When One Shot Says It All: The Most Striking Photos From The 2025 Contest (45 Pics)

Sounds like a single note played on a piano, balanced composition with internal dynamics. Сonceptual timeless feminine figure in a graphic minimalist style, sensuality in a surreal majestic geometric idea.

Inspired by Ralph Gibson, Irving Penn, Ray Metzker, Trent Parke, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton.

Featured here is a top-down drone photograph of a fever of cownose rays approaching a school of menhaden fish. Taken just 150yards from the coast of New York.

The beginning stages of metamorphosis as I let go of what was and what I thought was meant to be. Today I accept that my life and my dreams are suspended like a chrysalis while my tears wash down the drain.

This image series reflects a complex web of unspoken truths and hidden emotions. This art of concealment protects us, shielding our true selves from the world's scrutiny. Vulnerability is a delicate, fragile state — one that exposes our innermost fears, desires, and pain.

Late Autumn rain showers lash the Sierra Mountains in California, as viewed from the White Mountains. Sept 30, 2011, Canon 5D.

At the foot of Wyoming's Tetons the waning day brings a cast of characters together to mingle for a moment of refreshingly untouched nature.

On a deserted beach, a group of believers meet with their Pastor to free themselves from the evil spirits that have taken hold of them. The liberation is only complete when they dive into the sea, lovingly led by the Pastor as he invokes God's presence to witness their purification.

A rooster crows in La Libertad, El Salvador, where poverty and luxury stand side by side. Smoke rises from burning trash - the only waste management locals have. Despite the area's tourist appeal, residents still struggle with limited clean drinking water.

A great egret draped in breeding plumage of elegant aigrettes curls its neck, giving me just a peek of one eye highlighted in the setting sun. In color, the lores around the eyer are a brilliant green, another hallmark of the great egrets' breeding season. This image conveys drama and mystery.

As the winter sun set, I wandered a quiet street, captivated by the intricate dance of high-tension cables against the sky. Their stark lines weaved a metallic web, contrasting the fading light. A simple yet mesmerizing reminder that beauty exists in the overlooked, waiting to be seen.

Sounds like a single note played on a piano, balanced composition with internal dynamics. Сonceptual timeless feminine figure in a graphic minimalist style, sensuality in a surreal majestic geometric idea.

Inspired by Ralph Gibson, Irving Penn, Ray Metzker, Trent Parke, Richard Avedon, Helmut Newton.

This is the artist Jan D’Esopo with her parrots, amongst them Campece the white cockatoo and the “Love of her life”. When I entered the scene, the electricity broke down and in the seconds when she called the emergency, the scene was just illuminated by the light of the phone.

River Li in Guilin, the Cormorant Men fish without the aid of a rod, hook or bait, instead, using a method which was first practiced in 960 AD by using a bird known as a cormorant. Tethered, the cormorant will dive for fish returning to the fisherman on the surface with their prize catch.

Symbolizing humility, poise, and the fulfillment of wishes, chamomile carries a powerful message of hope and strength. By embracing chamomile's gentle energy, we can tap into its ancient power to attract love, happiness, and positivity into our lives.

Sometimes we are reluctant to face our true selves because of our fear, doubt, pain, and failure. But every transformative journey begins with a single courageous step — the moment we dare to look within. The path to self-discovery isn’t just a journey — it’s an awakening to our highest potential.

The roof and steeple of St. Francis Xavier Church in Grand Marais, MN, which was part of a North East Minnesotan Ojibwe settlement from the 1880s-1930s. The perfectly symmetrical roofline is topped by one imperfect feature - a cross that tilts.

High contrast, tension, and kinetic energy. BMX riders merge with the geometry of space, creating a rhythm of visual symphony where strength, speed, and architecture blend into a single motion.

Bokator is one of the greatest Angkorian martial arts which Khmer people used to defend in war. This is the performance of Bokator during the event ceremony which takes place in Cambodia.

A portrait capturing a moment between my daughter and our dog which narrates the special relationship they share. It is visible how much love and joy they bring one another and how much my daughter cherishes her precious fur- sister.

A woman next to Beaux-Arts Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. She wanted to smoke a cigarette but the weather was very windy that day so she had to hide between two walls. This photo shows the exact moment when she lit her cigarette.

A small leopard cub perched on its termite mound waiting for the mother to return from a kill and staring out at the horizon. There was a male leopard in the area which makes you appreciate how even small cubs can survive in adversity.

Each descent into the mine is a battle with death, constantly vigilant against cave-ins and explosions. For meager wages, they can only continue to trade their lives and health for their family's basic needs, struggling to survive on the edge of poverty and danger.

In southern Vietnam, small man-sized round boats are often used as “ferries” to carry fishes from large fishing boats to the shore. These man-sized round boats are first weaved using bamboo strips via interlocking patterns. They are then coated with paraffin for a water-proofed finish.

Utmost cold night in Norway -30 degrees Celcius. Hares fighting for the food a holiday house owner puts out for them.