Every year, photographers from around the world share incredible images on Wikimedia Commons, capturing the beauty and diversity of life on Earth. The Picture of the Year 2025 marks the 20th edition of this annual competition, celebrating some of the best contributions from the global community.
This year, animal photography once again stands out, with powerful images that go beyond aesthetics to tell stories about the natural world. From intimate moments to dramatic scenes in the wild, these photos highlight just how fascinating and fragile life on our planet can be.
We’ve selected 30 of the most striking animal photos that could take the title this year. Scroll down to explore them and see which one deserves your vote.
More info: commons.wikimedia.org
#1 Siberian Tiger In Duisburg Zoo Taking A Bath In A Pond
Image by Tuxyso
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#2 Baby Cape Fur Seal Sleeping At Cape Cross, Namibia
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#3 Barn Swallow In A Dancing Pose After Taking A Quick Dip In The Nagdaha Lake, Lalitpur District, Bagmati Province, Nepal
Image by Prasan Shrestha
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#4 Indian Paradise Flycatcher (Terpsiphone Paradisi)
Image by Kaim Amin.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#5 Macro Photo Of Greenhouse Frog (Eleutherodactylus Planirostris) Eggs On A Human’s Fingertip With Embryos Visible Inside
Image by Alex Abair
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#6 Two Red Panda Cubs Perched In A Tree, Gazing Down In Mangingoth, Langtang National Park, Nepal
Image by Ganga Raj Sunuwar
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#7 A Tufted Gray Langur (Semnopithecus Priam) Stroking A Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa Macroura) Caringly At Yala National Park, Sri Lanka
Image by Senthi Aathavan Senthilverl
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#8 Night At Hale, Hampshire, England. I Think This Badger Turned Up After A Swim
Image by Andy Morffew
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#9 Chital In Keoladeo National Park, India
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#10 Desert-Adapted Elephant Dust-Bathing In Damaraland, Namibia
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#11 The Verditer Flycatcher (Eumyias Thalassinus)
Image by Sanjoykumar99
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#12 Strawberry Poison Dart Frog
Image by Rhododendrites
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#13 Verreaux’s Sifaka (Propithecus Verreauxi) Near Réserve Peyrieras, Madagascar
Image by Charlesjsharp
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#14 Humpback Whale Breaching In Ballena Marine National Park, Costa Rica
The reasons why whales practice breaching are still unknown today. Some hypotheses, among others, are that breaching is done in order to either communicate, court, assert dominance, warn of danger, remove parasites from the skin, or play.
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#15 Rhesus Macaque (Macaca Mulatta)
Image by Theklan
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#16 Giant Otter Eating A Fish Caught From The River In Parque Estadual Encontro Das Águas, Brazil
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#17 Golden Mantled Howler Monkey And Baby (Alouatta Palliata Palliata)
Image by Rhododendrites
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#18 African Blue Flycatcher (Elminia Longicauda) At Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#19 Brown Rat (Rattus Norvegicus), Also Called Norway Rat Or Common Rat, Claiming Abandoned Food Containers In Mathias Baldwin Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Image by Chuck Homler.
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#20 Ring-Tailed Lemur (Lemur Catta), Anja Community Reserve, Madagascar
Image by Charles J. Sharp
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#21 Indian Flying Fox In Keoladeo National Park, India
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#22 Lineated Barbet (Psilopogon Lineatus)
Image by Moheen
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#23 Proboscis Bats (Rhynchonycteris Naso), Also Referred To As The Brazilian Long-Nosed, River, And Sharp-Nosed Bat
Image by Rhododendrites
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#24 The Calico Cat Is A Domestic Cat With A Tricolor Coat Composed Predominantly Of White With Large Orange And Black Spots
Image by Terragio67
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#25 Piliocolobus Kirkii, Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, Zanzibar Archipelago, Tanzania
Image by Poco a poco
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#26 Angolan Giraffe Silhouette At Sunrise In The Kalahari Desert Of Namibia
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#27 Great Egret (Ardea Alba) Fishing During A Foggy Day At Champ-Pittet, Switzerland
Image by Giles Laurent
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#28 Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittacula Krameri)
Image by Princepauljoy
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#29 Saddleback Clownfish (”Amphiprion Polymnus”) In A Mertens’ Carpet Sea Anemone (”Stichodactyla Mertensii”), Anilao, Philippines
Image by Diego Delso
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
#30 Gulf Blenny (”Ecsenius Pulcher”), Ad Dimaniyat Islands, Oman
Image by Diego Delso
Image source: Wikimedia Commons
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