{"id":932626,"date":"2026-10-14T11:06:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/932626\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:06:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:06:31","slug":"wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-2026-winners-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/932626\/","title":{"rendered":"Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 winners revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

An extraordinary image of an elephant carrying a deceased calf has been announced as the overall winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition.<\/p>\n

Titled The Aftermath, the powerful photo was taken by Italian photographer Federico Veronesi. Veronesi was tracking elephant marks in Namibia\u2019s Huab River Valley when he came across an unusual pattern of drag marks in the sand of a dry riverbed. When he caught up with the group, its source quickly became clear: the female elephant emerged carrying the calf, its leg wedged between her tusk and trunk.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis photograph works on so many levels,\u201d says Kathy Moran, chair of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year jury. \u201cEmotionally it\u2019s a gut punch, heartbreakingly poignant. Intellectually it\u2019s proof that animals have cognition. This photograph says it all!\u201d<\/p>\n

The overall winner, as well as 19 category winners, was announced by naturalists and TV presenters Chris Packham<\/a> and Megan McCubbin<\/a> at a ceremony hosted at the Natural History Museum, London. It was the first time in the competition\u2019s history that both the adult and young overall winners were recognised for black-and-white photography, demonstrating the enduring power of monochrome photography.<\/p>\n

The organisers note that there were 65,000 entries for the competition, which is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London, from 121 countries and territories around the world. The images are judged anonymously by a panel of seven experts on photographers\u2019 creativity, technical excellence and originality.<\/p>\n

An exhibition of 100 selected images will open at the museum on Friday 16 October 2026; tickets can be booked online now<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 winners
\nYoung Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 11 \u2013 14 Years (and overall Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Labour of Love by Oscar Whitfield<\/p>\n

\"LabourWhitfield took this image of a dung beetle at Zambezi National Park, Hwange District, Zimbabwe. The sunshine and heat created dry dust all around. – Oscar Whitfield \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nYoung Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 10 Years and Under<\/p>\n

Flight of the Bumblebee by Amelie Davis<\/p>\n

\"FlightDavis took this image of a common carder bee in southern England.\u00a0She had been taking photographs of bees for several months and on this August afternoon, the garden was \u201cteeming with bees\u201d. As she didn\u2019t have her camera, Davis borrowed her dad\u2019s smartphone.\u00a0 – Amelie Davis \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nYoung Wildlife Photographer of the Year, 15 \u2013 17 Years<\/p>\n

Birdsong Painted in Light by Konrad Gr\u00e4eter<\/p>\n

\"Birdsong\u201cBlackbirds are very common in the small town of Schriesheim (in Germany), where I live, and are among my favourite birds in spring, especially because of their beautiful song,\u201d says Gr\u00e4eter. He had to crouch on the steep slope of the vineyard and point his camera through a gap in the foliage to frame the bird within its landscape. – Konrad Gr\u00e4eter \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Animals in their Environment<\/p>\n

The Meeting Place by James Lewin<\/p>\n

\"TheIn this image, a young bull elephant sprays a group of zebras as they congregate around a watering hole in the Kenyan Chyulu Hills.\u00a0Larger animals, such as elephants, usually have priority over others for access. – James Lewin \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Animal Portraits<\/p>\n

A Watchful Eye by Aaron Sanders<\/p>\n

\"A\u201cThe distinct pattern of suckers traced through this thin blade of kelp as the octopus clung to the other side,\u201d says Sanders. \u201cVery slowly, a single eye emerged from the corner of the kelp; peering over its leafy veil, the octopus stared out at me. We remained perfectly still, watching one another with a seemingly shared curiosity.\u201d – Aaron Sanders \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nBehaviour: Birds<\/p>\n

Scenes from the Swamp by Isak Pretorius<\/p>\n

\"ScenesPretorius spotted two elusive shoebills while exploring Uganda\u2019s Mabamba Swamp. The birds pulled out vegetation, dropped it and then repeated the process several times. \u201cThese shoebills were displaying strange behaviour. It was an adult with a youngster \u2013 I’m still not sure what they were up to,\u201d says Pretorius. – Isak Pretorius \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nBehaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles<\/p>\n

Protective Pose by Anton Sorokin<\/p>\n

\"ProtectiveSorokin found a California newt laying its eggs as it clasps vegetation that already holds another newt\u2019s egg clutch.\u00a0Despite documenting newt behaviour each winter, Sorokin hadn\u2019t seen this pose before. He waded along the edge of the pond, carefully dipping his camera and lighting beneath the surface.\u00a0 – Anton Sorokin \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nBehaviour: Invertebrates<\/p>\n

Shifting Sand by Sitaram Raul<\/p>\n

\"Shifting\u201cMany species of scorpions live in the vast desert of Rajasthan and some are yet to be described. While roaming at night, I found this particular species that burrows into the sand,\u201d explains Raul. – Sitaram Raul \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nOceans: The Bigger Picture<\/p>\n

Night-Time Catch by Alex Lindbloom<\/p>\n

\"Night-TimeHere, a whale shark investigates the catch of a \u2018bagan\u2019, or mobile net-fishing platform, in the waters off Papua.\u00a0Lindbloom started searching for sharks around dawn when the nets were still in the water. – Alex Lindbloom \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nPlants and Fungi<\/p>\n

Shedding Light by Agorastos Papatsanis<\/p>\n

\"Shedding\u201cNot all mushrooms fluoresce in the same way,\u201d says Papatsanis. \u201cIn Mycena renati, ultraviolet light does not produce a cold blue glow, but a warm, yellow-grey fluorescence.\u201d – Agorastos Papatsanis \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Natural Artistry<\/p>\n

Escape Artistry by Micha\u0142 Michalski<\/p>\n

\"EscapeMichalski was in a field of unharvested sunflowers that had attracted many birds, including goldfinches and bramblings. They were startled by an approaching sparrowhawk and took to the sky. – Micha\u0142 Michalski \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nUnder Water<\/p>\n

Making Morays by Tony Wu<\/p>\n

\"MakingWu\u2019s image captures a pair of Abbott\u2019s moray eels during their mating ritual \u2013 and it\u2019s likely the first time this has ever been documented. The larger male in the foreground has already released a diffuse cloud of sperm, while the female in the background has just started to eject a stream of eggs. A spawning run like this typically spans around one and a half seconds. – Tony Wu \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Urban Wildlife<\/p>\n

Urban Jungle by Seth Forestson<\/p>\n

\"UrbanA common water monitor carries a fish in Lumphini Park in Bangkok, Thailand. Finding a lizard wasn\u2019t a challenge for Forestson, as they roam the park freely \u2013 helping themselves to the plentiful supplies of catfish and koi in its lakes. – Seth Forestson \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Wetlands: The Bigger Picture<\/p>\n

The Great Divide by Alex Visbal<\/p>\n

\"TheThis image of Stansbury Bay, in Utah\u2019s Great Salt Lake, is part of Visbal\u2019s long-term project documenting the industrial footprint on bodies of water. The pink colour on the left-hand side is caused by microbes that thrive in extremely saline water \u2013 which can happen when an area is cut off from a fresh water supply. However, the State of Utah has brought the area under conservation management since this image was taken. – Alex Visbal \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Photojournalism<\/p>\n

Warning Sign by Francisco Negroni<\/p>\n

\"WarningNegroni documents this scene of a dead puma tied to a fence \u2013 which he believes has been presented as a hunting trophy \u2013 in Argentine Patagonia. This display was one Negroni had \u201cnever witnessed or photographed before.\u201d – Francisco Negroni \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nPhotojournalist Story Award<\/p>\n

Wily Coyotes of San Francisco by Loren Elliott<\/p>\n

\"OnElliott\u2019s portfolio, Wily Coyotes of San Francisco, documents the animals\u2019 daily lives in and around San Francisco, USA. Here, one coyote pads along a trail in Bernal Heights Park which overlooks the city and bay of San Francisco. This individual is part of a resident pack that Elliott has observed hunting rodents in the park. – Loren Elliott \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n

Rising Star Award<\/p>\n

Hidden Depths by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas<\/p>\n

\"AfternoonIn this image, titled Afternoon Snack, Tinker-Tsavalas captures the moment after a robber fly impales a flesh fly with its mouthparts. There are tiny bubbles forming in the victim\u2019s eyes, which indicate that the robber fly has injected digestive enzymes that liquefy its internal tissues \u2013 before they\u2019re sucked out. His portfolio, Hidden Depths, reveals the tiny details of life that often go unnoticed. – Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year
\nPortfolio Award<\/p>\n

Secret Worlds by Kutub Uddin<\/p>\n

\"TinyIn this image, titled Tiny Dancers, Uddin photographs fine threads, known as capillitium, which emerge on the round, yellow-green bodies. Uddin says they appear like \u201ctiny clusters or unusual textures on the wood, often appearing as minute pins, spheres or dust-like groupings.\u201d His portfolio focuses on slime moulds, which mostly grow on dead wood or leaf litter while feeding on other micro-organisms. The structures depicted in this portfolio are just one to two millimetres high (less than 1\/12 of an inch). – Kutub Uddin \/ Wildlife Photographer of the Year<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An extraordinary image of an elephant carrying a deceased calf has been announced as the overall winner of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":932627,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[49,48,75],"class_list":["post-932626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=932626"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/932626\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/932627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=932626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=932626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=932626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}