We bring you a ‘sneak peek’ of some of the highly commended images awarded in the sixty-first Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition is the world’s leading and most prestigious nature photography competition and touring exhibition.
These images have been selected from a record-breaking over 60 000 entries across 113 countries and territories by an international jury of experts.
The images will join a total of 100 photographs in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, from Friday 17 October 2025.
The winning images will be revealed on 14 October.
Pictures courtesey of The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The morning light frames the amber eyes of a male coyote within the black-tipped tail of a female. This photograph was captured at Bernal Heights Park, California, USA. It received a highly commended award in the 11-14 years category. Picture: Parham PourahmadA red deer stag as it gives a mighty bellow during the autumn rut in Bradgate Park, UK. This image was highly commended in the 10 years and younger category. Picture: Jamie SmartA hard-working potter wasp mid-flight with caterpillar prey for its young, photographed in Goalpara, Assam, India. Picture: Bidyut KalitaA solitary Asian elephant navigating a waste disposal site in Sri Lanka. Highly Commended in the Photojournalism category. Picture: Lakshitha KarunarathnaThe clouds reflected in salt ponds that span San Francisco Bay. Highly Commended in the Wetlands: The Bigger Picture category. Picture: Jassen TodorovFruit bats leave their roost in the ruins of a historical monument in Banda, Maharashtra, India. Picture: Sitaram RaulA brown-throated three-toed sloth clinging tightly to a barbed wire fence post in El Tanque, San Carlos, Alajuela, Costa Rica. Picture: Emmanuel TardyA group of cheetahs after they’ve caught a Gunther’s dik-dik in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. Highly Commended in the Behaviour: Mammals category. Picture: Marina CanoFledgling emperor penguin chicks walk along the edge of an ice shelf in Atka Bay, Antarctica. Highly Commended in the Animals in their Environment category. Picture: Bertie GregoryA greater flamingo in the act of scratching its head with one of its unmistakably long legs. Photographed in Pont de Gau, Camargue, France. Highly commended in the15 to 17 years category. Picture: Leana Kuster
