The winners of Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 have been announced, honouring some of the most striking images of the natural world. From remarkable wildlife encounters to glimpses of nature's beauty and fragility, the winning photographs highlight the creativity, skill and vision of photographers worldwide.
Awards ceremony at the Natural History Museum
Presented by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin at an awards ceremony at London's Natural History Museum, the competition recognises excellence in nature photography. This year, more than 65,000 entries were submitted from 121 countries and territories, with a panel of seven expert judges anonymously assessing each image for creativity, technical excellence and originality.
Winning the prestigious title is widely regarded as the highest accolade in nature photography. Organised by the Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year aims to inspire a deeper appreciation of the natural world and highlight the urgent need to protect it.
Winning images on display from Friday
All 100 selected images will go on display at the museum from Friday, 16 October 2026. The winners include Alex Lindbloom (USA) for Oceans: The Bigger Picture, Federico Veronesi (Italy) for Behaviour: Mammals, and other category winners such as Oscar Whitfield (Zimbabwe/UK), Isak Pretorius (South Africa), Anton Sorokin (USA), Loren Elliott (USA), Aaron Sanders (UK), Amelie Davis (UK), Kutub Uddin (Bangladesh), Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas (UK), James Lewin (UK), Alex Visbal (Colombia), Seth Forestson (UK), Michał Michalski (Poland), Francisco Negroni (Chile), Konrad Gräeter (Germany), Agorastos Papatsanis (Greece), Tony Wu (USA/Japan), and Sitaram Raul (India).
