Federico Veronesi Wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 for Elephant Calf Portrait
Federico Veronesi has been awarded the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year for 2026 for his striking black-and-white image, "The Aftermath," which portrays a mother elephant alongside her deceased calf in Namibia's Huab River Valley. This year’s competition, hosted by the Natural History Museum in London, attracted a record 65,403 submissions from 121 nations, marking the highest participation in its 62-year history. Other notable winners include Kutub Uddin (Portfolio Award), Loren Elliott for "Wily Coyotes of San Francisco" (Photojournalist Story Award), Amelie Davis (10 and Under), Francisco Negroni (Photojournalism), James Lewin (Animals in their Environment), Agorastos Papatsanis (Plants and Fungi), Anton Sorokin (Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles), Alex Visbal (Wetlands: The Bigger Picture), and Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas (Rising Star Award). The top 100 photographs will be on display from October 16, 2026, to July 11, 2027.
Key facts
- Federico Veronesi won the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year for his image of a female elephant carrying her dead calf.
- The competition received 65,403 entries from photographers in 121 countries, the largest in its 62-year history.
- The winning photograph was taken in the Huab River Valley of Namibia.
- Other winners include Kutub Uddin, Loren Elliott, Amelie Davis, Francisco Negroni, James Lewin, Agorastos Papatsanis, Anton Sorokin, Alex Visbal, and Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas.
- Dr. Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum, commented on the power of wildlife photography.
- The 100 top images will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London from October 16, 2026, to July 11, 2027.
- Categories include photojournalism, wetlands, plants and fungi, behavior, portfolios, and youth categories.
- The competition is organized by the Natural History Museum in London.
Entities
Artists
- Federico Veronesi
- Kutub Uddin
- Loren Elliott
- Amelie Davis
- Francisco Negroni
- James Lewin
- Agorastos Papatsanis
- Anton Sorokin
- Alex Visbal
- Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas
- Dr. Doug Gurr
- Kathy Moran
- Oscar Whitfield
- Michal Michalski
- Seth Forestson
- Isak Pretorius
- Sitaram Raul
- Tony Wu
- Alex Lindbloom
- Aaron Sanders
Institutions
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year
- Natural History Museum
- PetaPixel
- Forte di Bard
Locations
- Huab River Valley
- Namibia
- San Francisco
- Surrey
- England
- Argentine Patagonia
- Kenyan Chyulu Hills
- London
- Italy
- Bangladesh
- U.K.
- U.S.
- Chile
- Greece
- Germany
- Colombia
- Huab River
- Damaraland
- Milan
- Kenya
- United Kingdom
- Zimbabwe
- Chyulu Hills
- Bangkok
- Thailand
- Patagonia
- Argentina
- South Africa
- Thar Desert
- Papua
- Indonesia
- Zambezi National Park
- Hwange
- Valle d'Aosta