World's Felines: August 2025 Photo Contest

Hi everyone, Here’s the theme for August... the world’s felines. Yep, wildlife photography! 😺

Forest cat

So, this theme isn’t exactly a "travel invitation," but coming up with a new one is quite a puzzle 😅. During February’s “white” theme discussion, we had pages of cats, so you should be inspired 😸. I won’t be restrictive—wild felines, domestic cats, and even those in zoos (though I’m not a fan) will be accepted. Plus, engravings, paintings, statues, or any other representations of felines fit the theme. The Sphinx is also welcome ;).



Practical details:

Participation: Each VF member can submit up to 3 photos, until Monday, August 25th at 11:59 PM Paris time. Each photo must be posted in a separate message, with its number (1, 2, or 3). Don’t forget to add a little explanation (comment, location, etc.).

Voting: Each VF member can vote for the 3 photos they consider the best, based on their own criteria and the theme.

Voting will take place from Tuesday, August 26th to Saturday, August 30th at 11:59 PM Paris time.

Selected photos will be ranked in order of preference: - 1st photo: 3 points - 2nd photo: 2 points - 3rd photo: 1 point

The winner is the photographer with the most points.

Results will be published on August 31st. In case of a tie, the number of first-place votes will decide. The winner will have the honor of organizing September 2025’s contest.

Photos that have already been nominated (1st, 2nd, or 3rd place) in another contest are not eligible for this one.

This thread is exclusively for contest submissions. Any discussions or comments should be posted here.

Yep, that’s pretty much how we love seeing them—happy!

This one was 10,000 km from home.

PHOTO 1

Photo 1 Meeting at the street corner, Faro

Good evening

Photo No. 1

Never seen a tiger this close up.

At Tokyo Zoo, a thick glass panel protects visitors, but the chills from seeing the big cat up close are still intense.

Hello

Glad to be back for this contest. Photo 1 - Tanzania, Ngorongoro Crater

Photo 2 - Leopard hidden in a tree near Tarangire, Tanzania

Hi Isabelle

Not many felines at my place, whether they're alive, stuffed, or statues 😕 So I’ll contribute with a series of cats instead.

Photo number 1

Sleeping cat, Pointe Courte, Sète.

Photo number 2

Angry cat, Istanbul.

Photo number 3

Curious cat, Essaouira.

Photo #1: Little cat photographed in Djerba, in the hotel lobby.

Photo #2: little cat strolling down a street in Israel. Smaller cat breeds than our European types.

no need to thank me 🤪

no need to thank me



I don’t get it, it looks like it’s alive...

(Edit: oops, I thought this was the discussion thread)

xrctn-1 - Little kitten all grown up, Etosha NP, Namibia

xrctn-2 - This one we can approach without any problem - Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul, South Korea

photo 1 While visiting Ranthambore Wildlife Sanctuary, I finally had the chance to meet a tiger—and for over an hour! This after years of visiting reserves in India. Just looking at the photos brings me right back to those intense emotions:

photo 2 we were able to follow the tiger "Kumbha" going to drink

photo 3 Kumbha decided to take a refreshing bath, offering me his extraordinary pose!

Photo 1: Kenya Tsavo East. 2010



This photo has a special meaning for me because it was the first time I crossed paths with this kind of animal—in the wild, no less.

Photo 1: a little kitten in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania

Hello

Photo No. 2

Camouflage?



In a bus station in a small town on the Kerala coast (India)

Photo 2: The Cat Monastery, Inle Lake, Myanmar

Photo 3: Monastery of Cats, Inle Lake, Myanmar

play of light

Photo 2: The king of the jungle in a can, South Africa

Photo 3: Encounters along the Kruger, South Africa

Photo No. 3

The cat strolls around Guérande

Hello, Thanks for your photos😊 For those who haven’t done it yet, there are 3 days left to post😉

Photo 1: In Kruger in 2014, the three cubs were hiding 10 meters behind us, watching...

Photo #2: A game of hide-and-seek in Paros, 2020.

Photo #3: Black & White in Pelion, 2022

Good evening!

Photo No. 3

Which one should I keep? The white one or the black one?



in Bengkulu, a city on the southwest coast of Sumatra (Indonesia)

Jojoone, PHOTO 2

Artistic twist in a restaurant. An image that definitely rings a bell...

His Majesty, the Lion King, reminds you that the polling station has been open since last night 😊

His Majesty, the lion king, reminds you that the voting booth has been open since last night 😄

Alright, here I go 😉

Attila, photo 1, 3 points For the colors and the posture of His Majesty The Cat.

Montagnard74, photo 1, 2 points Because the photo takes me on a journey and it's well composed.

Ragamuffin, photo 3, 1 point Because Raga's pictures are often original, different, fun, and they're always real travel photos!

The slideshow is here.

Ragamuffin photo 3... 3 points (Are the kittens still alive?)

Attila photo 1... 2 points Which one of them caught the other...

FamilleUS photo 2... 1 point Lovely beige tones that match the cat and the bars

Good evening,

Here’s my vote:

3 points: Attila 2 (South Africa) 2 points: Attila 1 (Portugal) 1 point: Envallis 2 (Tanzania)

Due to limited space, I unfortunately couldn’t fit Montagnard74 1 (Kenya) and FamilleUS 2 (Greece) on the podium 😕, sorry!

Hery

Sorry, small mistake:

3 points: Attila 3 (South Africa)

hgb

My votes:

Envallis: photo #2: 3 points FamilleUS: photo #1: 2 points Attila: photo #3: 1 point

Votes:

Xrctn 2 🙂🙂🙂

Envallis1 🙂🙂

Ragamuffin 2 😄

Voting closes tomorrow night at midnight. This cheetah is running here 😄

Here’s my vote:



I prefer photos of wild animals because it’s so hard these days to encounter animals in their natural environment.

3 points: Envallis 2 – the leopard in its tree in Tanzania

2 points: Montagnard 1 – the lionesses in Kenya

1 point: FamilleUS 1 – the leopard’s head in Kruger

I hesitated between Vagamonde’s tigers and Attila’s photo 3 of the lioness with her tiny cubs in Kruger.

I really loved Kate’s stunning photo 1 as well as Attila’s photo 1.

Phew, I made it in time!

Attila 3: 🙂🙂🙂 The lioness merges with the stone, and the cubs keep watch!

Ragamuffin 3: 🙂🙂 Not sure if this is for the cats or for the little one...

Kate 1: 🙂 For the boldness of the focus

Thanks to Agnès for the slideshow

Hello, I also hope to be on time! 3 points Envallis-2 (leopard) 2 points Jojoone-2 (painting) 1 point Attila-2 (matchbox) See you, X

I’m really sorry, but the polling station closed on the 30th at midnight Paris time. I would’ve loved to accept your vote since it would’ve broken the tie for first place.

Did you account for the time difference? I can’t be bothered to calculate

Here are the voting results... 3 photos tied with 7 points 😮‍💨

Attila photo 1 Attila photo 3 Envallis photo 2

According to the rules: "In case of a tie, the number of first-place votes will prevail."

Problem: two photos each had 2 first-place votes (3 points)

Attila photo 3 Envallis photo 2

I don’t know what to decide in this case. 3 options: - Declare Attila the winner since she has 2 photos on the podium - Envallis, who I think has never had a first-place finish - Or a joint win for September’s contest

This beautiful cheetah is deep in thought... what do you all think?

Did you account for the time difference? I can’t be bothered to calculate

No, but since it’s Paris time [;)

Ouch, that’ll teach me to sleep in! Well done to the winning couple.

Good evening,

Sorry if there are 2 photos on the podium, and if we count all the photos from those two, Attila has 14 points and Envallis 9. What could possibly speak against Attila winning?! In my opinion, nothing...

Have a good evening, hgb