The moving photograph that won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026

This photograph has touched people around the world.

Each year, the prestigious international wildlife photography competition recognises the finest images captured in recent months. Organised by London’s Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year celebrates the animal world through an exhibition and an awards ceremony.

The 2026 overall winner has now been announced, alongside the winners of the competition’s individual categories. Federico Veronesi claimed the coveted top prize with a poignant image of a female elephant and her dead calf.

Which photograph won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026?

Italian photographer Federico Veronesi moved people worldwide with his powerful, emotional photograph of a female elephant in Namibia’s Huab River valley. His image stood out to the judges among 65,403 participants from 121 countries and territories. It shows the elephant carrying the body of her calf, whose leg is caught between its mother’s tusk and trunk.

Veronesi explained that he had been following a herd when tracks caught his eye: they looked as though something had been dragged through the sand of a dry riverbed. The scene left no one unmoved. This apparent display of grief shocked many people and served as a reminder that animals have cognitive abilities, even though our understanding of the animal world remains limited. As jury chair Kathy Moran put it, “This photograph says it all!”

Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year winner

Veronesi’s image was not the only photograph to make a major impression at the competition. Oscar Whitfield won Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year after competing in the 11–14 age category. The 14-year-old captured a dung beetle hard at work in a black-and-white image titled “Labour of Love”, which left no one indifferent.

Jury member Jasper Doest described the photograph as exceptional. Capturing a subject so small and constantly on the move was a difficult task.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition in London

All the photographs recognised in the competition will be displayed at London’s Natural History Museum in a dedicated exhibition, opening on 16 October and running until 11 July 2027.