From a fairytale monastery to elegantly dressed alpacas: Spectacular winners in the Open competition of the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards revealed

This enchanting photo was snapped in Hanksville in Southern Utah, USA, by Chinese photographer Xiaoying Shi. The area is known for its ‘unique and fascinating geological features’. At the centre of the photo is Factory Butte, a 6,302ft/1,920m-high formation, with Shi using a drone to capture the landmark’s beauty from a ‘higher altitude’. It’s shortlisted in the Landscape category

A gibbon ‘sits in quiet contemplation’ with ‘an absorbed gaze’ in this captivating image. Taken by Peruvian photographer Pedro Jarque Krebs, the gibbon’s ‘focused expression reveals the depth of its intelligence and the sense of curiosity that defines this fascinating primate’. It is shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category 

British photographer Mike Hellebrand created a ‘light trail’ in this magical photo of Monument Valley, Arizona, USA. The image is shortlisted in the Travel category 

This photo shows a leopard in a fever tree forest at Lake Nakuru in Kenya – ‘a rare and breathtaking moment’ that was a ‘bucket list experience’ for the photographer, with the leopard captured ‘strolling elegantly’ along the bough of a tree. Taken by Irish photographer Peter Delaney, it’s shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category

LEFT: A ‘striking’ geological formation in eastern Iceland, Studlagil Canyon is ‘distinguished by its towering basalt columns and vibrant turquoise glacial river’. This photo of it taken by Polish photographer Marcin Zajac demonstrates how the canyon ‘is reminiscent of a Gothic cathedral’ and is shortlisted in the Landscape category. RIGHT: Taken by Spanish photographer Victor De Valles Ibanez, this incredible split shot of a freediver diving in a flooded cave in Menorca is shortlisted in the Landscape category

LEFT: This fairytale-like photo of French monastery Mont Saint-Michel was captured by Chinese photographer Zhu Yang at dawn. The monastery is ‘covered by soft morning mist, like a sleeping princess quietly waiting for the kiss of the sun’. The image is shortlisted in the Landscape category. RIGHT: This cute picture shows a woodpecker feeding its chick as it peeks out from a hollow in a tree trunk, capturing ‘the tender bond between parent and child’. The photo is shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category and was taken in Joypurhat, Bangladesh, by Bangladeshi photographer Mohammed Anisur Rahman

This photo shows ‘majestic’ Elephant Rock in Saudi Arabia ‘enveloped by the soft rays’ of a ‘breathtaking sunset’. It’s shortlisted in the Travel category and was taken by Polish photographer Karolina Jurkiewicz

This uplifting image of ‘two elegantly adorned alpacas’ set against the ‘awe-inspiring backdrop of Peru’s Rainbow Mountain’ was taken by Indian photographer Kunal Gupta. The alpacas are ‘symbols of the rich Andean culture and the timeless bond between humans and nature’. It’s shortlisted in the Travel category

This incredible photo of an ‘abseiling tourist’ was snapped by Chinese photographer Liu Song in Tianyan Cave in Chongqing, China. The cave’s large Buddha statue ‘draws tourists from around the world’. The image is shortlisted in the Travel category

In this image, a lion ‘struggles to drag a half-eaten buffalo carcass to a nearby bush’ in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. It was snapped by Czech photographer Klára Zamourrilova, who explains that the weight of the carcass ‘forced the lion to take frequent breaks to rest’. The image is shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category

Italian photographer Gianni Maitan captured this striking image of a ‘squadron of pelicans’ from a boat on Lake Kerkini in Greece. It’s shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category

Shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category, this summer image depicts an Indian flying fox, a large variety of fruit bat, ‘dipping into water’ mid-flight. It was taken by Hira Punjabi, from India

Shortlisted in the Travel category, this enchanting image taken by Chim Oanh shows workers drying ‘colourful incense’ before taking it to sell at the market. Oanh, from Vietnam, says: ‘The incense is dried on the ground, where it takes on the form of beautiful flowers. According to Vietnamese tradition, incense connects the present world with the spiritual world’

This haunting photo of the moon hovering over a cabin in Iceland was taken by Mexican photographer David Eliud Gil Samaniego Maldonado. It’s shortlisted in the Architecture category

This incredible photo of the Villarrica volcano in Chile was taken by Chilean photographer Francisco Negroni. The volcano is Chile’s ‘most dangerous’. Negroni said he pursued this image for nine years, explaining that ‘a strong electrical storm can be seen over the volcano, while the crater is illuminated by the lava pit’. It is shortlisted in the Landscape category

LEFT: This curious ‘juvenile polar bear’ was snapped after it broke into a ‘remote cabin along the shoreline of Longyearbyen, on the island of Svalbard’ in Norway. The bear was spotted ‘peering out the window’ and ‘throwing items out’. UK photographer Daniel Hannabuss captured it from a small boat at a distance. It’s shortlisted in the Nature World & Wildlife category. RIGHT: This spellbinding image is of a sunset at Lake Meke in Turkey and was taken by Polish photographer Witold Ziomek. The lake is unique as it has a giant volcanic cone in its centre. The photo is shortlisted in the Landscapes category

This eye-catching photo captures a wild fox braving the snow in Gran Paradiso in Italy. It was taken by Italian photographer Ilena Fasci and is shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category

Bangladeshi photographer Pranto Chakraborty ‘noticed a monkey picking through this woman’s hair and was fascinated to see the bond they shared.’ After further inquiries, he discovered ‘the monkey lives with the family as one of them’. The fun image is shortlisted in the ‘Street Photography’ category

This playful image was taken by Chinese photographer Yaping Du and depicts the ‘carefree life of children in the mountains’. It’s shortlisted in the Lifestyle category

LEFT: In this tear-jerking image taken by Tara Keane, from Ireland, at the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, a ‘pygmy elephant comforts her calf’ after it was ‘unable to climb the steep riverbank’. The story has a happy ending, however, as the ‘herd returned to the river and continued downstream for an hour until they found a place where the calf could exit safely’. It’s shortlisted in the Natural World & Wildlife category. RIGHT: Shortlisted in the Landscapes category, this incredible image by German Timo Zilz shows Mulagljufur Canyon in Iceland. The photo ‘captures the essence of Icelandic natural landscapes’

This incredible photo of the Sundhnúkur eruptions in Iceland was taken by Icelandic photographer Vilhelm Gunnarsson and Shortlisted in the Landscape category

Dan Liao, from China, captured this fascinating shot at Lake Namucuo in Tibet. The photographer ‘noticed a vast crack in the frozen lake’s surface stretching towards the distant mountains’ and decided to ‘camp by the lake’ to capture the morning light. It’s shortlisted in the Landscape category

This striking image of Japan’s Suzuka Forest Garden taken by Japanese photographer Yoshiaki Kudo is titled ‘Blossoms in a Dreamscape’. Kudo says: ‘Bathed in soft pink hues, these weeping plum trees in full bloom create a dreamlike atmosphere. Their elegant branches stretch upwards, forming a magical canopy that transports viewers to a serene and otherwordly scene’. It’s shortlisted in the Landscape category

Titled ‘The Whale Raft’, this incredible photo of polar bears enjoying a ‘royal feast’ of whale was taken in east Greenland by French photographer Estebane Rezkallah. The photographer reveals: ‘Attracted by the smell, more than 60 bears were recorded in the area. However, their behaviour was almost benevolent, possibly due to the abundance of food.’ It’s the winner in the Natural World & Wildlife category