An African babul butterfly will get out of the best way of an assault from an African bullfrog simply in time. Shot in Botswana. Highly Commended, Behavior: Amphibians and Reptiles. | Photo by Jens Cullmann / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competitors has given a sneak peek at 15 finalists which might be set to compete for the distinguished Grand Title.
100 pictures have made the lower, which will probably be showcased in an exhibition on the Museum in London from Friday, October 16, 2026. They had been chosen from over 65,000 entries and judged anonymously on their creativity, originality, technical excellence and the often-powerful tales they inform by a world panel of professional judges throughout wildlife images, filmmaking, science and conservation.
A low-flying swift mirrors an incoming aircraft to Heathrow Airport. Highly Commended within the 15-17 Years class. | Photo by Jack Crockford / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA chameleon battles a sandstorm within the Namib Desert. Highly Commended, Animals of their Environment. | Photo by Dewald Tromp / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA faculty of bigeye trevally within the Seychelles. Highly Commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture. | Photo by Shane Gross / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA sea hare glides by way of an eelgrass meadow in Monterey Bay. Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture. | Photo by Ralph Pace / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA muzzled brown bear rides a motorbike at a circus in Doha. Highly Commended, Photojournalism. | Photo by Pietro Rojas / Wildlife Photographer of the YearAn grownup orca carries a deceased calf off the coast of Norway. Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals. | Photo by Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA 15 millimeter (0.6 inches) lichen dragon katydid within the Andes Mountains, Ecuador. Highly Commended, Behavior: Invertebrates. | Photo by Gil Wizen / Wildlife Photographer of the YearAn oxpecker cleans its invoice in opposition to a rhino’s pores and skin within the gentle afternoon mild in South Africa. Highly Commended, Behavior: Birds. | Photo by Ernest Porter / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA black bear stops for a dip in a southern California pool. Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife. | Photo by Loren Elliott / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA black vulture stands on the carcass of a yacare caiman in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. Highly Commended, Animal Portraits. | Photo by Andrew Parkinson / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA flock of birds descend to quench their thirst at a small pond in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. Highly Commended, Behavior: Birds. | Photo by Bence Mate / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA mosquito drinks a venemous viper’s blood. Highly Commended, Animal Portraits. | Photo by Andrea and Maceo Grammatico / Wildlife Photographer of the YearA younger leopard chases a squirrel up a tree in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals. | Photo by Allegra Hutton / Wildlife Photographer of the YearAn Eastern Japanese toad wanders by way of the streets of Tokyo shortly after rainfall. Highly Commended within the 11-14 Years class. | Photo by Sora Miyazara / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The class winners and the distinguished Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards will probably be introduced on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at a ceremony hosted on the Natural History Museum. The ceremony will probably be out there to observe reside on the Natural History Museum’s YouTube channel.
