2025 Garden for Wildlife® Photo Contest Winners
They captured the incredible diversity of backyard wildlife. See this year’s winners and runners-up!
The 2025 Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest saw nearly 9,000 photos submitted by thousands of photographers worldwide. The photos feature hundreds of backyard wildlife species, from tiny insects to towering black bears. The diversity in landscapes was also astounding, representing many kinds of habitats, including prairie pollinator gardens, fern-filled woodland gardens, and desert gardens featuring prickly cacti.
Plus, this year’s focus for our yearly-changing category, Small Space Gardens and Habitat, brought in many examples of how even tiny garden spaces can attract an amazing amount of wildlife!
Not only are these photos beautiful, but they also showcase the massive impact that habitat gardens can have on wildlife and people. We hope you enjoy these incredible photos along with comments from the photographers themselves sharing the stories behind these great shots.
See the 2025 winners and runners-up below. Plus, don’t forget to look at the more than 60 honorable mentions here!
Grand Prize Winners
GRAND PRIZE WINNER
Kellie Carter
Great Horned Owl in the Aurora Borealis
Pawhuska, Oklahoma
Kellie Carter’s image reminds us that great moments can happen unexpectedly. Carter shares, “I was visiting one of my best friends in northern Oklahoma when there was a chance of the Aurora Borealis, hoping that I would get a glimpse, luck was on my side on this particular night! At the edge of her garden is this old tree that has seen one too many Oklahoma storms! While photographing the spectacular colors something caught my eye, as I turned ever so slowly, this amazing Great Horned Owl was perched on the old tree!”
Read more about our Grand Prize Winner here.
GRAND PRIZE RUNNER-UP
Nicole Land
Yellow Garden Spider Webbing
Kaufman County, Texas
Sometimes photographers don’t even realize what incredible moments they have captured until later when they sit down to edit the images. Such was the case for Nicole Land who shared the story behind this moment she captured:
“While visiting a wetland nearby, I found a yellow garden spider perfectly positioned on its web between leaves. I was able to get on the ground at eye level, at which point the spider started moving around the web in circles. I only later discovered, after reviewing the images, that the spider was in process of forming the signature ‘Z’ shape often found in their web!”
Category Winners and Runners-Up
WILDLIFE IN THE GARDEN CATEGORY WINNER
Mark Koster
Male Desert Spiny Lizard
Scottsdale, Arizona
Wildlife can be a colorful subject, and this desert spiny lizard is a fantastic example.
Mark Koster shares: “On the campus of Scottsdale Community College there are several small garden areas. On this morning, I noticed a handsome male Desert Spiny Lizard in his full mating colors with spectacular light!”
WILDLIFE IN THE GARDEN RUNNER-UP
Claudia Cooper
A Pacific Chorus Tree Frog Sits atop a Rudbeckia Blossom
Auburn, Washington
Claudia Cooper shared the story behind this photo: “Most of the time I photograph these tiny Pacific chorus tree frogs with a macro lens. But sometimes it's fun to get a little creative and use a longer lens, which is what I did here. I ‘shot through’ the rudbeckia blossoms and focused on a lone tree frog.”
Read more about this photo here.
NATIVE PLANTS IN THE GARDEN CATEGORY WINNER
Savannah Selby
Oconee Bells
Salem, South Carolina
It’s easy to overlook plants as simply part of the background but look a bit closer and they’ll just amaze you. These delicate Oconee bells are an incredibly rare plant. It’s native to a very limited range in the southern Appalachian Mountains where it often hides along stream banks.
Savannah Selby’s image shows not only the rare blooms but also shining water droplets on their petals and the movement of water behind them, giving context to this plant’s natural habitat. Of this image, Selby shares: “While I was living in Greenville, SC, I was lucky enough to live near one of the few state parks that are home to these blooms every spring, Devils Fork State Park. These flowers are tiny, but beautiful.”
NATIVE PLANTS IN THE GARDEN CATEGORY RUNNER UP
Leslie Scopes Anderson
Narrowleaf Milkweed Seed Pod
Ashland, Oregon
With the monarch butterfly’s declining populations, gardeners across the country are supporting this species by planting native milkweed in their own gardens. Milkweed’s blooms often get all the love for their gorgeous aesthetics and scent, but the plant’s seed pods can be just as beautiful!
The soft white fluff on the seeds will help carry them in the wind, planting more native milkweed for future monarch generations. Of this image, Leslie Scopes Anderson shares, “The elegant beauty of this plant encourages us to plant it, which benefits monarch butterflies!”
FUNNY AND CANDID MOMENTS IN THE GARDEN CATEGORY WINNER
Terri Jacobson
House Wren Family with a Fish Sculpture as a Nesting Site
Rochester, Minnesota
This photo’s contrast between the gaping fish statue and the similarly open-mouthed baby birds could make about anyone laugh, but this funny scene also provides a phenomenal example of northern house wren nesting habits! These little birds are cavity nesters and can often be found creating nests around human homes, in whatever nooks and crannies they can find.
Terri Jacobson shares: “While leaving my neighbor's garden one day, I noticed a house wren feeding her babies in a sculpture of a fish. I started laughing because they were in the mouth of the fish! I ran to get my camera and had so much fun watching them!”
FUNNY AND CANDID MOMENTS IN THE GARDEN CATEGORY RUNNER-UP
Kai Skadahl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird in a Trumpet Vine Flower
Madison, Wisconsin
“This very determined ruby-throated hummingbird repeatedly shoved half of its body into the large trumpet vine flowers growing along our fence,” Kai Skadahl shares about this photo. Not only does this image make us chuckle, but it also gives a beautiful example of hummingbird feeding habits. Tube-shaped native flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds.
Skadahl recounts the night she captured this scene: “This photo was taken just over an hour before sunset, when the sun was starting to lower in the sky, creating a warm and soft light.”
SMALL SPACE GARDENS AND HABITAT CATEGORY WINNER
Toni Johnson
The Community Garden
State College, Pennsylvania
Native plants can be a fantastic addition to community gardens. Toni Johnson captured the beauty of her local greenspace, sharing: “This community garden is located in Tudek Park in State College, PA. Every morning, when I'm walking my dog, there is someone tending to their plot in this garden. This photo represents the dedication of the gardeners in this community.”
SMALL SPACE GARDENS AND HABITAT CATEGORY RUNNER-UP
Bonnie Masdeu
Northern Parula in the Water Fountain
Cutler Bay, Florida
Even small spaces can attract amazing wildlife. Bonnie Masdeu captured this image in her own backyard. Masdeu shares: “My yard isn't that big, and people can't believe how many birds I get in my yard. It's all about providing the right elements to attract them. Work in native plants for shelter and food source and water. Birds are attracted to the sound of running water and this fountain is the most popular…My photos give the impression of a lush jungle, but in reality, it’s a modest space — proof that with the right elements, even a small area can come alive.”
YOUTH CATEGORY WINNER
Zella Linares
Snake Fight
Jourdanton, Texas
Zella Linares’ image captures a dramatic scene: two snakes battling it out. Linares shares, “This Texas corn snake and adult indigo snake were fighting in the backyard. I had my camera with me, and I was able to capture multiple images of the moment, but this one was my favorite!”
YOUTH CATEGORY RUNNER-UP
Daniel Greene
Black Bear Cub
Asheville, North Carolina
Photographer Daniel Greene shares: “I photographed this bear cub learning to climb trees on our land in North Carolina. Mama bear was on the ground keeping watch. Trees, especially oaks, are so important for bears!” Not only do black bears use trees for climbing, but they will also eat the acorns! This photo provides a great example of how even planting one tree in your garden can have a huge impact on local wildlife.
Your Wildlife Photo Could Be a Winner
The 2026 annual Garden for Wildlife Photo Contest will open to submissions on August 4th. The Grand Prize Winner and Runner-Up receive cash prizes, and all winning photos are published online.
Amateur and professional photographers, this contest is for you. Show us your most memorable images of backyard wildlife. Your photos inspire our millions of members and supporters to care about wildlife and to act on its behalf. By submitting your work, you also support the National Wildlife Federation’s mission, ensuring wildlife and people thrive in a rapidly changing world.
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