2025 in Review

2025 has come to an end, and it’s time to look back on yet another unforgettable year on Unsplash. Over the past 365 days, 1.4 million incredible submissions captured powerful moments, global events, and everyday beauty from around the world.

Let’s revisit some standout milestones, inspiring imagery, and exciting launches that shaped 2025.

Major milestones 🚨

This year, we hit some mega milestones! 

8 million images in the library
8.5 billion all-time downloaded images
1.4 trillion all-time views

1 billion+ views 

This year, an incredible 163 contributors have held over 1 billion views. Meet the 25 most viewed contributors:

1. Annie Spratt
2. Pawel Czerwinski
3. Jeremy Bishop
4. Markus Spiske
5. Joanna Kosinska
6. Nathan Dumlao
7. Kelly Sikkema
8. Nathan Anderson
9. Toa Heftiba
10. Marek Piwnicki
11. Aaron Burden
12. Scott Webb
13. Priscilla Du Preez 
14. Chuttersnap
15. Solen Feyissa
16. Maarten Deckers
17. Paul Pastourmatzis
18. Tim Mossholder
19. Jakob Owens
20. Alexander Grey   
21. Ugur Akdemir
22. Charles Deluvio
23. Brooke Cagle
24. Logan Weaver
25. Olena Bohovyk

New & notable contributors:

From all corners of the world, these 25 new contributors have brought amazing, fresh perspectives to Unsplash’s open and Unsplash+ libraries:

1. Esma melike Sezer
2. Public domain vectors
3. Mila Okta Safitri
4. Viktoriya Lissachenko
5. Matthew Stephenson
6. Umm-e-Hani Ali
7. Artby Hensi
8. Jardel Vieira
9. Anny Cecilia Walter
10. Mamaz Alaei
11. Ivo Sousa Martins
12. Karem Adem
13. Ved
14. Irvan Maulana
15. Lungani Magwaza
16. Lalu Aku
17. Slimane-Kadi
18. Manuel Preciado
19. Pink Pink Office
20. Dario Jud
21. Muhammad Afandi
22. Minyeong Jeong
23. Thanh Huong Bui
24. Dela Salsabilla
25. Moch Ariya Erlangga

Let’s take a look at our trends 📈

Over the past year, our team has noticed some exciting shifts that added fresh energy to the Unsplash library. Here are 5 standout trends from 2025:

Happy Accidents 📷

In 2025, photographers embraced lens flares, blur, and “accidental” compositions. These playful imperfections added spontaneity and surprise, turning unpredictability into art.

Awkward Angles 🤸

Editorial-inspired poses broke traditional rules this year, pushing subjects into unexpected positions. This trend gave photography a bold, fashion-forward energy, blending human form with conceptual storytelling.

Flash-Forward ⚡️

This year, photographers leaned into flash photography like never before. Whether capturing sharp bursts of light or experimenting with dramatic shadows, flash added intensity, contrast, and a bold, eye-catching energy to their images.

Big Headed 👤

In 2025, 3D artists used heads as a canvas, experimenting with textures and abstract concepts. Focusing on the head alone turned a familiar form into a playground for creativity and visual storytelling.

Playful Lines 🖍️

Whimsy and simplicity defined illustrations in 2025, with hand-drawn and naive styles taking center stage. This trend added warmth, personality, and playful creativity, turning everyday illustrations into charming, expressive stories.

Newsworthy moments 🗞️

This year’s submissions capture life from every corner of the globe. From joyful celebrations and pop culture moments to devastating events, these images come together to tell the story of 2025.

Los Angeles Fires

In January, Los Angeles faced devastating wildfires that tore through neighborhoods, forced mass evacuations, and left entire communities grappling with loss. Unsplash submissions captured the raw intensity of the fires, the destruction left behind, and the resilience of those impacted in the aftermath.

AI Advancements

In 2025, AI advanced quickly, becoming smarter and more versatile across industries. It's advanced in problem-solving, decision-making, and automating tasks, becoming more present in day-to-day tasks and professional environments.

The Cost of Living

Throughout the year, Unsplash submissions captured the everyday reality of rising costs and economic uncertainty. From grocery runs and workspaces to small businesses and home life, these images reflected how shifting economic conditions showed up in daily moments around the world.

New on Unsplash ✨

Here are 5 of our most notable updates of 2025: 

Illustrations added to the Open Library

Earlier this year, Unsplash began welcoming vector illustrations into the free library. After eight months as part of Unsplash+, illustrations proved their impact and became a permanent part of the library

400K Contributors 

In May, the Unsplash community reached a huge milestone of 400,000 contributors. Photographers, 3D artists, and illustrators from across the globe came together to grow and shape the Unsplash community.

A smarter way to navigate

In June, Unsplash redesigned the website navigation to make exploring easier than ever. With illustrations joining the library, the top nav had become crowded. The new layout added a cleaner interface and a sidebar, helping users browse photos and illustrations more smoothly.

Bookmarks & Download All

In November, Unsplash rolled out a big update for saving and organizing images. ‘Bookmarks’ let creators quickly save and organize images from the sidebar, while ‘Download All’ made it easy to grab every image from a collection or Bookmarks with one click.

Illustration Search Filters

This year also brought new style filters for illustration searches. Creators can now quickly narrow results by style, making it faster and easier to find the perfect visuals for any project.

Here’s to 2026 🎉

Your dedication to pushing creative boundaries in 2025 has been incredible. Here’s to an inspiring and imaginative 2026!