Australian photographer Joy Kachina has been named Photographer of the Year at the 2025 Natural Landscape Photography Awards (NLPA).
Joy Kachina, Photographer of the Year, Winner. A blackwood tree native to the region is silhouetted by the rising sun in Meander Valley, Northern Tasmania. As sunlight touches the leaves, transpiration takes place.
The fifth annual contest received more than 11,000 entries from over 1,100 photographers across 64 countries.
Kachina’s winning portfolio captures the forests and landscapes of Tasmania.
Image: Joy Kachina
Like our own Photographer of the Year competition, The award recognises a cohesive collection of images rather than a single shot.
“This is such a wonderful surprise! The imagery in this competition wonderfully highlights the real experiences we have in nature,” she said.
Image: Joy Kachina
All entries in the competition were RAW files with no digital manipulation.
The Photograph of the Year went to Margrit Schwarz, for an image captured during a 12-day river trip in the Grand Canyon.
Margrit Schwarz, Abstract and Details, Photograph of the Year, Winner'. I made this photograph on the final morning of a twelve-day raft trip on the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon’s immensity was overwhelming, yet what captivated me most were the ancient layers of stone, shaped by time and water into abstract forms alive with mystery. For me, "Eye of the Canyon" remains an open invitation to explore, and to return - again and again.
Schwarz said, “What moved me most were the hidden abstract forms shaped by stone, water, and time.”
Other category winners included Luis Vilarino (Grand Landscape), David Shaw (Intimate Landscape), Ilan Shacham (Abstract Landscape), Lizzie Shepherd (Seascapes), Spencer Cox (Rocks and Geology), and Vojtech Schmidt (Frozen Worlds), with Australian photographers recognised including Paul Hoelen, Ian Callaghan, Samuel Markham and Anton Gorlin.
Luis Vilarino, Winner, Grand Landscape. The wind accumulated the snow at the foot of the gigantic blocks of ice based on the shore. It stopped snowing, but the wind kept blowing hard, lifting and depositing volcanic sand on the snow, shading the relief and textures as a charcoal artist would have done.David Shaw, Winner, Intimate Landscape. This type of woodland is quite tricky to photograph as it is so busy, and generally needs mist or thick fog to do it justice. For this particular trip I didn't have those conditions and decided to scout the area rather than focus on the photography. However, just as I was about to start the long trek back to the car, the sun came out and lit up this scene, leaving me scrambling to get 'something' before it disappared again. Chaotic by nature chaotic by capture!Ilan Shacham, Winner, Abstract Landscape. The Dead sea is a lake about 10 times more saline than the ocean. I am always fascinated by all the different types of salt formations, that have been created by various crystallization conditions. In this photo we can sea "pearls" of salt, on a hardened bed of salt, with ridges of salt running randomly through the scene, all this side lit by the early morning sun.Lizzie Shepherd, Winner, Seascapes. Harris is perhaps best known for its pristine, sandy beaches, but I am always drawn to its extraordinary rocky shoreline, made up of Lewisian gneiss formed millions of years ago. The challenge is to marry that complex and beautiful foreground with the wonderful backdrop of the Harris Hills in the distance. This is the closest I've come yet, but it's work in progress!Spencer Cox, Winner, Rocks and Geology. The enigmatic patterns of these marble caves struck me as telling a story of creation: growing trees, ancient mountains, swirling galaxies. After taking this photo, I learned that that the marble in this scene was only saved from mining because it is considered "low quality." I wonder, then, how many other remarkable scenes have vanished in service of our countertops?Vojtech Schmidt, Winner, Frozen Worlds. During a winter expedition in the snowy expanses of Finnish Lapland, I was granted a fleeting encounter. With my camera ready, I managed to quietly capture a glimpse before the willow grouse disappeared into the white silence.
The NLPA also recognised Hanneke Van Camp for her project Sápmi – Living Landscapes, documenting the Sami homeland in Northern Europe.
Hanneke Van Camp, Winner, Project. Ever since I first traveled to Sápmi, I have felt deeply connected to its landscapes and culture. It has become my part-time home - a place of incredible beauty but also of fragility, facing threats from climate change and exploitation. Through this project, I hope to share its unique diversity and invite others to reconnect with nature and the values it carries.
You can see more of the winners on the NLPA website.
