The winners of this year's Sony Alpha Awards from Australia and New Zealand are truly captivating: from evocative frames of the natural world to dramatic and intimate human stories.
For 2025, the competition saw more than 3,000 images from pros and amateurs alike across 13 categories. This year's grand prize winner – a once-in-a-lifetime shot of a penguin striking a pose in mid-air – earned Melbourne, Australia-based Mat Bell AUD 10,000 worth of Sony camera gear. That's at the top of this story.
I was also mesmerized by the winning Sea Life entry from West Australian underwater photographer Ross Gudgeon, which depicts cauliflower soft coral in the Lembeh Strait of Indonesia almost like a painting.
There's also a whole lot going on in the Sports category-winning shot of a big rodeo moment, by Susan Church from New Zealand. The intense action, frozen in a tightly composed frame, is like a renaissance painting with its rich details.
You can see all the winners in our gallery here. For more, Sony's Scene site has the finalists for each category as well.
If you're in the mood to browse more amazing photo galleries, may I interest you in a selection of minimalist compositions, incredible shots of birds from photographers in North and South America, or frames from nature from the 2025 World Nature Photography Awards and last year's Sony World Photography Awards?
