Two praying mantises, one magical moment: the extraordinary image composition ‘Danlock’ wins the CEWE Photo Award 2025
A dance on eight legs – this is what nature poetry looks like
Hasan Baglar, a passionate nature and macro photographer, discovered the two praying mantises in the summer of 2023 in a lucerne field near Nicosia. „As I got closer, they suddenly spread their wings and followed me. I was fascinated by their aggressive yet elegant posture,“ says the 51-year-old. He quickly grabbed his camera – a Canon 5DM4 with a 100 mm macro lens – and captured the moment. „I could hardly believe what I was seeing. It was a small miracle of nature – and my hands were shaking with excitement,“ recalls Baglar.
The internationally renowned jury was also impressed by the composition: „A perfect moment full of tension and grace, captured in rich detail with high technical precision – this image leaves us both amazed and smiling,“ they said in their explanation for choosing the winning motif.
CEWE CEO Thomas Mehls praises commitment and creativity
„Hasan Baglar's photo impressively demonstrates how much beauty and drama can be found in even the smallest scene in nature,“ comments Thomas Mehls, CEO of CEWE. „We are delighted and proud that the CEWE Photo Award has once again inspired so many people around the world to share their view of the world with us this year. Photography connects people across the globe and encourages us to continue promoting photographic culture with great passion,“ says Mehls.
A big stage for photography and social engagement
With 656,738 images submitted, the CEWE Photo Award 2025 is once again the largest photo competition in the world. For every photo uploaded, CEWE donates 10 pence to SOS Children's Villages worldwide – this year a total of €65,673.80. The donation will go to the SOS Children's Villages training centre in the Balbala district of Djibouti, where trained teachers support young people as they enter working life. CEWE sees social commitment as an integral part of its corporate responsibility.
Delight also among the other category winners
In addition to the overall winner, the CEWE Photo Award 2025 also honoured the best photos in ten other categories – from ‘Landscape’ and ‘Architecture’ to ‘Animals’ and ‘People’ to ‘Street Photography’ and ‘Cooking & Food’. As the overall winner, Hasan Baglar can look forward to a photography trip worth £8,500, including a helicopter flight and workshop with professional photographer George Steinmetz. He will also receive professional photography equipment worth €5,000 and CEWE photo products worth €2,500. Those who came in 2nd to 1,000th place also received high-quality prizes – from camera equipment and vouchers to CEWE photo products.
Focus on young talent – special prize for up-and-coming photographers
The Young Talent Award was presented for the first time in 2025 – a special prize for photography enthusiasts aged between 16 and 25. The winner, Gregory Vergne from France, can look forward to an unforgettable photography trip to Sicily with adventure photographer Ulla Lohmann. In addition, the young talent will receive a voucher for photographic equipment worth €2,500 and CEWE photo products worth €1,000. The winners in each category also had the opportunity to talk to the jury during the award ceremony in Prague – an emotional highlight that celebrated creativity and community.
All information about the competition and the award-winning photos: https://contest.cewe.de/cewephotoaward-2025/en_gb/
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CEWE Photo Award 2025: cheque for €65,673.80 for an SOS Children's Villages education project in DjiboutiDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Hasan Baglar, Title: Danlock, Category: Close-Up & Macro PhotographyDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Gregory Vergne, Title: Child Day, Category: Young Talent AwardDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Eric t'Kindt, Title: Between the Lines, Category: Sports & ActionDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Filip Hrebenda, Title: Into the Cave, Category: LandscapesDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Günter Kleber, Title: Lazise Early Morning, Category: Travel & CultureDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Mike Taylor, Title: Football, Category: Street PhotographyDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Xiaoping Lin, Title: Jungle Rule, Category: Nature & WildlifeDownload -
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CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Yevhen Kostiuk, Title: P-opular & I-gnored, Category: ArchitectureDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Maizal Chaniago, Title: Traditional Drink, Category: Cooking & FoodDownload -
CEWE Photo Award 2025: Photographer: Gerson Antonio Toigo, Title: Gato Na Janela, Category: AnimalsDownload
Photos of the gala: Credit: CEWE Winning photos: The photos shown here are available for free use, provided that the credit (CEWE Photo Award 2025_Photographer) is stated.