As 2025 draws to a close, National Geographic is celebrating the year by announcing its annual 2025 Photos, “featuring the most inspiring and defining images of the past year through the eyes of photographers and editors.”
“Picture of the Year is always an exciting and thought-provoking project,” National Geographic Editor-in-Chief Nathan Lamp said in a statement. “Each year, our photographers and editors sift through thousands of images looking for those rare moments that make us stop in our tracks.”
Lamp added: “Each photograph speaks of beauty, fragility, and wonder. Together, they reveal a collective sense of crisis. They are a call to preserve what is in danger of being lost, and a reminder of the poetic beauty found in continuing and having the courage to dream of a better future.”
The magazine said in a news release that this year’s collection “features 25 extraordinary images that span the breadth of National Geographic storytelling, from intimate wildlife portraits and comprehensive composites of changing landscapes to groundbreaking scientific discoveries and compelling human stories.”
Standout images in the collection include the first underwater photo of a great white shark in Maine, Europe’s last indigenous tribe, a female polar bear feeding on top of a sperm whale in Svalbard, and the exact moment an egg turns into a chick.
“These photos capture nature’s most remarkable moments, cutting-edge exploration, and the diverse experiences of people around the world,” Nat Geo said.
The top 25 images were selected from hundreds of thousands of images taken locally this year, painting a “comprehensive portrait of our changing world through the lens of Nat Geo’s global network of photographers spanning more than 20 countries.”
See: National Geographic’s 2025 “Photo of the Year”
Here are just a few of the fascinating images captured by Roye Galitz, Justin Zinn, Anand Varma, and Brian Skelly featured in National Geographic.
To celebrate the collection again this year, Nat Geo will be inviting viewers from around the world to share their photos and videos using the hashtag #NatGeoYourShotPOY25 from November 18th until the end of December for a chance to be featured on NatGeoYourShot. The magazine’s photo editor, Ann Farrar, will choose her favorites by Dec. 31, which will be shared on Nat Geo’s social accounts, the magazine said.
The complete collection can be found at NatGeo.com/Photos or in the December issue of National Geographic.
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
