More than 60,000 entries. From a pink flamingo caught mid-scratch to a top shot of an Asian elephant navigating its way through toxic waste, the photographs in the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 competition capture the astonishing beauty, diversity, and complexity of our natural world — and humanity’s deep connection to it.
Since its founding in 1964, the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) has grown into the world’s most prestigious stage for the art of wildlife photography. Run by the Natural History Museum in London, it now attracts tens of thousands of entries each year — a career milestone for professionals and young photographers alike.
A teen with a lens
Amid this global celebration of wildlife photography, one entry has struck a special chord in India. Titled ‘Essence of Kamchatka’, the image by 14-year-old Kesshav Vikram from Coimbatore has won high commendation in the 11–14-year-old category, earning international acclaim.
In a city where most children are busy chasing textbooks or cricket balls, Kesshav chooses to chase something wild — moments in nature that disappear in a heartbeat but live on forever through his camera lens.
Waiting for the wild
The striking photograph, clicked at Kurile Lake in Kamchatka, Russia’s far east, captures a brown bear walking along the shore just as a slaty-backed gull flies past. The moment looks effortless, but behind it lay hours — even days — of patient waiting. Kesshav had travelled across continents with one goal in mind: to witness the bears feasting on the glut of sockeye salmon migrating upriver to spawn.
With the Ilyinsky volcano rising in the background, the judges praised the photo for capturing the raw spirit of Kamchatka — a place where brown bears roam salmon-rich shores as gulls wheel overhead.
From a classroom to London’s halls
Back home, the recognition has sparked joy in his school as well. A Class 9 student at Prakriya International School, Coimbatore, Kesshav was celebrated in a heartfelt post: “His journey from Kamchatka’s wilderness to global recognition is a testament to his passion and perseverance.”
The journey doesn’t end with the award. His photograph will soon be displayed at the Natural History Museum in London, before travelling the world as part of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition. Millions of visitors across continents will see Essence of Kamchatka alongside other winning images, with the main awards ceremony set for October 2025.
For Kesshav, it began with a camera and a dream in Coimbatore. Today, it’s proof that patience, passion, and persistence can carry a teenager’s vision from a frozen Russian lake to the world stage.
