Vegard Grott’s ‘Shadows’ was named 2025 World Athletics Photograph of the Year on Friday, taking the top honors over 141 submissions and 10 shortlist nominees.
“I’m truly honored to receive this,” Grott said in a statment. “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. ”
Grott’s photo of competitors in the Dream Mile at the Bislett Games in Oslo showed deep elongated shadows on the track being cast by the sun.
“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,” Grott said. “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.”
Grott, who is from Norway, said he’s been working with photography agencies since 2011 and joined Bildbyrån, a top Scandinavian brand, in 2017. He’s covered a range of sports, like soccer and has been to several Olympics and has stacked up honors from Pictures of the Year International and the National Press Photographers Association.
“I shoot mainly football, but also a lot of athletics,” he added. “Personally – and I can’t say this to my football colleagues – I prefer athletics, so winning this is a big deal and an honor. Thank you to the judges and to World Athletics.”
Grott winning photo will get a formal acknowledgement at the 2025 World Athletics Awards on Sunday in Monaco as other awards for top athletes of the year and leading member federation.
