Australia Zoo is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition, celebrating the power of photography in promoting conservation and raising environmental awareness.
For almost a decade, Australia Zoo’s Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition has championed wildlife conservation through the lens of photography. Every year, thousands of passionate photographers from around the globe submit their work, capturing the incredible diversity of life on our planet.
World-renowned wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin said, “2025 was a record-breaking year, with more photographs entered than ever before. We were amazed by the calibre of images entered into the Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition, which celebrates the incredible beauty of the natural world.”
“We hope these incredible images not only help to deepen our appreciation for the natural world but also inspire us to take action to protect it for generations to come,” he said.
Australia Zoo received an outstanding array of entries across the competition’s categories of Crikey! Magazine Cover, The Natural World, Crikey! Kids 10 Years and Under, Crikey! Kids 11 to 14 Years and Crikey! Kids 15 to 17 Years.
The winning shot for 2025, captured by photographer Santiago Arias, features Porá, an endangered jaguar in El Impenetrable National Park, Argentina. Set to appear on the cover of Crikey Magazine’s summer print edition, the image is a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting wildlife and wild places. Porá, like other jaguars reintroduced to the region, is helping to restore a once-thriving population and inspire local conservation efforts.
A heartwarming image of a Sarus crane with its chick, photographed by Ponlawat Thaipinnarong in Buriram, Thailand, was named the winner of The Natural World category.
In the Crikey! Kids 15 – 17 category, 17-year-old Salahuddin Ahmed captured a striking photo of a damselfly peeking through a tiny hole in a vibrant green leaf, taken in Gaibandha, Bangladesh.
Panitbhand Paribatra was awarded the top prize in the Crikey! Kids 11 – 14 category for a breathtaking image of a humpback whale encounter, photographed in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Finally, 10-year-old Jamie Smart took home the win in the Crikey! Kids 10 Years and Under category with a spectacular close-up image of a little jumping spider, taken in Lamington National Park, Queensland.
The Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition is supported and judged by award-winning photographers and conservationists, including Robert Irwin, Russell Shakespeare, Ashleigh Scully, Kate Berry, Day Scott, Harman Singh Heer and Sean Scott.
A selection of memorable and high-scoring images from shortlisting have been selected by the judges for a second chance in the People’s Choice Competition, which will commence on 14th October with voting open until 19th October. This provides an opportunity for the public to engage with the competition and select their favourite images.
With Canon Australia, CameraPro and the Crocodile Hunter Lodge on board as sponsors, this year’s winners were awarded thoughtfully curated prizes, from Canon camera kits to stays at the luxurious Crocodile Hunter Lodge, reflecting the calibre of the competition and the inspiring stories behind each image.
To view the winning photographs, please visit our social media channels. To participate in voting for the People’s Choice award, visit: australiazoo.com.au
