Congratulations to 2025 Overall Winner, Ross Gudgeon
A psychedelic inside-out macro view of a cauliflower soft coral has been named winner of the 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year. The image taken by West Australian photographer Ross Gudgeon was captured in the waters of Lembeh Strait, off North Sulawesi, in Indonesia. The coral is named for its characteristic resemblance to a cauliflower, with numerous small, rounded, bump-like polyps that give it a puffy texture. Ross was able to achieve the unique perspective by using a Nauticam EMWL, an underwater version of the probe or insect eye lens. For his achievement, Ross received the overall winner’s prize of $10,000 and a cruise with Coral Expeditions.
Category winners and runners-up
Portfolio
Winner: Peter McGee for Sydney Cephalopod Portraits
Animals in Nature
Winner: Charles Davis for PJ & Crabs
Runner-up: Charles Davis for The Leap
Aerial
Winner: Charles Davis for Jabiru Leaf
Runner-up: Dylan de Haas for Waves of Influence
Macro
Winner: Talia Greis for Liftoff
Runner-up: Jakub Hodáň for Peppermint Stick Insect
Landscape
Winner: Darren Wassell for The Beast
Runner-up: William Patino for Enchanted Forest
Threatened Species
Winner: Etienne Littlefair for Red Dawn
Runner-up: Steffen Foerster for At the Peak of his Game
Monochrome
Winner: Rachelle Mackintosh for Party Streamer
Runner-up: Justin Gilligan for Inquisitive Currawong
Our Impact
Winner: Sara Corlis for Skink in a Tight Spot
Runner-up: Joanna Kelly for Metal Only
Astrophotography
Winner: Marley Butler for Oberon Kenobi
Runner-up: Kavan Chay for Crown of Light
Junior:
Winner: Isabella Rogers for Perched
Runner-up: Jamie Smith for Death in Paradise
The resulting exhibition will run from 30 August 2025 - 1 February 2026