Norwegian Grott wins World Athletics Photograph of the Year
28th November 2025Vegard Grott’s evocative image of athletes competing in the Dream Mile has been selected as the 2025 World Athletics Photograph of the Year.
The photograph, titled ‘Shadows’, captures the dramatic movement of athletes competing at the Bislett Games Diamond League meeting in Oslo. As in past years, the World Athletics Photograph of the Year shines a spotlight on exceptional images captured by professional photographers around the globe.
From the 141 images that were submitted, a panel of judges – comprising two-time world 100m hurdles champion Sally Pearson, four-time world triple jump champion Christian Taylor, photographer and Paris 2024 photo chief Pascal Rondeau, and World Athletics digital creative manager Christel El Saneh – selected Grott’s image for its emotional impact and powerful portrayal of athletic endeavour.
“I’m truly honoured to receive this,” said Grott. “This year the Bislett Games was held over two days, and I’d shot some similar images on day one. On day two, the sun was a bit stronger and there was a packed crowd. I shot two laps of the race before the sun disappeared and this image ended up being one of them.
“I've been shooting this event in Oslo for almost 15 years, but this was the first time the sun had been perfect for this kind of shot,” he added. “It's also about intuition. I've seen some similar images, but had never taken one myself. It was one of those moments where everything comes together.
“I shoot mainly football, but also a lot of athletics. Personally – and I can't say this to my football colleagues – I prefer athletics, so winning this is a big deal and an honour. Thank you to the judges and to World Athletics.”
Grott has been working as an agency photographer since 2011 and joined the ranks of Bildbyrån in 2017. Over the years, he has chronicled major sporting events – including multiple Olympic Games – and has served as team photographer for the Norwegian football team. On three separate occasions, his work has been recognised among the world’s best by Pictures of the Year International and the National Press Photographers Association.
This year’s honour will be recognised at the 2025 World Athletics Awards – to be held in Monaco on 30 November – alongside other accolades celebrating excellence in athletics worldwide.