The reFocus Awards has announced the stunning winners of the 2025 Photographers of the Year at the World Photo Annual.
“This year’s competition drew thousands of submissions from photographers representing 109 countries, marking the most globally diverse edition to date,” a statement reads. “Selected by an international panel of industry leaders, the 2025 honorees were recognized for exceptional storytelling, technical mastery, and artistic innovation.”
Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Wildlife
For 15+ years I’ve returned to Bharatpur’s wetlands, but last year was unique. Algae blooms boosted fish, drawing Darters—and opportunistic Grey Herons. In a split-second heist, herons snatched fish mid-air from Darters. After years of patience, I finally captured this breathtaking drama.
Credit: Baiju Patil / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Animals
We hiked to this location by this Dalmatian. The landscape was completely shrouded in thick gray fog—we couldn’t see a thing. We waited, hoping for a change, but for a while, it seemed like we were entirely alone in an endless void. The sun finally began to break through, like a beacon of hope.
Credit: Bellot Audrey / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Nature
Where silence ends and thunder begins. A single moment frozen in flight.
Credit: Jarrod Saw / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Underwater
The Ghost goby is adept at hiding. Growing to about 2 cm long, they are well adapted to camouflage. With transparent bodies, fins with suction for firm grip, and low set gills to hide movement, they evade their predators. In the meantime, their large, angled eyes are on the lookout for plankton.
Credit: Simon Biddie / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Underwater
A solitary shark glides through the open ocean, framed by rays of sunlight that pierce the blue like a cathedral of light.
Credit: Remuna Beca / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Nature
The Tulip Nebula glows 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 universe’s beauty and mystery.
Credit: Dylan Fohringer / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Landscapes
A volcanic plume rises into the sky as the first light of morning spills across the ridges of Mount Bromo in East Java, Indonesia. The scene balances violence and serenity, ash and illumination, reminding us of nature’s dual power to destroy and to inspire.
Credit: Timon Halbach / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
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 intertwines with responsibility, freedom with constraints, and childhood with the inevitability of growing up too soon.
Credit: Yehor Lemzyakoff / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Photographer of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Landscapes
Melting iceberg along the West Coast of Greenland
Credit: Randall (Randy) Hanna / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
Discovery of the Year (Gold Category Winner) – Travel
A winter day in Muş… Children lead their cattle into the hot spring. A ritual of life, in silence, mist, and warm water.
Credit: Rahsan Firtina / reFocus Awards World Photo Annual 2025
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