In Pictures: Winners of Australian Geographic nature photographer of the year 2025

A magnified view of a soft coral has been named the overall winner of the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2025 competition.

The photo was among 10 category winners that join the rest of the finalists in an exhibition at the South Australian Museum until February 2026.

The annual Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition asks photographers from around the world to celebrate the fauna, flora and natural formations of the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the New Guinea region.

Ross Gudgeon's photo entitled Fractal Forest was overall winner of the competition.

Described by the organisers as a "psychedelic inside-out macro view" of a cauliflower soft coral, it was taken with a special underwater camera which magnifies the image to produce stunning results.

Cauliflower soft coral is found in New South Wales in Australia and is known for its resemblance to a cauliflower with small rounded polyps that give it a puffy texture.

Isabella Roger's photo of two galahs, an Australian species of cockatoo, won the junior category.

The 17 year old said she took the photo during a morning walk.

"The light post being turned on in the early morning light helped my subject to stand out."

Entitled PJ & Crabs, this photo by Charles Davis in New South Wales won the Animals in Nature category.

Each year on the full moon tens of thousands of spider crabs shed their shells.

This is when they are most vulnerable to predators like this Port Jackson shark.

Ghost bats are Australia's only carnivorous bats.

They are very rare and photographer Etienne Littlefair spent years studying the nocturnal predators using thermal optics which detect heat so you can see images in the dark.

She captured this image entitled 'Red Dawn' on 1 January and said it was "an incredible way to usher in the New Year".

Winner of the Our Impact category, Sara Corlis discovered this small species of lizard called a garden skink in a brick wall

"I felt helpless as the lizard thrashed its body from side to side in an attempt to escape. Thankfully, it was eventually able to get itself free," she said.

Entitled 'Skink in a Tight Spot', judges said the photo shows "An uncomfortable moment captured beautifully."

Winner of the monochrome category this photo entitled 'Party Streamer' shows an orca leaping out of the water.

These types of whales actually hunt other whales and this is the moment the photographer has captured, just after it has caught some prey.

Looking like something out of Doctor Who, this photo of a reaper cuttlefish is included in the winner of the portfolio category.

The category invites photographers to submit six photos of a shared theme.

Cuttlefish are known for their ability to change colour quickly in response to mood.

The photographer believes this colour was a response to their presence.

The photos in the group were of cephalopods, a type of animal which includes squid, octopus and cuttlefish, in Sydney harbour .