The 21 Unbelievable Winners of the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2026

The British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) winners have been revealed, showcasing Britain’s highest nature and wildlife photos. Photographers entered greater than 12,000 pictures of Britain’s great wildlife, and competed throughout 11 totally different classes.

British Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Photographer Paul Hobson earned high honors, successful the competitors’s grand prize and being named the British Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Hobson’s mesmerizing photograph beneath, which additionally gained the competitors’s Black and White class, was captured from a pond-floor perspective in Sheffield, England, and exhibits a toad swimming throughout the water’s floor.

“I am lucky to have a pond close to my house that has relatively clear water,” Hobson says. “Toads use this pond to breed in, and I decided I wanted to try to capture an image looking up from the bottom of the pond.”

Hobson constructed a home made glass field and positioned it on the backside of the pond, controlling its shutter with an tailored lengthy cable launch.

“I had to wait quite a long time until a toad swam across the surface — most of them would usually swim below it and rest on the glass,” Hobson explains. As the spectacular shot above exhibits, Hobson ultimately nailed it.

Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The competitors additionally named photographer Ben Lucas its Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. Lucas’ close-up portrait of a younger, sleeping mute swan cygnet napping on its sibling’s again is a pleasing reminder of the calm, peaceable moments nature so not often offers. Lucas additionally gained the 15-17 Years class along with his shot.

“Nature can often be so cruel, but tender moments like this warm my heart!” the younger photographer remarks.

Category Winners

Adult photographers competed throughout 11 classes, starting from Animal Behavior to Wild Woods. There are three age teams within the youth competitors: 11 and Under, 12-14 Years, and 15-17 Years. All the class winners and runners-up are featured beneath.

“This year’s winners celebrate the wonder, diversity and character of British wildlife in truly exceptional ways,” says Will Nicholls, Director of British Wildlife Photography Awards. “From familiar species to rarely seen moments, the portfolio showcases the skill and passion of the photographers behind the lens. Together, they offer a joyful celebration of Britain’s natural world, while also reminding us why these places and species are so deserving of our care and protection.”

More From the British Wildlife Photography Awards

All awarded pictures from this yr’s British Wildlife Photography Awards are featured in a hardcover coffee-table guide, printed by Graffeg Books. Actor, author, and director Mackenzie Crook did the guide’s foreword. The photograph guide is available to preorder now from the BWPA’s web site for £35. It consists of over 250 successful and shortlisted pictures from the 2026 competitors.

Entries are already open now for the 2027 British Wildlife Photography Awards.

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Image credit: British Wildlife Photography Awards. All photographers are credited within the particular person captions.