A heartbreaking photo of an elephant carrying a dead calf has been named the overall winner of the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
The image, titled “The Aftermath,” was taken by Italian photographer Federico Veronesi. The photo shows a female elephant carrying a calf in Namibia, the Natural History Museum, which organizes the contest, said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This photo works on so many levels. Emotionally it’s heart-wrenching, shocking and heart-breakingly moving. Intellectually, it’s proof that animals are sentient,” competition head judge Cathy Moran said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Oscar Whitfield won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award for his photo of a dung beetle, which propelled him to the award.
The photo, titled “Labour of Love,” showed Whitfield lying on the ground as a beetle flew past the lens.
Jury member Jasper Dost said in a statement: “This is very well done. It’s difficult to photograph such a small, constantly moving subject, but this image feels very intentional.”
“Composition reveals the whole story, and in doing so, the photograph quietly reveals how the life cycle depends on things that we often overlook or ignore,” Dost added.
The jury also selected winners in more than a dozen other categories, all of which will form part of an exhibition that opens on October 16 at the Natural History Museum in London, England.
According to the organizers, the contest received a record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and regions around the world.
“This year’s winning photos demonstrate the extraordinary power of wildlife photography to help us see nature differently,” museum director Doug Garr said in a statement.
“Together, they remind us that all species play a role in the complex web of life, and why it is more important than ever to understand and protect the natural world.”
