Top photos of 2025 NFL season revealed in Pro Football Hall of Fame's annual contest
'A gamble' that paid off
A shooting method the photographer called “a gamble” paid off with what a panel of judges deemed this year’s best image entered in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s annual photo contest associated with the 2025 National Football League season.
Kyle Terada, a photographer for Imagn Images, captured an airborne George Kittle as the San Francisco tight end reached for the pylon, completing a 13-yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium. The photo, appropriately titled “George Kittle TD,” beat out nearly 1,300 other submissions to claim 2025 Dave Boss Award of Excellence as the photograph of the year in the Hall of Fame’s 58th annual photo contest.
Terada said he used his Sony camera’s tilt screen, allowing him to place his equipment at ground level and get the shot from a perspective underneath Kittle.
“Sometimes it’s a gamble shooting low and not having the camera to your face,” Terada said. “Luckily, I was focused on Kittle when he caught the ball and dove.”
He nearly lost the shot when another person near the goal line encroached on his field of vision.
“I was a little nervous,” Terada said. “I knew I had the photo, but I wasn’t sure if the composition stayed clean. Fortunately, it was good enough for the judges.”
This year’s judges said Terada’s photograph “sums up everything we love both about football and photography.”
“In one photo, you can feel the athleticism, the intensity, the joy and the competitiveness of the subject,” said judge Brad Smith.
“The low angle, the athleticism, the concentration, the extended reach for the pylon, the exposure, the image sharpness and the focus of both the player and the photographer exemplify what it means to be a professional athlete and a professional photographer,” judge Paul Spinelli said.
Judge Kevin Terrell called the photo “a combination of timing, concentration, focus and more importantly, anticipation. There is so much going on in this photo, and it greatly epitomizes Kittle as a player and his infectious personality.”
Terada shoots for Imagn Images in the Bay Area. He has been with the sports-image wire service (and its predecessor under another name) for about 16 years. He took up photography as a hobby while in middle school when he no longer could participate in the sports he loved.
“My mom always carried a camera,” he said. “Then I started. I met a few great people along way who took me under their wing.”
The Dave Boss Award of Excellence is named for the former vice president of publishing and creative services for the National Football League. The Hall of Fame’s prestigious contest is open to professional photographers on assignment to cover NFL games. Photos taken during the 2025 NFL season, from the preseason through Super Bowl LX, were eligible.
Terada’s entry was the first-place winner from more than 600 entries in the Action category.
The Light was perfect
Kathryn Riley, a photographer with NFL Focus, took first place in the nearly 700-image Feature category with “Into the Light.” She captured Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel in a beam of sunlight as he dropped back to pass in a game against the New England Patriots. Similar late-afternoon sunlight at Gillette Stadium figured into the 2024 photo contest, contributing to the Action image that was declared the Dave Boss Award winner a year ago.
Terada, Riley and the second- and third-place finishers in each category will receive cash prizes from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Terada has been invited to attend the 2026 Awards of Excellence program June 24-25 in Canton to receive additional recognition.
All 20 of the photos that received honorable mention or higher will be displayed on a video kiosk at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Terada’s image and selected others also will be printed and mounted for display inside the museum.
Five prominent photo editors/photographers reviewed the nearly 1,300 images submitted for consideration and reached their decisions after a series of cutdown votes. The panel included: Ryan Kang, manager of photography at the NFL; Terrell Lloyd, director of photography and lead team photographer for the San Francisco 49ers, and former director of photographic services for NFL; Brad Smith, senior vice president of photography at WWE; Paul Spinelli, SpinPhotos, Inc., and former director of photographic services for NFL; and Kevin Terrell, photographer-image creator/photo editor for Kevin Terrell Photography.
58TH ANNUAL PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME PHOTO CONTEST (2025 SEASON)
2025 Dave Boss Award of Excellence (Photo of the Year)
Action winner - Kyle Terada, Imagn Images
FULL PHOTO CONTEST RESULTS
Action Category
FIRST PLACE (image shown above): Kyle Terada, Imagn Images, “George Kittle TD,” Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers, Nov. 9, 2025.
SECOND PLACE: Abigail Dean, Los Angeles Rams, “Rain or Shine,” Los Angeles Rams vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (in London), Oct. 19, 2025.
THIRD PLACE: Adrian Kraus, Freelance/The Associated Press), “Fingertip Touchdown,” Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills, Sept. 7, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: David Berding, Getty Images, “Sack and Fumble,” Atlanta Falcons at Minnesota Vikings, Sept. 14, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Brent Durken, Cleveland Browns, “Wild Dawgs Chase Their Prey,” Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns, Dec. 21, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Mark Lebryk, Indianapolis Colts, “Handoff,” Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, Sept. 7, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Evan Siegle, Green Bay Packers, “Parallel 9,” Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears, Jan. 10, 2026.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jamie Squire, Getty Images, “Cyclops,” Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs, Dec. 14, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Stephanie VanWagoner, Freelance/Detroit Lions), “Controlled Chaos,” Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions, Dec. 4, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Jared Wickerham, Pittsburgh Steelers, “Gained Well,” Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions, Dec. 21, 2025.
Feature Category
FIRST PLACE: Kathryn Riley, NFL Focus, “Into the Light,” Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots, Oct. 26, 2025.
SECOND PLACE: Zach Tarrant, Carolina Panthers, “Watch Out Below,” Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks, Oct. 20, 2025.
THIRD PLACE: Andrew Stein, Carolina Panthers, “Pregame Pump Up,” Carolina Panthers at New England Patriots, Sept. 28, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Mike Carlson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, “Tilting the Intros,” Arizona Cardinals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Nov. 30, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Kiel Leggere, Philadelphia Eagles, “Awaiting,” Las Vegas Raiders at Philadelphia Eagles, Dec. 14, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Ben Ludeman, Buffalo Bills, “The Running of the Bills,” New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills, Sept. 28, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Matt Ludtke, Associated Press, “In the Spotlight,” Baltimore Ravens at Green Bay Packers, Dec. 27, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Rod Mar, Seattle Seahawks, “Jaxson Smith-Njigba Touchdown Dunk,” Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks, Oct. 20, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Kennedy Rodriquez, Cleveland Browns, “Finding Flash,” Cleveland Browns at New York Jets, Nov. 9, 2025.
HONORABLE MENTION: Tomas Diniz Santos, Miami Dolphins, “Elation in España,” Washington Commanders vs. Miami Dolphins (in Madrid), Nov. 16, 2025.
