Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 shortlist revealed
Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 shortlist unveiled, with overall winners announced on October 13 ahead of the London exhibition.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 reveals its striking shortlist entries
- Captures rare wildlife moments including polar bears, orcas, and desert chameleons
- Overall competition winners to be announced on October 13, 2026
- Exhibition opens at London's Natural History Museum on October 16, 2026
The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition has unveiled a stunning selection of shortlisted images, showcasing remarkable encounters and intimate animal behaviors captured by photographers worldwide.
Among the standout entries, an Arctic wildlife guide rigged a motion-sensor underwater camera beneath a seal breathing hole, successfully capturing a curious female polar bear peering directly into the lens during the early morning hours.
"I was so extremely happy. I was screaming, so I probably woke up all the polar bears for miles."
Rikardsen
The highly commended works span across diverse ecosystems and species, highlighting both the beauty and the vulnerabilities of the natural world.
- Swifts returning to London after their annual migration from Africa, filling the skies with calls
- An Eastern Japanese toad navigating a city street after rainfall captured with a slow shutter speed
- An adult orca carrying a deceased calf through a Norwegian fjord in a poignant display
- A black vulture perched over a caiman carcass in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition serves as a vital global platform that combines artistic mastery with environmental conservation. By capturing rare animal behaviors and ecological interactions, these photographers provide researchers and the public with crucial visual documentation that underscores the urgency of protecting natural habitats worldwide.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Other notable commended works feature a Namaqua chameleon battling a sandstorm in the Namib Desert, massive flocks of red-billed queleas gathering at a Kenyan waterhole, and a young leopard struggling after a squirrel outclimbs it in a tree.
The overall winners of the 2026 competition will be officially announced on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, followed by a public exhibition showcasing the winning entries at the Natural History Museum in London starting Friday, October 16, 2026.
Source: BBC Science & Environment
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