The World Nature Photography Award winners have been announced for 2026, and this year’s talent is sourced from across the globe.
Jono Allen was named the winner of the Grand Prize of World Nature Photographer of the Year award.
The Australian underwater photographer took home gold in the Underwater category with a rare humpback whale sighting.
Other impressive moments include a hungry bear chasing salmon in the Katmai National Park, Alaska.
In South Africa, a Namaqua chameleon was spotted battling sand and pebbles hit its face in a sandstorm.
Elsewhere, an inquisitive bull moose peered at photography equipment in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming.
Check out the winners for each jaw-dropping category below.
Underwater: World Nature Photographer of the Year award winner Jono Allen also bagged gold for his image of a white humpback calf. The rare animal, named Mãhina, was photographed in Tonga with her mother
Animal portraits: Mary Schrader captured a young female gorilla captivated by a brightly-coloured butterfly in Bwindi. The photographer described how her ‘heart raced quietly’ as she observed the rare moment of ‘delicate beauty and fragile interconnectedness’
Behaviour – Mammals: Vaidehi Chandrasekar, from Singapore, caught the moment a giraffe in Botswana took a drink and lifted its head to spray water, flickering gold in the light. ‘My desire was to capture the interplay of the golden light and the motion of the swishing of the water,’ the photographer explained
Behaviour – Amphibians and reptiles: Dewald Tromp witnessed a Namaqua chameleon face a sandstorm in the Namib dessert in South Africa. Tiny pebbles can be seen blowing towards the creature as it closes its eyes
Behaviour – Invertebrates: Minghui Yuan placed first with a breathtaking photograph of a moss moth larva creating a net nest to protect itself in the Xishuangbanna rainforest in China
Behaviour – Birds: Fenqiang Liu caught the moment an egret flew across the sun towards a tree at Kraft Azalea Garden in Central Florida. The light sets off the impressive structure of the wings during flight
People and nature: A bull moose takes a peak at camera gear left by photographers who moved out of his way in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. The moment was caught by Deena Sveinsson who placed first in the category
Plants and fungi: The Autumnal bursts of yellow and orange were photographed by Duncan Wood in Scotland, who captured a colourful image of an elder birch covered in lichen and golden leaves
Nature art: A small reef fish blends into the ornage and yellow coral background in an image caught by Simon Biddie
Planet Earth’s landscapes and environments: Miki Spitzer used a drone to photograph a swirling geothermal pool in Iceland. He told the awars: ‘In the photo, you can see the pool, which I think looks like a dragon’s eye.’
Black and white: Standing proudly on a stump surrounded by water and looking up towards the sky, this adult pond slider turtle in black and white bagged Christopher Baker first place in the category
Animals in their habitat: Charlie Wemyss-Dunn managed to witness a brown bear launch itself towards a shoal of sockeye salmon in Alaska’s Katmai National Park
Urban wildlife: Instead of exploring snow and ice, this polar bear is surrounded by electronics and various household items thrown away in Manitoba. Photographer Robert Gloeckner felt the image symbolised the, ‘ongoing struggle between wilderness and waste’
Nature photojournalism: Alain Schroeder photographed the moment 37-year-old Kayla the chimpanzee had an ultrasound, with a hat and socks placed on the animal for temperature control
Share or comment on this article:
IN PICTURES: The spectacular World Nature Photography Award winners, from a rare humpback whale sighting in Tonga to a giraffe drinking in Botswana
Source link
CHECK OUT: Top Travel Destinations
READ MORE: Travel News
