38 Winning Images From The 2025 Travel Photographer Of The Year Announced

Bauchi, Northern Nigeria

A Gobirawa woman with distinctive facial scarification.

The Gobirawa live near the town of Bauchi and are pastoralists. They are a subgroup of the Hausa and have a long history of living in Northern Nigeria.

Jebel Shams, Oman

A man sits in the frame of an unfinished building in Oman, watching the last light fall over the mountains.

His shadow stretches across the glowing wall, creating a contrast between the raw interior and the serenity of the landscape beyond.

Varanasi, India

From above Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi, the scale of the Ganga Aarti becomes visible: hundreds of boats crowd the river, illuminated by the reflections of prayer lamps, while thousands gather along the ghats for the ritual dedicated to the Ganges.

Each evening, the ceremony unfolds in a blaze of fire and devotion, as people watch from the steps and from gently drifting boats, witnessing a tradition that has endured along this timeless river.

Athens, Greece

An impressionistic-style photo of a Nemoptera coa on Helichrysum. I took this photo in May 2025 on a mountain near Athens, Greece. I wanted to capture the fleeting feeling I got when this insect landed on the flower, which is why I chose this approach for my frame.

The image was taken from a helicopter with open doors flying over Lake Magadi in the south of Kenya.

“On the way to Mars”

The landscape is extremely hostile, harsh, and dry, and the water evaporates very fast. The shallow, highly alkaline water of Lake Magadi is rich in algae and microorganisms, which give it its blood-red color.

From a bird's-eye view, the structures of the subsoil also become visible, opening up the same unique perspective that the flamingos have. Looking at the image, it almost felt that the birds were on a mission to explore planet Mars.

Morii Lake, Bucharest, Romania

I was on an outing with my friend, walking along a path known only to us, when the twittering of Spotted Flycatchers caught our attention. It seemed like there were quite a few of them. I moved slowly with my camera ready, trying to spot them, but at first, none were visible.

Then, a sudden movement in a bush drew my eye. A flycatcher was perched nicely on a twig, singing calmly without being disturbed by our presence. I stepped a little closer and decided to shoot through the bush, knowing the foreground would frame the bird beautifully and create a circular composition in the middle that would enhance the overall shot.

Factory Butte, Utah

Utah’s breathtaking landscapes — towering rocks, expansive deserts, and serene canyons — offer an unparalleled canvas for nature’s artistry.

Light plays a key role in transforming these dramatic terrains, revealing a spectrum of contrasts from soft, pale hues at dawn to bold, saturated tones at sunset. It doesn’t just illuminate the scenery; it brings it to life, creating moods and enhancing textures in ways that captivate the soul.

This photograph below captures the eroded textures and unique geological formations of Utah’s deserts, Factory Butte, showcasing the mesmerizing beauty of places like the Badlands, Canyonlands, or Escalante.

The interplay of deep blue tones and glowing orange highlights illustrates the incredible power of light. As sunlight grazes the surface at just the right angle — likely during the golden hours — it transforms the rugged terrain into an evocative masterpiece.

Utah’s landscapes shift dramatically under changing light, transitioning from vibrant and saturated to soft and muted. This image is a perfect reminder of how dynamic and alive this incredible state truly is — a place of awe, beauty, and peace in this troubled land.

Pithara Lakes, Western Australia

Aerial image of the colorful Pithara Lakes, Western Australia

Hanoi, Vietnam

Photo of a man sitting in the foreground, lost in thought, while a retired colonel plays table tennis behind him.

Kom Ombu Temple, Egypt

The Pharaoh Ptolemy XII at the Temple of Kom Ombo. He is looking longingly out of the frame at Sobek, the Crocodile God, with the two sharing a gaze for millennia.

Shobujpara, Thanahat, Chilmari, Kurigram, Rangpur

In the small village of Shobujpara, where I grew up, two children pause their play as a rainbow appears after a brief rain.

They had been running around the open field when the sky shifted into soft colors and the arc of light rose above them. The scene feels simple and familiar, reflecting the everyday beauty of rural Bangladesh and the innocence of village childhood. One child looks toward the horizon while the younger boy glances at the camera, capturing a quiet moment shaped by nature, play, and the gentle rhythm of life in a Bangladeshi village.

Delhi, India

A quintessential part of Indian cities is the vibrant array of street food. During Ramadan, special dishes are prepared in huge quantities in the lanes near Delhi’s Jama Masjid. Muslims stop at their favorite restaurants to pick up meals to break their fast in the prayer yard of India’s largest mosque.

This man squats on a counter for long hours, seasoning pan after pan of chicken dishes.

Altai Mountains, Western Mongolia

During the winter months, every body of water freezes over as temperatures plummet to an average of -35 to -40°C. Animals are cautious around the ice, as they risk slipping, falling, and injuring themselves.

During the 150 km, five-day Winter Migration, herds must cross many frozen bodies of water. In this image, a herd is navigating around a frozen lake, a detour that often makes the journey even longer.

Nordurfjordur, Árneshreppur, Iceland

In a week of touring North Iceland, there had been no quality light for landscape photography at all.

The day started as all the others had, with a bland blue sky and sunshine. However, within 10 miles, we drove into a bank of sea fog and a session with such beautiful light filtering through the fog onto the calm sea.

The fog thinning and thickening to reveal and then hide elements of the landscape.

Forest near the town of Kraliky, the Czech Republic

One early morning, I observed a nice tiny mushroom in the Bohemian forest of the Czech Republic… and a few months later, I discovered very different mushrooms during our walks through the Ivorian rainforest of tropical Africa!

Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, USA

A moody seagull shaking water off itself. I knew I needed to get as close as possible to capture the shot I wanted, so I slowly approached while taking pictures until it finally shook the water off.

Kyzylkup, Mangystau, Kazakhstan

The wonder of venturing into the spectacular Tiramisu Canyon, where its shapes and lines beautifully absorb the colors of the sunset.

Komodo Island, West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tanggara, Indonesia

Komodo dragons, native to a few Indonesian islands, primarily inhabit savanna grasslands, which are ideal for their hunting style, and tropical forests, which provide shelter and shade.

Coastal shorelines and mangrove forests, however, are also an important part of their environment and lifestyle. Komodo dragons are good swimmers and use their tail for propulsion (similar to crocodiles), though always keeping their head above the water.

While they are adept at swimming in deep water, they prefer traversing shallow waters whenever possible, where they can more comfortably walk across the seabed.