INPICTURES: Wildlife photographer of the year 2026 winners

Federico Veronesi has won the overall title at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition for his image "The Aftermath." The black-and-white photograph, taken in Namibia's Huab River Valley, depicts a female elephant carrying a deceased calf wedged between her trunk and tusk. According to Euronews, Veronesi captured the moment after noticing unusual drag marks in a dry riverbed.

Jury Chair Kathy Moran described the image as an emotional "gut punch" and "heartbreakingly poignant" evidence of animal consciousness.

The competition, organized by London’s Natural History Museum, saw a record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories. Other category winners include Michał Michalski of Poland for "Escape Artistry" in the Natural Artistry category, and Alex Visbal of Colombia for "The Great Divide" in the Wetlands: The Bigger Picture category, which depicts the Great Salt Lake in Utah.

Oscar Whitfield was named the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 for a photograph of a dung beetle in Zimbabwe's Zambezi National Park. Whitfield was 14 years old when he captured the prize-winning shot.

Brief written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick, Euronews, Gulf News — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.