Photographer of the Year 2025 and Category Winner, Pet Portraits. Photo: Therese Asplund / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Throughout 2025, members of The Society of Photographers had the opportunity to submit their work to a Monthly Image Competition. And each month, photographs would be judged, with the cream of the crop marked as a Gold Award-winning image across one of the 28 categories. This acknowledgement then shortlisted a photograph for the 2025 Photographer of the Year competition, where the winners were just announced.
Of the nearly 6,000 photographs in the competition, Therese Asplund won the prestigious title of 2025 Photographer of the Year. Her striking image features four small birds on a branch against a stark white background.
The clarity of the image displays the creatures’ distinctive personalities. One is sitting firmly on the branch, staring at the others as they struggle to gain purchase on the already-full bench. Another appears to fret, looking like it’s going to slip, and a story inevitably builds in the mind of the viewer. The strong visual made the image a standout and ultimately worthy of the top title. “Demonstrating outstanding skill, narrative depth, and execution,” the competition’s judges write, “this bold and distinctive image emerged as a clear standout and generated animated discussion among the judges.”
Second and third places were also awarded. Norwegian photographer Cecilie Stuedal won second place for a dramatic photo of a red fox snapping at a crab in mid-air, while British photographer Terry Donnelly was awarded third place for a seemingly double image featuring the reflection of a pilot in a window as they hover above the city below.
Scroll down to see a selection of winning images from the 2025 competition. Then, visit The Society of Photographers and learn more about the professional organization.
Check out a selection of winning images from The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
2nd Place, Photographer of the Year 2025 and Category Winner, The Natural World—Wild Animals. Photo: Cecilie Stuedal / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
3rd Place, Photographer of the Year 2025 and Category Winner, Documentary. Photo: Terry Donnelly / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, The Natural World—Botanical and Fungi. Photo: Angi Wallace / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Macro. Photo: Pedro Luis Ajuriaguerra /
The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Media and Press. Photo: Terry Donnelly / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, In-Camera. Photo: Arne Bivrin / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Illustrative. Photo: Michael Hayes / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Architecture. Photo: Tim Wilde / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Events. Photo: Gary Neville / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, The Natural World—Landscapes. Photo: Lorraine Finney / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Travel. Photo: Mark Scicluna / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Open Avant Garde. Photo: Anna Almen / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Wedding. Photo: Seiji Nishimori / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
Category Winner, Environmental. Photo: Shiva Mehta / The Society of Photographers’ Photographer of the Year 2025.
