The 2025 photo jury has delivered its verdict

On Monday, July 16 at 10 a.m., the Namur International Nature Festival welcomed the Photo Competition jury for its 18th edition. An eclectic and passionate jury, composed of image and nature professionals, who set out to select the most powerful shots from among nearly 2,326 photos received. While participation was slightly down this year, the quality was still there.

An exceptional jury for a competition in full development

• Florian Ledoux, Florian Ledoux, polar expedition photographer and jury president, brings his keen eye, honed by long hours spent on the ice floes. His artistic rigor and commitment to fragile territories guided the entire discussion.

• Michel d’Oultremont, multi-award-winning photographer and Festival regular, the architect of the pre-selection, allowed the jury to work from a tight but demanding base of 567 photos, demonstrating the great rigor of the process. Michel punctuated the day with his benevolent humor ("Don't be too nice, don't be too mean"), while ensuring that the selection was as solid as it was inspired.

• Violaine Fichefet, abiologist-ecologist at the Public Walloon Service, she has been putting her expertise to work on Walloon biodiversity for over 20 years. After coordinating the monitoring of bioindicators such as butterflies and dragonflies for 12 years, she is now focusing on mammals, particularly wolves. Her presence on the jury, at the crossroads of the scientific and cultural worlds, brings a rigorous and engaged interpretation of the images—a true link between fieldwork, science, and emotion.

• Michael Colson, Belgian wildlife photographer Michael Colson will be exhibiting at the 31st edition of the Festival. A member of the photo competition jury, he lent his artistic eye to the selection, enthusiastically sharing his choices and favorites.

Three new categories to reinvent the gaze

This year, the competition has a new look with three redesigned categories, more expressive and more immersive:

Wild Gaze : a signature of the Festival, this category celebrates the power of a gaze. Whether it moves, challenges, or fascinates, it's eye contact that resonates. It concerns the entire animal kingdom.

Movement : here, we feel the breath of life. Whether it's a flight, a race, or a shiver of vegetation, movement must spring from the image.

Light : golden hour, chiaroscuro, backlighting, or creative flashes: this category places light at the center of visual emotion.

A solid selection, favorites and nice surprises

At 1:45 p.m., the 60 finalist photos were announced. Now, the winners in the three categories, as well as the Jury Prize and the Audience Award (selected and announced during the Festival), will be selected. A Special Mention may also be awarded by the jury to recognize a unique perspective—without a prize, but with the honors. See you in October to discover the winners and the selected images as part of the Village Nature at the Citadelle de Namur.