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World Nature Photography Awards, Godalming (2026)

02/06/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Silver in the category ‘Behaviour – Birds’ went to Vince Burton ( ). This image, captured in Norfolk as part of a long-term project photographing local barn owls at night, reveals a perspective few creatures ever see. Vince wanted to capture the owl as it made its final dive towards prey. For many small mammals, this is the last sight they witness, a shape emerging from the darkness, wings spread wide, descending with remarkable speed and accuracy.

The barn owl is one of Britain's most successful nocturnal hunters. Equipped with extraordinary hearing, it can locate prey hidden beneath long grass using sound alone, even in near-total darkness.

Barn owls are perfectly adapted for this role. Their heart-shaped facial disc acts like a satellite dish, channelling sound towards their ears. Their feathers are specially structured to allow almost silent flight, enabling them to approach prey undetected.

Despite their widespread appeal, barn owls face ongoing challenges from habitat loss, road collisions and changing agricultural practices. Conservation efforts across the UK focus on protecting nesting sites, restoring rough grassland habitat and providing nest boxes to support breeding populations.

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Congratulations again, Vince! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 closes 4 weeks today! Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Vince Burton

30/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Silver in the category ‘Behaviour – Invertebrates’ went to Reka Baranyi

Reka’s image shows hundreds of delicate mayflies dancing through the night air beside the Danube in Budapest, their translucent wings glowing against the darkness. For a brief moment, the scene feels almost magical.

But there is a hidden story behind the beauty. Mayflies spend most of their lives underwater as larvae, sometimes for several years. When they finally emerge as adults, they have just one purpose: to reproduce. Their time is short. Some species live for only a few hours after reaching adulthood.

For millions of years, they have relied on reflected light from rivers and lakes to guide them back to the water where they lay their eggs. Today, artificial lighting can confuse that ancient instinct.

Mistaking streetlights, bridges and illuminated structures for water, mayflies gather around the lights instead of returning to the river. Many never reach suitable breeding sites. Precious energy is wasted circling the lights, leaving them vulnerable to exhaustion, predators and death before they can reproduce.

This phenomenon, known as ecological light pollution, is becoming an increasing challenge for insects around the world.

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Congratulations again, Reka! Want to be in with a chance of joining her as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 closes in just over 4 weeks! Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Reka Baranyi

29/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Silver in the category ‘Behaviour – Amphibians and reptiles’ went to Roman Balaz.

This image, captured in the Maasai Mara, shows a zebra already in the water of the Mara River when it comes face to face with one of Africa's most formidable predators. The crocodile seems motionless, while the zebra appears to pause and assess the danger.

Crocodiles are ambush hunters. They can remain perfectly still for long periods, conserving energy as they wait for the right opportunity. Their eyes, ears and nostrils sit high on their heads, allowing them to observe the world while the rest of their bodies remain hidden underwater.

For grazing animals such as zebras, river crossings are among the most dangerous moments of life. Yet they are often unavoidable. Water, fresh grazing and seasonal movements frequently require animals to navigate these hazardous waterways.

The tension in this image is palpable. Even more so, because we do not know the outcome.

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Congratulations again, Roman! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 closes in less than 5 weeks! Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Roman Balaz

26/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Silver in the category ‘Behaviour - Mammals’ went to Michael Stavrakakis .stavtook

This tender moment that Michael captured on the pack ice north of Svalbard, Norway, shows a mother playfully embracing her 6-month-old cub. A mother polar bear will spend up to three years raising her cub, teaching him everything he needs to survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth - how to travel across sea ice, hunt, rest, avoid danger and endure the long Arctic seasons. During the early years, mother and cub are almost never apart.

Life for polar bears is getting more demanding. They depend on sea ice as a platform for hunting seals, travelling and raising their young. As temperatures rise and sea ice seasons shorten, many populations are being forced to travel further and expend more energy in search of food.

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Congratulations again, Michael! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 closes in just 5 weeks! Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Michael Stavrakakis

22/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Silver in the category ‘Animal portaits’ went to Rich Brooks ( ) who took this image of an ermine.

Rich told us: “I was in Yellowstone and spotted a little black dot bouncing around. Realized it was an ermine in his winter coat. Only the tip of his tail is black, so it's like photographing a bee that drank too much coffee as he bounced from point to point.”

Tiny, fast and almost impossibly difficult to photograph, the ermine is one of North America’s most remarkable little predators.

In winter, its coat turns completely white to blend into snowy landscapes, helping it hunt while also avoiding predators. Only the tip of its tail remains black, a striking detail against the snow.

This extraordinary camouflage has become increasingly important as winters change. Scientists are studying how shorter snow seasons and changing temperatures may affect species like the ermine, whose survival depends on staying hidden in the landscape around them.

Congratulations again, Rich! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 closes in less than 6 weeks! Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Rich Brooks

19/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Silver in the category ‘Underwater’ went to Matthew Sharp ( ) who took this image of gentoo penguins in Antarctica.

Gentoo penguins are among Antarctica’s great survivors. Recognisable by their bright orange bills, white head markings and energetic, almost comic movement on land, they live in one of the most extreme environments on Earth. But their lives are far from comic.

Gentoo penguins build nests from stones, fiercely defend their breeding space and usually lay two eggs. Both parents share the work of incubation and feeding, travelling repeatedly between colony and sea to find food for their chicks.

Unlike some other Antarctic penguins, gentoos are highly adaptable. They feed on krill, fish and squid, and in some parts of the Antarctic Peninsula their populations have expanded as conditions change. But that adaptability also tells a bigger story.

Antarctica is changing rapidly. Sea ice, food availability, tourism pressure and fishing all affect the fragile balance these birds depend on. Conservation efforts focus on protecting breeding sites, managing fisheries responsibly, reducing disturbance and understanding how penguins are responding to climate change.

Congratulations again, Matthew! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 closes in just 6 weeks! Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Matthew Sharp

15/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Gold in the category ‘Nature photojournalism’ went to Alain Schroeder ().

Alain told us: “Kayla, a 37-year-old 61.2 kg female, in the procedure room and her stomach shaved for an ultrasound. Socks have been placed on his extremities, and a fur hat with flaps on his head to avoid hypothermia. General caption Founded in 1997, Save the Chimps is the largest privately funded chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. Its mission is to provide a safe haven to captive chimps that have been exploited by humans for research, testing and entertainment. The 150-acre state-of-the-art facility in Florida is home to over 220 rescued chimpanzees living their best possible lives among peers, thanks to a team of passionate veterinarians, caretakers and volunteers who provide personalized care, and nutritious individual feeding and enrichment plans, in a spacious island habitat. The sanctuary is working tirelessly to welcome all captive chimpanzees across the United States who need refuge and expert loving care for the rest of their lives.”

Congratulations again, Alain. Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 is open now. Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Alain Schroeder

13/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Gold in the category ‘Urban wildlife’ went to Robert Gloeckner ( ).

Robert told us: “In this striking image, a polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba, investigates a heap of discarded electronics and household items - part of a growing and very human-made trash trail that’s reshaping how wildlife interacts with civilization. In 2024, the town's only trash facility burned to the ground. The incident underscored a growing concern: polar bears were increasingly scavenging garbage during the ice-free months, leading to a rise in human-wildlife conflicts. As sea ice forms later and melts earlier each year due to climate change, bears spend more time on land with fewer natural hunting opportunities. This prompts them to explore new food sources, no matter how artificial. This photo captures more than a curious bear, it symbolises the ongoing struggle between wilderness and waste. The “trash trail” leading from human settlements to the Arctic’s most iconic predator is not just a path of garbage.”

Congratulations again, Robert! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 is open now. Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Robert Gloeckner

11/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Gold in the category ‘Animals in their habitat’ went to Charlie Wemyss-Dunn ( ).

Charlie told us: "A hungry brown bear launches headlong into a creek in Alaska's Katmai National Park to try to catch one of the many sockeye salmon spawning in large numbers during their seasonal migration. Each August, large concentrations of brown bears gather along the rivers and creeks in Katmai, waiting for the annual arrival of salmon from the coast. I observed this scene after a two-hour walk from our camp from atop a cliff. I positioned myself at the cliff's edge to get a unique perspective looking down on the action below and used a polarizing filter to cut any glare from the water's surface. As the hungry predator approached the water, I used a fast shutter burst to freeze the moment when two nearby salmon dart away in diagonals from the outstretched claws of the diving bear.”

Congratulations again, Charlie! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 is open now. Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Charlie Wemyss-Dunn

08/05/2026

Celebrating our 2026 winners. Gold in the category ‘Black and white’ went to Christopher Baker.

Christopher told us: “An adult pond slider turtle perched atop a stump bathing in the early morning sun. I lay on the ground to get a low angle perspective of the scene and converted to black and white to enhance the textures of the turtle’s shell and skin, as well as the stump.”

Congratulations again, Christopher! Want to be in with a chance of joining him as one of our winners? Call for entries for 2027 is open now. Enter before June, 30, 2026. Click the link in our bio.

Image © Christopher Baker

World Nature Photography Awards

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