The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest has unveiled a captivating preview of 14 finalists from its 61st edition, selected from a record-breaking 60,636 entries. These extraordinary images capture the raw drama of nature, from intense predator confrontations to the delicate balance between wildlife and human encroachment. The competition, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London, represents the world's biggest platform for wildlife photography.

The finalist images tell compelling stories of survival, adaptation, and the changing natural world. Spanish photographer Marina Cano captured a powerful moment titled "Deadly Lessons," showing three young cheetahs practicing their hunting skills with a Gunther's dik-dik while their mother watched on in Kenya's Samburu National Reserve. The photograph, taken just seconds before the prey was killed, illustrates a crucial stage in the cubs' journey toward independence.

Dramatic wildlife encounters feature prominently among the selections. Italian photographer Gabriella Comi documented a tense standoff between a lion and a cobra in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, capturing the exact moment when the big cat faced down the venomous intruder after being awakened from its midday rest. Meanwhile, French photographer Emmanuel Tardy highlighted the impact of habitat fragmentation by photographing a brown-throated three-toed sloth clinging to a barbed wire fence post in Costa Rica after crossing a road.

The competition showcases remarkable diversity in both subjects and photographers' ages. Young talents shine throughout the categories, including 10-year-old Jamie Smart from the UK, who captured a red deer stag's mighty bellow during autumn rutting season in Bradgate Park. Swiss teenager Leana Kuster, competing in the 15-17 years category, photographed a greater flamingo scratching its head in France's Camargue region, demonstrating the grace of these filter-feeding birds.

Technical excellence and creative vision converge in images that reveal hidden aspects of animal behavior. Indian photographer Bidyut Kalita documented a potter wasp mid-flight carrying caterpillar prey to its mud chamber nest, while Bangladeshi-British photographer Kutub Uddin created an alien-like landscape showing slime mold reproductive structures on a fallen tree in West Sussex, England.

Climate change and environmental challenges emerge as recurring themes throughout the finalists' work. British photographer Bertie Gregory spent two months with an emperor penguin colony in Antarctica, capturing chicks taking a dramatic 15-meter leap from an ice shelf into the ocean. Scientists believe declining sea ice may force more penguins to breed on ice shelves, making such behavior increasingly common.

The contest also addresses urgent conservation issues through its photojournalism category. Sri Lankan photographer Lakshitha Karunarathna documented the tragic impact of human waste on wildlife, showing a solitary Asian elephant navigating a disposal site where approximately 20 elephants died over eight years after consuming plastic waste and food wrappers.

Underwater photography reveals both beauty and environmental concerns. American photographer Ralph Pace immersed himself among Pacific sea nettles in Monterey Bay, California, protecting himself with petroleum jelly while documenting these adaptable creatures that are appearing in larger numbers due to warming seas and overfishing.

Expert judges evaluated entries based on creativity, originality, and technical abilities across wildlife photography, filmmaking, conservation, and science categories. According to Kathy Moran, chair of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury, "There is nothing more rewarding or moving than seeing our relationship to the natural world, in all its complexity and splendor, shared on the world's biggest platform for wildlife photography."

The 19 category-winning images and the overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner will be announced on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, during an awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum in London. All 100 highly commended works will be showcased in an exhibition at the same venue beginning October 17, 2025, offering visitors an unprecedented view of wildlife photography's finest achievements.