Composition of the 2025 jury
Thomas Meunier
Belgian nature photographer
As a child, Thomas was already a "woodland kid." He grew up near rivers and forests, and the desire to be in contact with animals has always been present for him. Nature fascinates him, inspires him, and recharges him; he needs to be in daily contact with it.
To better protect nature, we must first and foremost love and understand it. He therefore wanted to deepen his knowledge and learn to share it, which led him to train as a nature guide. During all the years following his naturalist training, he spent a lot of time photographing the nature around his home in the Dinant region of Belgium. A truly all-consuming passion was born!
Long hides are conducive to reflection, and Thomas longed for a change, a simpler life, more attentive to his needs. He started out as a wildlife photographer… He makes a living from his passion by selling his images and offering nature photography workshops and trips in Belgium and other European countries.
To create his images, he seeks an atmosphere or beautiful light rather than a specific animal.
Needing to immerse himself in his subject before photographing it, Thomas spends a lot of time in the field making observations, following animal trails, and understanding their behavior.
Noé Terorde
Belgian nature photographer
Noé studied Agronomy and then Biochemistry Engineering. His fascination with birds led him to travel extensively around the world: Armenia, Georgia, Costa Rica, Panama, Argentina, the USA, Canada, and more.
But Noé's greatest passion is ornithology and bird conservation. He notably spent seven months on the American continent, as well as in Georgia and Israel, where he joined teams tracking raptor migrations. Noé is now a freelance ornithologist, a travel guide for Voyages STARLING, and works on various projects within the Natagora association.
Jan Loos
Executive Director of Landschap vzw
Jan Loos, known for founding Welkom Wolf in 2011, a month before the first wolf sighting in Belgium, is our third member of the 2025 jury!
Jan also organizes the Lowland Photo Festival and the Lowland Photo Contest in Antwerp, where the Emotion'Ailes exhibition will be exhibited next December.
With decades of experience as a nature guide in Belgium and abroad for the nature association Landschap vzw, and his expertise in capturing beautiful images, he will surely appreciate the photographic gems that will be in competition this year!
Serge Sorbi
Belgian nature photographer
Serge Sorbi is a passionate man and an unconditional lover of wildlife.
An ornithologist since middle school, he has been studying and protecting the Tengmalm's Owl in the Hautes Ardennes for over thirty years! An officer in the Air Force, Serge was able to combine his passion with his profession, actively participating in the creation of the department responsible for reducing the risk of collisions between aircraft and birds through a thoughtful approach. Co-organizer of the Aves Photo Expos from the very beginning, there's no doubt that his passions for nature photography and ornithology play a huge role in his life! A longtime photographer, when he's not at a nature photography festival or judging an international photo competition, he travels... to India in search of tigers or on a Zodiac in Svalbard as a guide for the Nature et Terroir agency.
He's seen hundreds, thousands of nature photos! Whether naturalistic or more artistic, there's no doubt he knows how to spot the images that will hit the mark!
More than 10,000€ in prizes for our winners of the Emotion’Ailes contest!
Observe Nature supports the Expos Photos Aves by donating part of the competition prizes of optical equipment oriented towards animal and nature observation.
Les Combres supports Expos Photos Aves by offering a stay at the gite. A haven of peace preserved in Malbosc, isolated in the middle of nature with a breathtaking view. This old magnanerie (silkworm breeding) is built on the rock in an exceptional natural setting.
Vouchers for photo equipment will be offered to our partners for several thousand euros.
Terre sauvage invites you to travel to distant and unspoiled regions or to places closer to discover a natural environment. Terre Sauvage magazine offers a one-year subscription to several winners.
For Aves, Carrycam produced a special series featuring the famous festival bird. Beautiful photo hikes to all!