National Geographic reveals 2025 Pictures of the Year, from wildlife to landscapes, scientific discoveries and human narratives

Each year, National Geographic highlights a collection of the most captivating images taken by Nat Geo photographers over the past 12 months in “Photos of the Year.”

For 2025, Nat Geo has compiled 25 extraordinary images from the past year, which editor-in-chief Nathan Lamb writes “symbolize a sense of urgency, a call to preserve what is in danger of being lost, as well as a reminder of the poetic beauty to be found in persistence, in daring to dream of a better future.”

The images in her story are diverse, including intimate wildlife portraits, sweeping landscapes, groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and intimate human narratives.

We’ve got a preview of the collection below.

A sperm whale floats in chunks of polar ice, dead and decomposing, its mouth hanging open. When photographer Roy Galitz captured the scene with a drone, the image was so captivating that it took a moment to notice the hungry female polar bear extending her jaw to pierce the whale’s dermal skin. Galitz was leading a photography expedition along the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard when he spotted a black dot floating on the horizon. As the icebreaker approached, he could see (and smell) that the dot was a huge, decomposing corpse emitting an occasional exhalation of noxious gas, “like a big cushion of air.” The encounter raised a curious question: What was the sperm whale doing here? This species prefers temperate climates, but as Arctic waters warm, some whales are moving outside their traditional range. Strong currents and winds may also have pushed it north, a happy surprise for both Galitz and the bear, who had worked hard for the feast. “You can see it’s trying to get in and out, but the skin is too thick.” (Photo by Roy Galitz)

Over the course of an action-packed day, photographer Stephen Wilkes watched the animals make their way toward a tiny waterhole at the height of a severe drought in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Elephants flared their ears. The legs of antelopes and zebras spread out in a mad dash. One hippopotamus dipped its head to attack an elephant calf, while another opened its powerful mouth in a terrifying display. Wilkes applies his signature style from day to night, snapping up to 1,500 images from a single vantage point over the course of 18 to 36 hours, seamlessly layering the best 50 or so moments to create a final image. (Photo by Stephen Wilkes)

In the arid plains of western Senegal, Africa’s ambitious Great Green Wall project is well underway. In 2007, African Union leaders envisioned a bold initiative to combat desertification by planting a massive line of plants before 2030, which would extend nearly 5,000 miles across more than 20 countries. If successful, the multi-billion-dollar restoration will be one of the largest steps ever taken to restore degraded lands. Whether this grand goal is achieved or not, local farmers are making progress in taking care of the “wall.” Maryam Samba Ba, shown here in the foreground, is the treasurer of And Book Am Am ​​(Together We Share the Wealth), an all-Senegalese food cooperative in Mbaye Awa. Nine years ago, the government granted a 15-acre plot of land, and today more than 400 members sell their produce in local markets or bring what they grow home to feed their families. (Photo by Miura Rajaunari)

This two-day-old piglet was bred to save lives. Scientists modified his genes in an attempt to harvest kidneys for transplantation into humans. Pigs like these represent new hope for tens of thousands of Americans in desperate need of kidneys, 66% of whom remain on the waiting list for more than a year. (Photo by Craig Cutler)

In order to solve the global energy crisis, scientists are developing powerful nuclear fusion devices called stars. This model was created in a German laboratory where international researchers built a much larger model that resulted in an astonishing 54 million degree Fahrenheit reaction. For 43 record seconds, it was the hottest entity in the entire solar system – including the center of the sun. (Photo by Paolo Verzon)

Take a look at the complete collection of National Geographic 2025 photos at natgeo.com/photos In the December issue of National Geographic magazine.

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