Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026: Meet India's Sitaram Raul who won the award for scorpion image in Rajasthan
Indian photographer Sitaram Raul has won the Behaviour: Invertebrates category at Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 for Shifting Sand, capturing a scorpion burrowing into Rajasthan’s Thar Desert after hours of patient observation.
An Indian wildlife photographer, Sitaram Raul, has captured international acclaim with his winning image in the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The photograph, titled "Shifting Sand," showcases a scorpion digging into sand to escape rising temperatures in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan. Raul secured the top spot in the Behaviour: Invertebrates category, out of over 65,000 entries received from worldwide participants.
This recognition aligns with his previous win in 2025, a Highly Commended distinction in the Urban Wildlife category for an image of fruit bats emerging from a historic monument in Maharashtra. Raul's expertise lies in macro photography and unconventional wildlife presentation, focusing on small, unnoticed creatures and their behaviors.
His winning image was taken at night, utilizing a Nikon D750 camera, a 105mm macro lens, and a Godox flash. Raul's skill in capturing the fleeting moment of sand displacement by the scorpion required careful timing and three to four days of observation. The photograph highlights the Indian Buthacus scorpion's unique adaptation of using pincers to dig into sand and stiff bristles to prevent sinking.
Raul's success underscores the importance of focusing on lesser-known wildlife subjects, which often go unnoticed in favor of more prominent animals.
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