Butterfly’s Narrow Escape Among Wildlife Photographer of the Year Finalists

Spotlight
Matt Growcoot
A frog with its mouth open and tongue extended lunges toward a butterfly flying in front of it on a dirt surface.
An African babul butterfly gets out of the way of an attack from an African bullfrog just in time. Shot in Botswana. Highly Commended, Behavior: Amphibians and Reptiles. | Photo by Jens Cullmann / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition has given a sneak peek at 15 finalists that are set to compete for the prestigious Grand Title.

100 images have made the cut, which will be showcased in an exhibition at the Museum in London from Friday, October 16, 2026. They were selected from over 65,000 entries and judged anonymously on their creativity, originality, technical excellence and the often-powerful stories they tell by an international panel of expert judges across wildlife photography, filmmaking, science and conservation.

A small bird flies in the foreground, silhouetted against a large, out-of-focus passenger airplane in the sky.
A low-flying swift mirrors an incoming plane to Heathrow Airport. Highly Commended in the 15-17 Years category. | Photo by Jack Crockford / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A Namaqua chameleon sits on sand during a windstorm, with sand particles blowing across its body and the background.
A chameleon battles a sandstorm in the Namib Desert. Highly Commended, Animals in their Environment. | Photo by Dewald Tromp / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A split-level view shows a school of silver fish swimming underwater below a sunset sky with a faint rainbow over a dark treeline.
A school of bigeye trevally in the Seychelles. Highly Commended, Oceans: The Bigger Picture. | Photo by Shane Gross / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A large, reddish-brown sea hare rests on a sandy seafloor surrounded by tall, green seagrass blades.
A sea hare glides through an eelgrass meadow in Monterey Bay. Highly Commended, Wetlands: The Bigger Picture. | Photo by Ralph Pace / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A brown bear sits on a decorated three-wheeled motorcycle on a circus stage, while a woman in a blue and white traditional costume stands nearby with her arm extended.
A muzzled brown bear rides a motorcycle at a circus in Doha. Highly Commended, Photojournalism. | Photo by Pietro Rojas / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
An aerial view of several orcas swimming in deep blue water, including a mother with a small calf swimming closely beside her.
An adult orca carries a deceased calf off the coast of Norway. Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals. | Photo by Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A spiky, green and white camouflaged katydid rests on a branch of light green lichen against a dark background.
A 15 millimeter (0.6 inches) lichen dragon katydid in the Andes Mountains, Ecuador. Highly Commended, Behavior: Invertebrates. | Photo by Gil Wizen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A red-billed oxpecker rests on the snout of a rhinoceros near its horn and eye.
An oxpecker cleans its bill against a rhino’s skin in the soft afternoon light in South Africa. Highly Commended, Behavior: Birds. | Photo by Ernest Porter / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A brown bear sits in a swimming pool with white beach balls and a pink donut-shaped float, next to a patio with lounge chairs and outdoor furniture.
A black bear stops for a dip in a southern California pool. Highly Commended, Urban Wildlife. | Photo by Loren Elliott / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A black vulture stands with wings spread wide atop the carcass of a caiman floating in dark water.
A black vulture stands on the carcass of a yacare caiman in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands. Highly Commended, Animal Portraits. | Photo by Andrew Parkinson / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A large flock of birds flies across a golden, sunset-lit landscape where two antelopes stand in the background.
A flock of birds descend to quench their thirst at a small pond in Tsavo East National Park, Kenya. Highly Commended, Behavior: Birds. | Photo by Bence Mate / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A mosquito stands on top of a pit viper's head, with its proboscis touching the snake's scales.
A mosquito drinks a venemous viper’s blood. Highly Commended, Animal Portraits. | Photo by Andrea and Maceo Grammatico / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A black-and-white photograph shows a squirrel climbing a weathered wooden pole, while a leopard's paws and part of its face peek out from behind the other side.
A young leopard chases a squirrel up a tree in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Highly Commended, Behavior: Mammals. | Photo by Allegra Hutton / Wildlife Photographer of the Year
A toad sits on a wet metal grate in the foreground, with a blurred figure walking under an umbrella and a glowing tower in the background at night.
An Eastern Japanese toad wanders through the streets of Tokyo shortly after rainfall. Highly Commended in the 11-14 Years category. | Photo by Sora Miyazara / Wildlife Photographer of the Year

The category winners and the prestigious Grand Title and Young Grand Title awards will be announced on Tuesday 13 October 2026 at a ceremony hosted at the Natural History Museum. The ceremony will be available to watch live on the Natural History Museum’s YouTube channel.

Check out last year’s winners here.

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