The winner of Wildlife Photographer of the Year for 2026 has been revealed.
On Tuesday, October 13, London’s Natural History Museum announced the title winner as Italian wildlife photographer Federico Veronesi for his powerful image of an elephant carrying a dead calf,
The black-and-white photo, titled The Aftermath, features a female elephant carrying a deceased calf in Huab River Valley, Namibia. Veronesi captured the shot while tracking elephants after spotting an “unusual pattern of drag marks in the sand of a dry riverbed,” per the press release.
According to the BBC, Veronesi initially thought the calf belonged to the elephant. Researchers, however, determined that the female had lost her calf years ago and had been picking up dead calves belonging to other females.
“Of all the 20 years I’ve done photographing animals, this is the most heart-wrenching and fascinating and dramatic,” Veronesi told the outlet. “[The photo is] revealing of the depth and complexity of the emotions, the feelings of the animals.”
“This photograph works on so many levels,” competition Chair Kathy Moran said. “Emotionally it’s a gut punch, heartbreakingly poignant. Intellectually, it’s proof that animals have cognition. This photograph says it all.”
The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 was also announced on Tuesday as aspiring British photographer Oscar Whitfield, for his shot of a dung beetle pushing its precious cargo, titled ‘Labour of Love.’
The image captures the dung beetle at eye level, putting in all its effort to push its cargo along the dusty ground under the hot sun in the Zambezi National Park in Zimbabwe.
