On Saturday 10 January, Robert Irwin unveiled the annual Crikey! Magazine Photography Gallery at Australia Zoo, celebrating the power of photography to inspire conservation and environmental awareness.
For nearly a decade, Australia Zoo’s Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition has showcased wildlife conservation through the lens of passionate photographers. Each year, thousands of photographers submit images that reveal the extraordinary diversity of life on Earth.
Wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin said as always, the competition drew thousands of submissions from around the world, leading to an impressive selection of winners.
“We received a record-breaking number of submissions for the 2025 Crikey! Magazine Photography Competition. We are incredibly proud to lead a photography competition recognised internationally, helping more people discover and connect with the natural world,” said Robert.
“Our hope is that photography will help transform admiration to action, inspiring different generations to come together and protect the natural world when it needs us most,” he said.
“We are thrilled that visitors to Australia Zoo can enjoy these award-winning images up close while spending the day admiring our beautiful animals.”
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 image for 2025, captured by photographer Santiago Arias, features Pora, an endangered jaguar in El Impenetrable National Park, Argentina. Appearing on the cover of Crikey Magazine’s 2025 Summer edition, the image is a powerful reminder of the importance of protecting wildlife and wild places.
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, Salahuddin Ahmed captured a striking photo of a damslefly 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, Kate Berry, Russell Shakespeare, Ashleigh Scully, Day Scott, Harman Singh Heer and Sean Scott.
With Canon Australia, CameraPro and The Crocodile Hunter Lodge on board as sponsors, this year’s winners were awarded incredible 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 photo.
Visitors to Australia Zoo can view the finalist images until the end of February, as well as in the summer edition of Crikey! Magazine, available in stores at Australia Zoo, online, and in select Qantas lounges.
