Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Features 15 Adorable Kitten Photos

The Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest has curated 15 kitten photographs from around the world, spanning 2008 to 2025. The collection includes images by Sara Farver (Michigan, 2009), Anna Berdina (Russia, 2021), Sepideh Haghpanah (Iran, 2025), Anita Erdmann (Montana, 2010), Cahleen Hudson (Taiwan, 2025), Stu Sporn (Maryland, 2014), Robin Biswas (Mongolia, 2018), Emily Schnipke (Ohio, 2011), Idris Musa (Indonesia, 2022), Zihan Li (China, 2025), Alexandra Linn Desaulniers (France, 2009), Kathy Longinaker (New Mexico, 2009), David Deamer (Italy, 2008), Mona Karin Brenna (Norway, 2017), and Leslie Ann O’Dell (Oregon, 2008). The photos depict domestic and wild kittens, including a bobcat in Kalispell, Montana, and Pallas’ cat kittens in Mongolia. Notable entries include a kitten rescued from a mudslide in Hualien County, Taiwan, on September 23, 2025, and a kitten lounging on a sculpture in Florence, Italy. The article also promotes related stories about a felt-tip pen used by Buzz Aldrin that sold for over $850,000, a Viking longship in Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey', a meteorite containing building blocks of life, Buckingham Palace's revived salon-style hang, and photographs of the Romanovs. The associate photography editor is Donny Bajohr.