Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 Finalists Announced
The Natural History Museum has announced 15 finalists for its Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition, chosen from more than 65,000 submissions. The exhibition featuring 100 selected images will open at the London Museum on Friday, October 16, 2026. Among the finalists is a striking image of an African babul butterfly evading an African bullfrog in Botswana, alongside a swift flying low near an incoming plane at Heathrow Airport. Other remarkable photographs include a chameleon facing a sandstorm in the Namib Desert and a school of bigeye trevally in the Seychelles. The winners for various categories, including the Grand Title and Young Grand Title, will be revealed on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, during a live-streamed ceremony on the Museum's YouTube channel.
Key facts
- 15 finalists announced for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
- 100 images selected from over 65,000 entries
- Exhibition at Natural History Museum in London from October 16, 2026
- Finalists include an African babul butterfly escaping an African bullfrog in Botswana
- Other finalists include a swift mirroring a plane at Heathrow, a chameleon in a sandstorm, and an orca carrying a calf
- Category winners and Grand Title awards announced on October 13, 2026
- Ceremony will be live-streamed on the Natural History Museum's YouTube channel
- Judged anonymously on creativity, originality, technical excellence, and storytelling
Entities
Artists
- Jens Cullmann
- Jack Crockford
- Dewald Tromp
- Shane Gross
- Ralph Pace
- Pietro Rojas
- Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen
- Gil Wizen
- Ernest Porter
- Loren Elliott
- Andrew Parkinson
- Bence Mate
- Andrea Grammatico
- Maceo Grammatico
- Allegra Hutton
- Sora Miyazara
Institutions
- Natural History Museum
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Locations
- Botswana
- Heathrow Airport
- London
- Namib Desert
- Seychelles
- Monterey Bay
- Doha
- Norway
- Andes Mountains
- Ecuador
- South Africa
- Southern California
- Brazil
- Pantanal
- Tsavo East National Park
- Kenya
- Okavango Delta
- Tokyo
- United Kingdom
- Qatar
- United States
- Japan