‘Heartbreaking’ elephants and wily coyotes: Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 – in pictures

In the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, an Italian photographer named Federico Veronesi captured a deeply emotional image titled 'The Aftermath'. The photograph showcases a female elephant tenderly carrying the body of her deceased calf. The image was taken in Namibia's Huab River Valley, where Veronesi noticed an unusual pattern of drag marks in sand, leading him to find the grieving herd.

The photograph, described as a "gut punch" and "heartbreakingly poignant" by the competition's jury chair Kathy Moran, serves as a powerful reminder of the emotional depth and consciousness of elephants.

This year's winners come from a record-breaking 65,403 entries submitted by photographers from 121 countries and territories. In the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year category, a 14-year-old named Oscar Whitfield took home the top prize with his photograph of a dung beetle at work in Zimbabwe's Zambezi National Park. Dung beetles, though small, play a vital role in reducing greenhouse gases by breaking up and burying dung, which would otherwise produce methane and harm livestock and wildlife. Over 5,000 species of dung beetles exist worldwide.

Urban wildlife also features prominently in this year's competition, with US photographer Loren Elliott capturing striking images of coyotes living among San Francisco's 800,000 inhabitants. Elliott's "Wily Coyotes of San Francisco" portfolio aims to change public perception of these often-misunderstood animals, highlighting their role in controlling disease-carrying rodents while occasionally preying on domestic animals.

UK photographer Seth Forestson's winning photograph, featuring a common monitor lizard carrying its prey through Bangkok's Lumphini Park, highlights the adaptability of wildlife in urban environments. The lizard takes advantage of abundant food sources, such as catfish and koi found in the city's park lakes.

Underwater photographers are also revealing the impacts of human activity on marine ecosystems. Aaron Sanders' image of an octopus emerged from kelp, caught off a Cornish beach, showcases a curiosity shared between the two creatures. Meanwhile, US photographer Alex Lindbloom documented a whale shark investigating a 'bagan', or mobile net-fishing platform, in Papua, Indonesia.

Whale sharks, once primarily found in the Mediterranean, are expanding their range due to rising sea temperatures, putting local fishing industries at risk.

The competition's Urban Wildlife category winner, Seth Forestson, captures the coexistence of wildlife and humans in Bangkok.

Some images reveal unexpected interactions between different species when they gather in shared habitats. James Lewin's "The Meeting Place" photograph, taken in Kenya's Chyulu Hills, shows a young bull elephant spraying a group of zebras around a waterhole. The dreamlike scene, captured using an infrared-converted camera, emphasizes the importance of waterholes as vital resources during droughts, bringing together animals that might otherwise avoid each other.