Underwater Winner: “Moby Dick” by James Ferrara
The winners of the second annual edition of The Nature Photography Contest have been revealed, with Christopher Paetkau crowned overall winner for a wonderful shot of a polar bear resting in a field of vibrant fireweed flowers. Alongside Paetkau’s “Photography of the Year,” Thomas Vijayan was named “Photographer of the Year” for demonstrating “his keen eye for composition, storytelling, and the delicate balance that governs the natural world” across various categories.
Among those different categories, of course, it was “Underwater” that we were most excited to see. DPGer James Ferrara’s perfectly framed shot of a sperm whale cruising through clumps of sargassum weed—featured in his DPG Photographer of the Week article—was the category winner among a wonderful selection of finalists by Simon Biddie, Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto, Kwon Chan, Lorincz Ferenc, Wan Yong Chong, Remuna Beca, Andy Lambert, Jun He, and Theo Maynier.
Check out the “Underwater” category finalists below, and head over to the competition website to see the rest of the recognized images. The Nature Photography Contest 2025 is expected to launch in May.
Underwater Finalist: “A Sunrise Glide” by Simon Biddie
Underwater Finalist: “Bad Boy” by Ilaria Mariagiulia Rizzuto
Underwater Finalist: “Big Dreams” by Kwon Chan
Underwater Finalist: “Carp Love” by Lorincz Ferenc
Underwater Finalist: “Circle of Life” by Wan Yong Chong
Underwater Finalist: “Connection” by Remuna Beca
Underwater Finalist: “Jellyfish” by Andy Lambert
Underwater Finalist: “Pike Hunting” by Ferenc Lorincz
Underwater Finalist: “Place of Residence” by Jun He
Underwater Finalist: “Sous Ecorte” by Theo Maynier