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WEEKLY SELECTION 8 - 2026 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Thursday, 16 April 2026

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Our Photographer of the Year 2026 is open for submissions. The overall winner, runners-up, and their partners will journey to Nyungwe National Park in Rwanda, staying at the newly built Munazi Lodge, the only lodge inside the park. Expect chimpanzee trekking, canopy walks high above the forest floor, waterfall hikes, and encounters with black-and-white colobus monkeys in one of Africa’s most biodiverse montane forests. Read more about the Photographer of the Year 2026 prizes here. In association with Ukuri and African Parks.

Photographer of the Year is open for entries from 16 February 2026 to midnight on 7 May 2026. Judging will take place from February to June, and the winners will be announced in June.

Here are the best Photographer of the Year submissions for this week

Photographer of the Year — A lone springbok crosses the towering dunes of Sandwich Harbour, a fleeting presence in a landscape defined by scale. Sandwich Harbour, Namibia. © Johan Enslin

Photographer of the Year 2026 — A cub tests its independence in Namiri Plains, darting about and avoiding being picked up, until a single, steady stare from its mother brings the game to an end. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. © Assie Graham

Photographer of the Year 2026 — Amidst a heavy Kalahari storm, ostrich chicks seek refuge close to their mother. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © Grahame Murray

Africa Geographic Travel

Beneath the surface, Cape fur seals transform into restless acrobats. “Cape fur seals may look lazy on land, but underwater they’re pure energy. Playful and curious, they love starting games by sneaking up and barking: an open invitation to chase.” False Bay, South Africa. © Geo Cloete

Photographer of the Year 2026 — A young sifaka clings to its mother, pausing to study the world below with wide, curious eyes. Berenty Reserve, Madagascar. © Simone Osborne

Photographer of the Year 2026 — Yellow-billed oxpeckers ride a buffalo’s broad back, tending to ticks in a partnership of mutual benefit. Mara North Conservancy, Kenya. © Sherome Fonseka

Africa Geographic Travel

Photographer of the year 2026 — After a long wait at an impala kill, the leopard cub finally emerged, settling atop a termite mound as dusk turned the Okavango sky a soft pink behind her. Okavango Delta, Botswana. © Darren Donovan

Photographer of the year 2026 — Motherly moment. A lioness lifts her cub to relocate her to the den, three youngsters in tow. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Andrew Taylor

Photographer of the year 2026 — An African pygmy goose lifts from the lily pads and flies over the Chobe River with a freshly plucked morsel. Chobe National Park, Botswana. © Charmaine Venter

Africa Geographic Travel

photographer of the year 2026 — Ever opportunistic, olive baboons on the Mara plains target newborn Thomson’s gazelles as prey. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Patrice Quillard

Photographer of the year 2026 — Deep in Marojejy’s rainforest, a helmet vanga tends its nest. “I was following a group of silky sifakas when we were fortunate to see this bird in her nest.” Marojejy National Park, Madagascar. © Heste de Beer

Photographer of the year — More than instinct, a breeding pair of African penguins lingers in quiet contact after mating. “This couple showed signs of affection, closeness, and tenderness after mating. It was a remarkable experience.” Betties Bay, South Africa. © Geo Cloete

Photographer of the Year 2026 — Two lions own the landscape of Ndutu Plains.Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania. © Raj Desai

Photographer of the Year — A mountain gorilla feeds calmly high in the treetops, a lesser-seen side of a species more often imagined on the forest floor. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. © Mark Fernley

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