12 award-winning photos of our beautiful world

Get the daily Popular Science newsletter💡 Advances, discoveries and DIY advice sent every day of the week. The reFocus Awards have announced the stunning winners of the 2025 World Photo Annual Photographers of the Year. “This year’s competition attracted thousands of entries from photographers representing 109 countries, marking the most diverse edition to date,” a statement said. “Selected by an international panel of industry leaders, the 2025 winners were recognized for their exceptional storytelling, technical mastery and artistic innovation.” “The Perfect Heist”Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – WildlifeI have been returning to the Bharatpur wetlands for over 15 years, but last year was unique. Algae blooms stimulated fish, attracting opportunistic darters and gray herons. In a split-second heist, herons snatched fish from the open air at Darters. After years of patience, I finally captured this breathtaking drama.Credit: Baiju Patil / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 “Land of Light”Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – AnimalsWe hiked to this spot near this Dalmatian. The landscape was completely shrouded in thick gray fog: we could see nothing. We waited, hoping for change, but for a moment it seemed like we were entirely alone in an endless void. The sun finally began to shine through, like a glimmer of hope.Credit: Bellot Audrey / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 “Break”Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – NatureWhere the silence ends and the thunder begins. A single moment frozen in flight.Credit: Jarrod Saw / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 “The Ghost of the Reef”Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – SubmarineThe ghost goby knows how to hide. Reaching around 2cm in length, they are well suited for camouflage. With a transparent body, suction fins for a firm grip and low gills to hide movements, they escape their predators. Meanwhile, their large, slanting eyes are searching for plankton.Credit: Simon Biddie / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 "Glow"Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – UnderwaterA lone shark glides offshore, framed by the sun's rays that pierce the blue like a cathedral of light.Credit: Remuna Beca / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 "The Tulip Nebula"Discovery of the year (winner of the Gold category) – NatureThe Tulip Nebula shines like a delicate flower floating in space. Wisps of gas and dust catch the starlight, giving it an almost dreamlike glow. A quiet reminder of the beauty and mystery of the universe.Credit: Dylan Fohringer / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 “Ashes and Light”Discovery of the year (winner of the Gold category) – LandscapesA volcanic plume rises into the sky as the first light of morning spreads over the ridges of Mount Bromo, east Java, Indonesia. The scene balances violence and serenity, ashes and illumination, reminding us of nature's dual power of destruction and inspiration.Credit: Timon Halbach / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 “Lost Childhood”Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Film/Analog“Misplaced Childhood” explores the theme of early maturity among children growing up in rural Poland. This documentary series captures the moments where innocence meets responsibility, freedom meets constraints, and childhood meets the inevitability of growing up too soon.Credit: Yehor Lemzyakoff / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 "The edge of the iceberg"Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – LandscapesMelting icebergs along the west coast of GreenlandCredit: Randall (Randy) Hanna / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 “The Hot Springs Ritual”Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – TravelA winter day in Muş… Children lead their livestock to the hot spring. A ritual of life, in silence, mist and lukewarm water.Credit: Rahsan Firtina / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025 PopSci Outdoor Gift Guide 2025 20+ Editor-Approved Gifts for the Hikers on Your List