CAPTURE THE EXTREME
PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
Now in its fifth year, Capture the Extreme is a celebration of those who dare to venture further and see deeper to frame the extraordinary.
United by a shared pursuit of exploration and innovation, Shackleton presents Capture The Extreme in collaboration with our friends at Leica AG. This global competition invites photographers to capture the raw beauty and brutal majesty of our planet’s extremes, from the coldest frontiers to the highest peaks, the harshest deserts to the most fragile ecosystems.
After poring over all the entries capturing extreme landscapes, extreme weather, wildlife, people and adventure, we are excited to share the results. Huge thanks to all our talented entrants and many congratulations to the winners.
In announcing the results, we also launch the Explorers’ Choice Award, whereby we invite our community to vote for their favourite image from the 25 highly commended entries. The winner will receive a Shackleton Expedition Parka of their choosing.
EXPLORER'S CHOICE AWARD VOTING IS NOW OPEN
CREDIT: AYAZ ALI
CREDIT: DANIELL BOHNOF
CREDIT: DAVID HICKS
CREDIT: ELIA SAIKALY
EXPLORER'S CHOICE - LANDSCAPE
2025 CATEGORY WINNERS
EXTREME LANDSCAPES
THE PLANET'S REMOTE CORNERS
CREDIT: JONAS PIONTEK
Icelandic River from above.
Camera: Nikon D4s
Lens: Nikkor 24-120f4
Settings: 50mm, f7.1, 1/200
EXTREME WEATHER
AT THE EDGE OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS
CREDIT: JONAS PIONTEK
Stunning UFO-Like LP Supercell during sunset in Eastern New Mexico, panoramic shot.
12 vertical 24mm shots
Lens: Nikon Z9, 24-120f4 Z
Settings: 1/125, f7.1, iso100
WILDLIFE AT THE EXTREMES
CREATURES THAT ENDURE
CREDIT: FRANK GAZZOLA
In the remote fjords of Svalbard, a pod of walruses are resting after foraging for hours on clams.
Camera: DJI Mavic 3 Pro
Settings: 1/2000@F2.8
PEOPLE IN THE EXTREMES
FROM INDIGENOUS GROUPS TO ADVENTURERS
CREDIT: JAMES GRECIAN
Dr. Lara Vimercati returns to the surface after a scientific dive to sample the microbial mats of Lake Untersee. More people have walked on the moon than have dived here in this extreme environment. These ancient microbial communities provide crucial insights into early life on Earth and serve as analogues for potential life on other planets.
Camera: Canon EOS 7D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Settings: 40mm \| f/7.1 \| 1/200s \| ISO 100
CAPTURE THE EXTREME
2025 WINNER
CREDIT: JULES OLDROYD
Baffin Island, Canada Canon R5, RF70-200 2.8, F13, 1/1000, ISO 250
CREDIT: BENJAMIN DICKER
CREDIT: HECTOR QUINTERO DOMINGUES
CREDIT: JB LIAUTARD
CREDIT: JONAS PIONTEK
EXPLORER'S CHOICE - PEOPLE
PRIZES
OVERALL WINNER
LEICA D-LUX 8 CAMERA
SHACKLETON EXPEDITION PARKA OF YOUR CHOICE
SHACKLETON HERO SWEATER
SHACKLETON MERINO WATCH CAP
FOUR CATEGORY WINNERS
EXTREME LANDSCAPES - THE PLANET'S REMOTE CORNERS
SHACKLETON HERO SWEATER
EXTREME WEATHER - AT THE EDGE OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS
SHACKLETON HERO SWEATER
WILDLIFE AT THE EXTREMES - CREATURES THAT ENDURE
SHACKLETON HERO SWEATER
PEOPLE IN THE EXTREMES - FROM INDIGENOUS GROUPS TO ADVENTURERS
SHACKLETON HERO SWEATER
PUBLIC VOTE/
EXPLORERS' CHOICE
SHACKLETON EXPEDITION PARKA OF YOUR CHOICE
CREDIT: ARTEM POSTELNIKOV
CREDIT: BENJAMIN DICKER
CREDIT: FELIX BELLOIN
CREDIT: MARTIN KRYSTYNEK
EXPLORER'S CHOICE - WEATHER
JUDGES
LEVISON WOOD
PHOTOGRAPHER, EXPLORER & WRITER
Levison Wood is a renowned explorer, author, and photographer, known for his extraordinary journeys through some of the world's most challenging terrains. As a Leica ambassador, he combines his passion for adventure with his exceptional photography skills, capturing stunning images that tell compelling stories of remote and untamed landscapes. Wood's daring expeditions and captivating storytelling have inspired audiences worldwide to make their own journeys.
EMILY GARTHWAITE
PHOTOJOURNALIST
Emily Garthwaite is an award-winning photojournalist, Forbes 30 Under 30 and Leica Ambassador focusing on humanitarian and environmental issues. Star of Shackleton's recent LIVE COURAGEOUSLY campaign, Emily has walked over 1,500km through Iraq and travelled the one of the most militarised rivers in the world, the Tigris, documenting the people and places in the process. Her photographs have been published in The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, Washington Post, Der Speigel, Le Figaro, GEO, among others.
MARTIN HARTLEY
POLAR EXPLORER & PHOTOGRAPHER
Martin is a celebrated polar explorer and photographer who has ventured into some of the harshest and most remote regions on Earth. With his camera as his tool, Hartley captures the raw beauty and inherent challenges of the polar landscapes, documenting the fragile ecosystems and the effects of climate change. His images evoke a sense of awe and urgency, igniting a global dialogue on the importance of preserving these pristine environments for future generations along with.
KARIN REHN-KAUFMANN
ART DIRECTOR LEICA
Karin Rehn-Kaufmann is Art Director & Chief Representative Leica Galleries International and holds management responsibility for the 24 Leica Galleries around the world. She has successfully curated numerous prestigious exhibitions and has held responsibility for exhibition concepts for the Leica Galerie at the photokina in 2012, 2014 and 2016, as well as the ‘10x10’ exhibition on the occasion of the jubilee ‘100 years of Leica photography’, and ‘50 best for Leica’ – an exclusive collection of the most famous photographs taken by the prominent US Magnum photographer Elliot Erwitt.
PROFESSOR JOE SMITH
DIRECTOR THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
Prior to becoming Director of the Society in 2018, Joe was Professor of Environment and Society and head of geography at the Open University. His academic work was focused on environmental communication, history, policy and politics. Joe put together numerous seminars for environment specialists and senior media decision-makers, mostly from the BBC, from the mid-1990s onwards. He also advised on over 30 hours of BBC broadcasting.
MARTIN BROOKS
CEO & CO-FOUNDER
SHACKLETON
Martin is the Co-Founder and CEO of Shackleton. A serial marketing entrepreneur, he has been a devotee of Ernest Shackleton for over 40 years and has visited Antarctica and sailed the world’s oceans inspired by the Boss. Working with Co-Founder Ian Holdcroft, Martin’s mission at Shackleton is to inspire, enable and equip people to Live Courageously - to ‘strive to the uttermost for life’s set prize’ …as inscribed on Sir Ernest’s gravestone.
CREDIT: SUE FLOOD
CREDIT: VITTORIO RICCI
CREDIT: PIERRE LE GALL
CREDIT: SCOTT SINTON
EXPLORER'S CHOICE - WILDLIFE
Immerse yourself in the winning imagery and the remarkable stories behind the shots from previous years - from Antarctic ice shelves and the storms of Iceland, to intimate portraits of survival and solitude from the world's extremes.
KEY DATES
Entries for the 2025 competition are now closed.
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TERMS & CONDITIONS
Read more
Entrants must be 18 years old or older
All entries must be original work from the person entering it
Entries with watermarks or obvious tampering to alter the scene will not be accepted
Entrants retain all rights to material submitted but consent to any entered images being published on Shackleton and Leica channels
Competition governed by the laws of England & Wales
