Young Photographers to 14 Years – Runner-Up: “Spider versus lizard” by Mattia Terreo
Young Photographers 15 to 17 Years – Winner: “Predator” by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas
Young Photographers 15 to 17 Years – Runner-Up: “Nocturnal race” by Árpád Király
Fritz Pölking Prize: “Liebe, Hass und Klapperschlangen” by Javier Aznar
Fritz Pölking Prize: “Norwegischer Winter” by Tobias Gjerde
Rewilding Europe Award – Winner: “Comeback of the Atlantic sturgeon” by Jon A. Juárez
Rewilding Europe Award – Runner-Up: “The green heart of Bucharest” by Zoltán Gergely Nagy