The Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest received 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories this year. Here are 16 of the winning photos, which captured striking moments in the lives of animals and fungi around the world. 🔗 on.natgeo.com/gQCcr8
16 Striking Photos From This Year’s Best Wildlife Photographers

16 Striking Photos From This Year’s Best Wildlife Photographers

From a black bear relaxing in a swimming pool to bonnet mushrooms glowing up the night sky, see some of the winning photos from this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

nationalgeographic.com

Nov 2, 2026 · 3:00 PM UTC

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65,403 entries and the elephant still steals the show
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65,403 entries is a lot of patience and soggy socks. Which winner stopped you mid-scroll? 📸
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i'd love to see the pics without forcing my email. first pic looks lovely
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I don't think Nat Geo does that great a job of choosing images. You've never had competition to be fair. I think there are curators now like Evolvewildlife and NHM_WPY who do a better job.
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Over 65,000 entries and these still stopped me in my tracks. I take a lot of travel photos, and it's humbling to see how much patience the best wildlife shots take.
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65,403 entries, imagine being on that jury 📸 love that fungi get their own spotlight too
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Natural History Museum in London runs this contest. Worth seeing the winners printed big there if you're ever in town.
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Narrowing 65,403 entries down to the winners has to be the toughest judging gig around
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65,403 entries… judging that must’ve been BRUTAL tbh
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Heart rending photo of an elephant lifting her dead calf. 😭
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my mom trying to get one photo of the whole family
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65,403 entries narrowed to 16 winners is a brutal cut — no wonder those photos hit so hard.
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65,403 entries from 121 countries, and only 16 winners - brutal shortlist to pick.
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Fungi are a good reminder that wildlife photography isn't only about catching fast action. Light and scale can make a quiet subject just as compelling.
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very nice photos🙂👍
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65,403 entries narrowed to 16 — a tougher cut than most reality shows. What gets me is how one frame can make you care about a species you didn't know existed five seconds earlier. That's not photography, that's diplomacy for animals.
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65,403 entries narrowed to 16 winners—what a shortlist. The patience behind wildlife photography really shows in the final frame.
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Please post some great photos on X.😍😍
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❤️❤️❤️
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