Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025, the winning images

A ghostly shot of a rare hyena visiting the skeletal remains of a long-abandoned diamond mining town in Kolmanskop, Namibia, has won the best image in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award. 

The annual competition, run by London’s Natural History Museum, received a record-breaking 60,636 entries from 113 countries and territories this year. Winners were announced this week, with South African photographer Wim van den Heever claiming the top prize.

“How fitting that this photograph was made in a ghost town,” said Kathy Moran, chair of the judging panel. “You get a prickly feeling just looking at this image and you know that you’re in this hyena’s realm.”

She added: “I also love the twist on this interpretation of ‘urban’ – it was once but is no longer a human-dominated environment. Abandoned by miners, wildlife has taken over. Repopulated, if you will. Is it still a town – it would seem that way to me – just no longer ours.”

“This picture is a multi-layered story of loss, resilience and the natural world’s silent triumph, making it an unforgettable piece of wildlife and conservation photography,” said Akanksha Sood Singh, jury member for the competition.

Now in its sixty-first year, the competition continues to be a ‘powerful platform for visual storytelling, showing the diversity, beauty and complexity of the natural world and humanity’s relationship to it’.

“With the inclusion of our Biodiversity Intactness Index, this year’s exhibition will be our best combination of great artistry and groundbreaking science yet, helping visitors to become inspired to be advocates for our planet,” said Dr Doug Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum.

An exhibition of the winning images launches on Friday 17th October at the Natural History Museum. More information can be found here.

Winning shots: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025