An elephant carrying her dead calf across Namibia's Huab River Valley has earned Italian photographer Federico Veronesi the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 title. His image, called "The Aftermath," also won the behavior mammals category.
The competition, organized by London's Natural History Museum, drew a record 65,403 submissions from 121 countries and territories this year. The exhibition opens October 16, 2026.
The Winning Shot
Veronesi was tracking elephants when he noticed strange drag marks in the sand of a dry riverbed. The trail led him to a grieving elephant with a deceased calf—the animal's leg caught between her tusk and trunk.
Researchers later identified the elephant differently than Veronesi first assumed. She was not the calf's mother but a female who had lost her own offspring years earlier. Scientists with an elephant research project in the area told Veronesi this same elephant had previously carried other calves that did not belong to her.
Two decades of wildlife photography had not prepared him for what unfolded. Veronesi called the encounter the most devastating and fascinating of his career—a window into animal emotions. He hopes viewers look past physical appearances and recognize elephants as individuals with their own relationships and feelings.
Judging panel chair Kathy Moran said the image served as evidence that animals experience cognition. "This photograph says it all," she added.
What happened:
- Federico Veronesi of Italy won overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
- His image shows an elephant transporting a deceased calf in Namibia
- Competition received a record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories
- The competition is in its 62nd year, organized by London's Natural History Museum
- Both adult and youth winners submitted black-and-white photographs
The Youth Winner
Oscar Whitfield, a British photographer based in Zimbabwe, captured the youth category prize with "Labour of Love." The black-and-white photograph shows a dung beetle rolling a ball of dung across dry, dusty ground. To achieve the shot, Whitfield lay flat in the dirt to photograph the insect at eye level.
Whitfield explained he wanted viewers to notice what unfolds in that brief instant of natural life. He hoped the image would encourage people to slow down and recognize hidden drama in unremarkable-looking scenes.
Notably, 2026 marked the first year in the competition's history that both adult and youth overall winners submitted monochrome work.
Our Analysis: Why This Matters
The winning photograph pulls off something rare—it succeeds as art and as science simultaneously. Veronesi's image adds to ongoing research into how elephants behave around death. The judging panel explicitly praised its intellectual dimension alongside its emotional impact. That dual purpose sets a high bar for future entries.
The record entry count—65,403 from 121 countries and territories—tells its own story. Better technology at lower prices means more people can compete. This creates a richer pool of candidates but also makes standout work harder to find. The Natural History Museum's curation, through ticketed exhibitions and physical galleries, offers something social media cannot: a focused, dimly lit space designed for looking rather than scrolling.
What It Means for You
The exhibition opens October 16, 2026 at the Natural History Museum in London. If you're planning European travel this fall, it's a strong addition to any itinerary. The museum sits on Cromwell Road in South Kensington and is easily reached by tube. Most visitors spend 90 minutes to two hours working through the full display.
A Practical Example
Picture yourself in London for a weekend with a free afternoon. You've already seen the major landmarks. Rather than wandering into another crowded general museum, consider the Wildlife Photographer exhibition instead. You move through quiet rooms where enormous prints of wildlife hang on dark walls. A young bull elephant stares down zebras in black-and-white infrared. A shoebill stork pair collects nesting material. No audio guide needed. No schedule to follow. Just you and a lion looking back through someone else's lens.
Book tickets through the museum's website before you go. Plan for two hours so you can actually read the captions instead of speed-walking through.
What to Watch Next
The exhibition opens October 16. Beyond that, watch whether the competition's growth continues to push photographers toward more dramatic subject matter. The bar rises every year. The real question is whether extraordinary images still stand out—or get buried in volume.
Key takeaways
- Federico Veronesi of Italy captured the overall Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 prize with an image of elephant grief behavior
- The competition drew a record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories
- For the first time, both adult and youth winners submitted black-and-white photographs
- The exhibition opens at London's Natural History Museum on October 16, 2026
- Judges praised the winning image as both emotionally powerful and scientifically significant
Frequently asked questions
Who won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026?
Federico Veronesi of Italy took the overall title with "The Aftermath," a photograph of an elephant carrying her dead calf in Namibia's Huab River Valley.
Where can I see the winning photographs?
The exhibition opens at the Natural History Museum in London on October 16, 2026. Tickets are available through the museum's official website.
How many entries did the 2026 competition receive?
The competition drew a record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories, according to the Natural History Museum.
Who won the youth category?
Oscar Whitfield, a British photographer living in Zimbabwe, won with "Labour of Love," a black-and-white image of a dung beetle at work.
What is special about this year's results?
The competition's 62nd year marked the first time both adult and youth overall winners submitted black-and-white photographs.
