{"id":154507,"date":"2025-10-31T02:56:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T02:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/154507\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T02:56:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T02:56:15","slug":"incredible-winners-of-the-2025-weather-photographer-of-the-year-contest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/154507\/","title":{"rendered":"Incredible Winners of the 2025 Weather Photographer of the Year Contest"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Circular<\/p>\n

Geshuang Chen and Shuchang Dong. Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 Winner
\u201cIt was drizzling on Lugu Lake [In China\u2019s Yunnan Province]. I flew my drone to a height of 500 meters, passed through the rain curtain, with my lens facing away from the sun, and captured a complete circular rainbow, which was a ring given by the sun to the lake,\u201d says engineer and astronomy photographer Geshuang Chen.
Rainbows are a familiar sight, but full-circle rainbows are much less common. From the ground, the lower half of the circle is usually hidden below the horizon. From high above with the sun behind and rainfall ahead, it\u2019s possible to see the entire circle.
Rainbows form when sunlight enters raindrops and is bent (refracted), then reflected off the inside of the droplet, and bent again as it exits. The result is a spectrum of colors forming a circle around the antisolar point: the spot directly opposite the sun from the viewer\u2019s perspective. Since each observer\u2019s position creates a slightly different angle of light, every rainbow is unique to the person seeing it. That makes this image particularly special: not just a rare view of a complete rainbow, but a moment of perfect alignment, with the small island framed precisely at its center.\u201d<\/p>\n

A perfectly circular rainbow has come away with the big prize at the Royal Meteorological Society\u2019s Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition<\/a>. Geshuang Chen and Shuchang Dong took the unique photo that earned them the overall win in this 10th anniversary edition of the contest.<\/p>\n

Engineer and astronomy photographer Geshuang Chen flew his drone above a lake for the spectacular capture, which shows a rare full-circle rainbow. The incredible view, only made possible thanks to the drone, soared above the competition. It\u2019s a win that wasn\u2019t easy, thanks to the strength of the more than 4,000 images submitted by amateur and professional photographers from around the world.<\/p>\n

In addition to the overall winner, several category awards were handed out, including the Climate Award, which went to photographer Jonah Lange for his powerful image of a dusty tornado on the plains of Texas. As an official media partner of the competition, we were delighted to create the video announcement of his winning image, which captures the intense energy of the storm.<\/p>\n

The judges were not only impressed by the image\u2019s aesthetic, but also its overall message. \u201cEverything is becoming more extreme,\u201d said judge and meteorologist Phillipa Drew. \u201cThis is a good example of an extreme case. It highlights the vastness of weather. We don\u2019t stand much of a chance against that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another big winner is Luk\u00e1\u0161 Gallo\u2019s\u00a0Sky Surfing, which won the public\u2019s favorite photo vote. His photo of rare clouds that look like breaking waves, captured the imagination of voters and the judges, who praised Gallo\u2019s ability to act quickly and take the image, as these types of clouds do not last long.<\/p>\n

Scroll down to see more exceptional winners from this anniversary edition of the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition and then head over to the official website<\/a> to see the full winners\u2019 gallery.\n<\/p>\n

Here are the winners of the 2025 Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Competition.
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 Climate Award Winner Jonah Lange
\u201cA spiralling column of dust and wind dominates the Texas Plains in this striking image, captured by photographer Jonah Lange on 25 April 2025 near Sudan, Texas, USA. \u201cThis tornado picked up tons of dust as it landed. I peered on from the south side as it moved slowly off to the east,\u201d he says. \u201cWest Texas is known for dust \u2026 as shown here!\u201d
The tornado churns with intense energy, its collar cloud clearly visible as it pulls red soil into the air. A smaller satellite vortex dances nearby, while an impressive dark hail core looms behind the spiral. On the day this image was taken, hailstones up to 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter were reported.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Clouds<\/p>\n

Luk\u00e1\u0161 Gallo, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 Public Vote Winner
\u201cWhile driving near Vod\u0148any in South Bohemia, Czechia, photographer Luk\u00e1\u0161 Gallo noticed some unusual clouds beginning to form. He kept driving, watching the sky evolve, until about 30 minutes later, a stunning set of Kelvin-Helmholtz wave clouds appeared overhead. He quickly pulled over, grabbed his camera, and captured the momentary display from a roadside field. \u201cI didn\u2019t plan this; it was all of a sudden. But I think that\u2019s the best kind of photograph,\u201d he says.
These rare \u2018wave\u2019, or fluctus, clouds are formed when there\u2019s a sharp difference in wind speed or direction between two layers of air, similar to the way wind can whip up waves on the surface of the sea. The result is a spectacular series of cloud curls that look like breaking ocean waves, as well as a clear visual warning of turbulence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Clouds<\/p>\n

Alex Cruz, Standard Chartered Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 Winner
\u201cCaptured from a passenger plane flying between Washington, DC and Orlando, Florida this photo reveals a spectacular view of a thunderstorm cloud glowing pink against a deepening blue sky. \u201cWe were flying alongside a lightning storm, which was a pretty cool sight,\u201d says young photographer Alex Cruz.
The enormous cloud is a cumulonimbus, the towering kind that forms during thunderstorms. These gigantic clouds are created when warm, moist air rises quickly into the sky. As it climbs, the air cools and water vapour condenses into tall clouds. When the updraughts are strong enough, they can punch high into the atmosphere, all the way to the tropopause: the boundary between the lower atmosphere (the troposphere) and the stratosphere. Once it reaches its maximum height, the cloud spreads out, forming the classic anvil shape seen in this photo.
The pink glow comes from the setting sun. At this time of day, sunlight travels through more of the atmosphere, scattering shorter blue wavelengths and allowing longer red and orange hues to dominate in a process known as Rayleigh scattering.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Mobile Category Winner Kyaw Zay Yar Lin
\u201cThis photo captures the urgent feeling of being caught in a sudden downpour. Two fishermen work quickly: one paddling through the dark water, the other bailing it out of the boat. Their bright orange and blue clothes stand out vividly, just like the heavy raindrops streaking across the frame. The motion blur of both the fishermen and the rain make the viewer feel part of the action, caught in the sudden intensity of a tropical storm. Raindrops fall in sheets and splash against the murky lake below as water fills the boat\u2019s base.
The rower uses the Intha people\u2019s distinctive technique, standing at the stern with one leg wrapped around a single oar, enabling smooth, flowing paddling through the lake\u2019s reeds. Though Inle Lake is shallow, less than two metres deep on average, it supports a rich ecosystem and a way of life, both now under threat.
Myanmar\u2019s monsoon climate brings heavy seasonal rains, and fishing remains a vital livelihood even during storms like this. Deforestation in the surrounding hills has caused severe soil erosion, with sediment washing into the lake and shrinking it to half its original size. On top of this, climate change is altering rainfall patterns and increasing evaporation due to rising temperatures, causing water levels to fluctuate even more. Given the lake\u2019s shallowness, these changes threaten fish stocks and fragile ecosystems.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Runner-Up Jadwiga Piasecka
\u201cI\u2019ve loved big waves and storms since I was a kid \u2013 the power and energy of the sea have always fascinated me. So, when Storm Eunice rolled in, I knew I couldn\u2019t miss the opportunity to witness it firsthand,\u201d says photographer Jadwiga Piasecka.
She took this image from a sheltered place out of reach of the storm in Newhaven, on the south coast of the UK, where winds were gusting at over 80 miles per hour. \u201cFrom my vantage point, I watched enormous waves battling against the sea wall, sending dramatic sprays of water high into the air\u2026highlighting just how immense the storm\u2019s fury truly was.\u201d
Storm Eunice brought England\u2019s highest recorded wind gust of 122 miles per hour. It was one of several intense European windstorms in early 2022, causing widespread disruption across the UK and Ireland, with record-breaking gusts, structural damage, and coastal flooding. Waves like these are driven by the storm\u2019s low-pressure centre and fierce winds, which whip up the sea into towering swells. When those waves crash into sea defences, the spray can be immense.
Peter Gibbs, one of the judges, commented: \u201cThe isolated figure emphasises the power and scale of the forces at work and the ripples on the water in the foreground add another element to emphasise the strength of the gale.\u201d Luckily most people paid attention to the rare red Met Office weather warning and did not get too close to the storm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Moon<\/p>\n

Jaroslav Fous, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Third Place
\u201cAfter spending five hours photographing halos in daylight, Jaroslav Fous patiently waited for the moon to rise over the snowy Ore Mountains near the Neklid ski area in Czechia. As temperatures dropped and diamond dust filled the air, he was rewarded with this lunar display.
Moon halos like this are relatively rare because the moon is usually too faint to produce such vivid effects. However, under the right conditions, when millions of tiny hexagonal ice crystals hang suspended in the atmosphere, moonlight scatters and reflects to form striking rings and arcs.
This mesmerising image showcases an array of rare optical phenomena: a bright 22\u00b0 halo, a faint outer 46\u00b0 halo, a parhelic circle, a Parry arc above the main halo, and a lower tangent arc beneath it. Bright shafts of light rising from the horizon are light pillars, created by ice crystals reflecting the artificial glow of nearby buildings.
All these features arise from the interaction of moonlight with ice crystals. Each effect depends on the precise \u2018choreography\u2019 of the ice crystals: their shapes, orientations, and how they move. For example, plate-shaped crystals aligned horizontally create light pillars, while columns tilted in specific ways produce the Parry arc. When multiple optical effects combine, they create this dazzling, almost otherworldly display.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over 4,000 images from amateur and professional photographers were entered into this year\u2019s contest.
\n\"Dark<\/p>\n

Tam\u00e1s Kusza, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Mobile Category Runner-Up
\u201cA dirt track cuts through the countryside in O\u017e\u010fany, Slovakia, drawing the eye towards a sky heavy with dark, swirling clouds. In the middle of the path, a mountain bike lies still, its rider momentarily grounded by the sight ahead.
\u201cI have always been drawn to storms,\u201d says photographer Tam\u00e1s Kusza. \u201cI love watching the sky darken, the clouds descend, and the majestic power of nature slowly unfold. Whenever I can, I hop on my bike and head for the border, where the sky and the earth meet, and where storms are born.\u201d
That day, he watched dark clouds gather on the horizon. \u201cI knew a special moment was coming. I rode the dirt road far enough until I had to stop: the sight was almost paralysing. I put my bike down and took out my camera. I stood there, facing the heart of the storm, where the power of nature and my own courage met. It was the moment before the silence. The world silently watched my steps. Would I stay and capture the storm, or turn back? But I knew: I was always heading toward the storm.\u201d
Fast-moving summer storms like this are common in central Europe, often arriving with torrential rain, high winds and lightning. For Kusza, it\u2019s exactly that unpredictability that keeps him riding toward the horizon.
As climate change intensifies, parts of central Europe are seeing longer summers with more unstable weather, including heavier downpours and faster storm development, especially over land.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dark<\/p>\n

Ellen Ross, Standard Chartered Young Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 Runner-Up
\u201cMy Dad and I were paddleboarding on Lake Michigan [USA] when this storm blew in,\u201d says young photographer Ellen Ross. \u201cI quickly grabbed my Dad\u2019s phone and took this photo, because it\u2019s rare to see such an interesting storm. Also because of the small patch of blue sky behind it. I think it shows good days to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Fractal<\/p>\n

Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Public Vote Runner-Up Himadri Bhuyan
\u201cCaptured in the early winter chill of Arunachal Pradesh, India, this image by Himadri Bhuyan reveals a frozen lake surface etched with delicate, fractal-like ice patterns. \u201cThe subzero temperature was hurting my hands and feet,\u201d he recalls, \u201cbut the frozen patterns caught my attention, and I had to stop and capture them.\u201d Taken near Pangateng Tso Lake in mid-November, the scene may look serene, but beneath its stillness lies a subtle sign of a changing climate.
As water freezes, it expands and crystallises from the edges inward. Variations in temperature, impurities and wind can create striking surface patterns: ridges, lines and bubbles etched in the ice as it forms. Each line captures a moment in the lake\u2019s freezing process: a visible record of changing conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Aftermath<\/p>\n

Maria del Pilar Trigo Bonnin, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2025 Climate Award Runner-Up
\u201cTwo men ride through a road strewn with debris, heading home to what remains after Typhoon Rai (locally named Odette) tore across Siargao Island, Philippines, in December 2021. Photographer Maria del Pilar Trigo Bonnin took the shot from the back of another motorbike as they made their way through the devastation. \u201cI handheld the camera and captured the moment quickly the stillness, the chaos, and the long shadows told the story of what we had just lived through.\u201d
Typhoon Rai struck as a Category 5 storm, with winds exceeding 250 km\/h. It rapidly intensified over warm ocean waters before landfall, a pattern that is becoming more common with climate change. For many in Siargao, the storm was unlike anything they had seen in decades. Trees were flattened, homes torn apart, and lives upended in a matter of hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Snowy<\/p>\n

Shaun Mills, Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year Public Vote, Third Place
\u201cDuring a storm on Britain\u2019s east coast, waves crash against the sea defences at Overstrand, Norfolk, sending sea spray high into the air. Photographer Shaun Mills writes: \u201cA photo trip to the Norfolk coast coincided with a storm, and I took the opportunity to capture some incredibly rough seas. The image was taken to isolate the individual spray, giving the impression of a snowstorm.\u201d
Sea spray forms when strong winds tear across wave crests, ejecting tiny droplets of saltwater into the air. These airborne droplets can range in size from visible bursts to microscopic particles that influence cloud formation and weather patterns. Capturing them in motion requires fast shutter speeds and careful timing. Here, the image was cropped to fill the frame with the dynamic texture of spray.
The stormy conditions that produce such scenes are becoming more frequent and intense in a warming climate. As global temperatures rise, so too does the energy available to fuel extreme weather systems. At the same time, sea level rise poses an increasing threat to low-lying coastal regions like Norfolk. East Anglia\u2019s coast is particularly vulnerable due to its soft, eroding cliffs and already subsiding land. Storm-driven wave action, combined with higher sea levels, can accelerate coastal erosion and overwhelm ageing defences.\u201d<\/p>\n

Royal Meteorological Society:\u00a0Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/strong>
\nMy Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by the Royal Meteorological Society.
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