Unsplash Awards 2025 Selections

The 9th annual Unsplash Awards have come to a close. This year brought together powerful images, bold ideas, and a community that never stops raising the bar.

Before we reveal this year’s finalists, we need to say a huge thank you. Every submission, every share, every ounce of support helped shape one of our most exciting Awards yet.

A huge round of applause goes to our amazing panel of judges for taking on the nearly impossible task of selecting this year’s finalists.

And a special shoutout to our sponsor, Samsung Memory, for awarding each finalist $500 USD and for presenting this year's Photo and Illustration of the Year Awards. 

Now for the best part: here are the finalists and shortlists of the 2025 Unsplash Awards.

3D

Finalist: Rohit Choudhari
Judge: Alejandro León  — Spline

“Love this work. Great composition, great use of color, and overall great use of light. It's simple but it definitely stands out.”
— Alejandro León

Shortlist:
Tilak Baloni
A Chosen Soul
Mohamed Nohassi
Zoha Gohar
Paul Campbell
Ruliff Andrean
Tan Kaninthanond
Egor Litvinov
Resource Database

Animals

Finalist: Matthew Stephenson
Judge: Nickolai Kinny Whitmore — WWF

“It’s a masterclass in framing and profiling. Among hundreds of penguins, this photographer managed to make a single individual undeniably the subject, centered perfectly, isolated through composition, and given a personality that pulls you straight into the moment. It’s rare to see such clarity of intent in such a crowded scene, and that’s what makes this shot stand out as my favourite."
— Nickolai Kinny Whitmore

Shortlist:
Masood Aslami
Peter Thomas
Sir. Simo
Matsvei Liatkouski
Alex Robertson
Leandra Rieger
Peter Bryan
Raul Kozenevski
Eric Dekker

Architecture & Interiors

Finalist: Ben Kim
Judge: Philippe Blanchin — Elle Decoration UK

“Ever since I first saw bamboo scaffolding during my university studies in Hong Kong, I have been fascinated by the interplay of this natural material against monolithic manmade structures. The symbolism of how man can only thrive with the support of the natural world is a powerful visual. The way the light hits the net covering the scaffolding enhances this sense of fragility - and is visually reminiscent of wrinkly tights on an aging beauty.
There’s the sense this image has strong personal stories to be told - a life of toil and a fight for existence.  And extremely evocative image - well done Ben”
— Philippe Blanchin

Shortlist:
Tan Kaninthanond
Polina Kuzovkova
Tom Swinnen
Victoria Wang
Zhenyu Luo
Dmytro Yarish
Sebastian Schuster
Mike Hindle
Aakash Malik

Experimental

Finalist: Karolina Grabowska
Judge: Sam O’Shaughnessy — SXSW London

“I love this image as it has so much depth, I like the nine smaller black and white squares that present the fragmented views of different facial features, eyes, nose, and mouth, possibly belonging to the same woman or maybe multiple individuals....? The overall effect/feel is of deconstruction and identity, and the sullen mood of the person in the picture, creating a sense of introspection or perhaps a commentary on how we perceive and interpret facial features when separated. The contrast between the natural color of her hair and the monochrome facial fragments adds to the intriguing and artistic quality of the photograph. I also love that it connects to an old school traditional puzzle game, where you would move and shift the squares around to create a picture, potentially offering the ability to change/alter the mood of the person behind the image."
— Sam O’Shaughnessy

Shortlist:
Brian McMahon
Emilio Garcia
Robert Clark
Murat Alyakut
Nick Fancher
Pablo Merchán Montes
Hamed Farahpour
Jason Leung
Brooke Balentine

Fashion & Beauty

Finalist: Unavailable Photographer
Judge:  Yassin Malguitou — Highsnobiety

“Among all shortlisted entries, this photo stood out because of its perfect composition: 3 well-styled men, posing in a good way in a very unseen setting. While the setting might be unique, it shows grace and well-actioned set styling, art direction and overall image composition. Furthermore, it was the only photo I kept coming back to and comparing to others, but I always opted for this one. So to me, this is the winner of this year’s Unsplash award for fashion & beauty.”
— Yassin Malguitou

Shortlist:
Marlen Stahlhuth
Jay Soundo
Artem Mihailov
Andrej Lišakov
Ben Iwara
Marcin Sajur
Roberta Sant'Anna
Dwayne Joe
Christian Agbede

Film

Finalist: Richard Stachmann
Judge: Anna Dobatkina — Polaroid

“This photograph captures an (extra)ordinary moment of everyday life, a fleeting scene where curiosity becomes its own small story. 
A man pauses at a construction barrier, peering through a gap to glimpse what lies beyond. It’s a reminder that even in the most routine spaces, we’re drawn to look closer, to understand, and to notice what’s changing around us. The image celebrates that instinct, the simple, universal curiosity that connects us all. 
Casual documentary photography is one of my favourite genres for exactly this reason: the ability to spot small scenes and quiet narratives that are often overlooked. A passing moment, seen by a human eye and captured on an analog format - this is where the magic begins.”
— Anna Dobatkina

Shortlist:
Tanya Barrow
Jason Hawke 
Zach Miller
Chris Weiher
Lawrence Krowdeed
Gabrielle Maurer
Zach Kessinger
Fellipe Ditadi
Maximilian Bungart

Nature

Finalist: Pascal Debrunner
Judge: Sarah Gardner — National Geographic

“The delightful framing of this image leads the eye from the curvature of the snow drift, up the sprawling branches to the brightest point of light in the moon, which perfectly peeks through the gap in the tree’s crown. There is beautiful symmetry in the soft pastel color gradient and balance in the composition. As a viewer, I see a romantic and symbolic portrayal of the beauty and resilience of nature. Well done!"
— Sarah Gardner

Shortlist:
Joshua Earle
Zhen Yao
Sébastien Lavalaye
Lorin Both
Nir Himi
Sean Pierce
Michael Baccin
Zetong Li
Raymond Petrik

People

Finalist: Alim
Judge: Dilys Ng  —  TIME Magazine

“I was drawn to Alim's photograph for its layered complexity in representing the People category. Amid a sea of colors, it captures individuality, faith, and unity without relying on faces. Combined with a crop that alludes to an infinite crowd, Alim's photograph is both visually powerful and culturally rich."
— Dilys Ng

Shortlist:
Fadhil Abhimantra
Buddy An
Simone Daino
Alex Moliski
Miguel Alcântara
Dibakar Roy
Sir. Simo
Joshua Earle
Nathan Gordon

Illustrations

Finalist: Rezza Alam
Judge: Adam Douglas Thompson — Contributing Illustrator at The New Yorker

“In Alam’s striking illustration, an unsettling, surreal subject is presented with a contrasting elegance and sinuous grace, reminiscent of art nouveau illustration. The longer one studies the image, the more one notices thoughtful and effective nuances and details, such as subtle gradients and tiny, spiky shapes that provide counterpoints to the larger organic forms. The richness of the piece makes it stand out as more than a well-executed example of an established style, but as a unique image that showcases an alert, agile, creative mind at work."
— Adam Douglas Thompson

Shortlist:
Dhriti Das Purkayastha
Fabian Künzel-Zeller
Erone Stuff
Eva Wahyuni
Fast Ink
Summerizze
Hanin Abouzeid
Adriandra Karuniawan
Esma melike Sezer

Photo of 2025 (Presented by Samsung Memory)

We asked the community to vote for the image they thought was the most impactful photograph of the year. The votes are in, and the image that resonated most was this one by Sasha Matic as originally nominated by Ben Iwara.

Shortlist:
Fadhil Abhimantra
Matthew Stephenson
Karsten Winegeart
Joshua Rawson-Harris
Zhenyu Luo
Joshua Earle
Daniil Silantev
Jack Stapleton
Pierpaolo Pellegrino

Illustration of 2025 (Presented by Samsung Memory)

We asked the community to vote for the illustration they thought was the most impactful of the year. The votes are in, and the illustration that resonated most was this one by Graficon Stuff, as originally nominated by Yeti Iglesias.

Shortlist:
Thingsneverchange
Abdillah Studio
Ritam Baishya
Catur Argi
Rizki Ardia
Naila Conita
Gilang Fahmi
Mariana Cuesta
Erone Stuff

Thank you again to everyone for supporting the ninth edition of the Unsplash Awards.

↪ Discover all the finalists and shortlisted photographers & illustrators