An Italian photographer has been awarded the top prize in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition for his striking image of a mother elephant carrying her deceased calf. Federico Veronesi’s photograph, titled “The Aftermath,” was taken in the Huab River Valley in Namibia while he was observing elephants. The heart-wrenching scene shows an adult female elephant with the leg of a calf caught between her tusk and trunk, leaving a lasting impact on viewers.
Kathy Moran, the chair of the jury for the 2026 competition, praised the photograph for its emotional depth and intellectual significance, noting that it serves as a reminder of animals’ cognitive abilities. In addition to winning the grand prize, Veronesi’s photo also triumphed in the Behaviour: Mammals category.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, organized by the Natural History Museum in London, aims to shed light on nature’s narratives and raise awareness of environmental challenges. This year’s edition attracted a record-breaking 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories, showcasing a diverse range of wildlife photography talent.
Among the winners was young British photographer Oscar Whitfield, who clinched the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year award with his captivating image of a dung beetle rolling a ball of dung. Another standout entry came from Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas, a Canadian citizen based in Germany, who received the Rising Star Award for his photo capturing a robber fly preying on a flesh fly.
While no Canadian photographers took home category prizes this year, the exhibition will feature commendable works by Canadian photographers, including Shane Gross from British Columbia, who was the winner of the 2024 competition. The exhibition will be showcased at various locations, including the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria.
The competition also recognized other category winners, such as Amelie Davis from the U.K., Anton Sorokin from the U.S., Agorastos Papatsanis from Greece, and James Lewin from Kenya, for their outstanding wildlife and nature photography. Each photograph tells a unique story, capturing the beauty and diversity of the natural world.