The winners of the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest were announced and they are incredible

The World Nature Photography Awards have announced the winners of its 2026 photo contest. Australia‘s Jono Allen won the top cash prize for his image of a humpback whale and Mãhina, her white calf.

“Sharing this moment with Mãhina and her protective mother is a memory that will live with me forever,” Allen said in a press release. “It was undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary days I have ever experienced in the ocean—and perhaps ever will. To be announced World Nature Photographer of the Year through capturing this unique mother and calf bond has made what was already a truly life-changing encounter even more profound and humbling. I feel beyond honoured to receive this award.”

The World Nature Photography Awards were founded on the belief that “small positive actions can help shape the future of our planet, and that photography has the power to influence perspectives and inspire change.”

The 2026 competition saw entries from 51 countries across six continents. Here are 14 of the gold medal–winning photos from the competition.

1. World Nature Photographer of the Year 2026 Grand Prize Winner — Jono Allen (Australia) “Mãhina,” Humpback Whales in Vava’u, Tonga

“Captured in the tropical waters of Vava’u, Tonga, this rare white humpback calf – named Mãhina, meaning “moon” in Tongan – glowed like a beam of light as she travelled through the deep blue water with her protective mother. With only 1 in 40,000 humpbacks born with this lack of pigmentation, her presence was not only breathtaking but symbolic. Watching this spectacular and curious moon white whale calf play and roll through the water represents the remarkable success story of a species given the chance to recover after being heavily targeted by whaling and once being brought to the brink of extinction. Considering the resilience of this awe-inspiring species, sightings of such rare individuals renews hope in what can happen when conservation is championed and wildlife is allowed to thrive. Mãhina is a living reminder of what is possible when conservation works – a species once on the brink, now rebounding.” — Jono Allen

2. Gold: Animal Portraits — Mary Schrader (South Africa) “Shared Wonder,” Gorilla and Butterfly in Bwindi, Uganda

“It was a day defined by quiet connections. Beneath the lush canopy of Bwindi, I observed a young female gorilla gently nestled against the protective bulk of a silverback. The atmosphere was serene, filled with gentle sounds of the forest, until a sudden burst of delicate color broke through the calm. An unexpected visitor, a vibrant butterfly, appeared out of nowhere, fluttering gently through the air. Captivated, the young gorilla’s eyes widened, and in that moment, a beautiful interaction unfolded as a silent, shared wonder between two vastly different beings.” — Mary Schrader

3. Gold: Behaviour Mammals — Vaidehi Chandrasekar (Singapore) “Giraffe Water ballet,” Giraffe in  Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana

“As the sun dipped low over the dry Makgadikgadi landscape in Botswana, a lone giraffe stepped to the water’s edge. Towering and graceful, it bent its long legs, lowering its neck for a drink. Then came a moment of magic. Having taken its fill, the giraffe lifted its head – and with a gentle swish, expelled a stream of water in an arc that shimmered in the golden light. The droplets danced in the air, forming a near-perfect circle before falling back to the earth.” — Vaidehi Chandrasekar

4. Gold: Behaviour Amphibians and Reptiles — Dewald Tromp (South Africa) “Stoicism in a Sandstorm,” in Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana

“The Namib Desert is one of the most extreme environments on Earth, with no surface water and daytime temperatures exceeding 45 °C. Despite this, life is abundant, you know, where to look. Sandstorms are frequent, with wind blowing down from inland mountains that stir up fine sediment and particles. A Namaqua chameleon has to endure the sting of pebbles blowing against its skin,while we were lucky enough to escape to the relative comfort of our 4×4.” — Dewald Tromp

5. Gold: Behaviour Invertebrates — Minghui Yuan (China) “Home on the Leaves,” Moth Moss Larva in Xishuangbanna, China

“In the tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, I found a moss moth larva creating a protective net nest on newly grown, tender plant leaves. Moss moth larvae bite off their toxic hair-likestructures and use their sticky saliva to build their own houses. It uses its own poisonous fur as building material, which can resist attacks from parasitic wasps and ants. In the net nest, the moss moth larvae form some very thin and difficult to see silk, hanging themselves in the air as if they were lying in a hammock.” — Minghui Yuan

6. Gold: Behaviour Birds — Fenqiang Liu (USA) “Arrival,” Great Egret in Winter Park, Florida

“Each spring, great egrets gather at Kraft Azalea Garden in Central Florida to nest high in the trees. Photographing from below, I look for moments when backlight reveals the elegance and structure of their wings in flight. I captured this image on an early April morning, as an egret passed between me and the sun just before landing.” — Fenqiang Liu

7. Gold: People and Nature — Deena Sveinsson (USA) “The Wildlife Photographer,” Bull Moose in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

“After an evening snowfall in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, the photographers woke up to a blanket of snow covering the sage flats. It was a relatively slow and boring morning watching the many bull moose eat their morning breakfast of bitter brush. A group of us photographers was photographing the bull moose making its way in our direction. He would eat for about 10 minutes, then take a few steps, only to start eating again. At some point, the bland bitter brush bored him, and he decided to go on his walkabout. But he decided to do his walkabout toward all the photographers. We quickly moved away to give the moose his space, but in all the haste, a tripod and a camera ended up being left behind. At first, the bull moose ignored the gear and started to thrash his antlers on the bitter brush. After his curiosity got the best of him, the bull moose decided to check out the camera gear.”  — Deena Sveinsson

8. Gold: Plants and Fungi — Duncan Wood (Scotland) “Elder in Flame,” Elder Birch in Glen Affric, Scotland

“Golden autumn colours explode in this intimate portrait of an incredible, lichen-laden elder birch in full seasonal display — bold, brilliant, and full of character, like a woodland peacock. Taken in Glen Affric, this image captures a fleeting moment of drama and beauty from one of Scotland’s most vibrant autumn landscapes.” — Duncan Wood

9. Gold: Nature Art — Simon Biddie (UK) “Ghost of the Reef,” Ghost Goby in Marsa Alam, Egypt

“Small reef fish, unassuming and often unseen, contribute to 70% of the fish biomass, making them a critical part of reef food chains. Small fish, like many of their land-based insect equivalents, evade predators by being experts in hiding. These small reef fish are also known as ‘cryptobenthic’ fish – crypto as they hide in crevices, or use camouflage.” — Simon Biddie

10. Gold: Urban Wildlife — Robert Gloeckner (USA) “Trash Trail Temptations,” in  Manitoba, Canada

“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.” — Robert Gloeckner

11. Gold: Earth’s Landscapes and Environments — Miki Spitzer (Israel) “The Eye of the Dragon,” Geothermal Pool in Iceland

“This is a drone photo of a natural geothermal pool in central Iceland at Hveravellir. In the photo, you can see the pool, which I think looks like a dragon’s eye.” — Miki Spitzer

12. Gold: Black and White — Christopher Baker (USA) “Sunbathing,” Slider Turtle in Madison, Alabama

“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 it to black and white to enhance the textures of the turtle’s shell and skin, as well as the stump.”  — Christopher Baker

13. Gold: Animals in their Habitat — Charlie Wemyss-Dunn (UK) “Splash,” a Brown Bear and Sockeye Salmon in Katmai National Park, Alaska

“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.” — Charlie Wemyss-Dunn

14. Gold: Nature Photojournalism — Alain Schroeder (Belgium) “Chimp Paradise,” Chimpanzee and Humans in Fort Pierce, Florida

“Kayla, a 37-year-old 61.2 kg female, was in the procedure room, and her stomach was shaved for an ultrasound. Socks have been placed on her extremities, and a fur hat with flaps has been placed on her 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 for captive chimps who 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, individually tailored 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.”  — Alain Schroeder