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Photographer of the Year

WEEKLY SELECTION 12 - GALLERY 1 - Photographer of the Year 2026

Thursday, 14 May 2026

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Our Photographer of the Year 2026 is now closed for entries. 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.

Winners will be announced in June.

Here is Gallery 1 of the best Photographer of the Year submissions for this week. To see the other gallery, follow the link: Gallery 2

Africa Tours — A white-backed vulture receives treatment after poisoning, one of the survivors in a growing conservation crisis across southern Africa. Gauteng, South Africa. © Wiktoria West

Africa Tours — Two southern giraffes clash in a brutal, bloodied contest beneath the camelthorn trees of the Kgalagadi. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © Willie van Schalkwyk

Africa Tours — While the pride fed on a buffalo carcass, a lioness briefly revealed herself through a gap in the ribs, creating a fleeting framed portrait within the remains of the kill. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Alexia Chevron

Africa Tours — Boys on stilts gather beside the roadside near the Banna tribal area, balancing effortlessly above the red earth of the Omo Valley. Omo Valley, Ethiopia. © Art Chen

Africa Geographic Travel

Africa Tours — Along the edge of a towering dune in Erg Maqhier, the immense silence and scale of the Mauritanian Sahara become almost overwhelming. Erg Maqhier, Mauritania. © Cliff Fawcett

Africa Tours — Schools of strepies fish (Sarpa salpa) weave through the kelp forests of False Bay, feeding on algae in one of the Atlantic’s great underwater ballets. False Bay, South Africa. © Geo Cloete

Africa Geographic safari — At close range, ring-tailed lemurs reveal the intimate bond between mother and offspring. Mothers carry pups on their backs for months to ensure safety and mobility while foraging. Ambalalova, Madagascar. © Jochen Kruip

Africa Geographic safari — In the soft light of dawn, a hyena mother and her cubs play beside the remains of a warthog, creating a macabre yet tender composition. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Muhammed Jenos

Africa Geographic safari — Wildebeest silhouetted against another blazing Mara sunset. Mara North Conservancy, Kenya. © Kevin Rooney

Africa Geographic safari — Wings blur into motion while the dragonfly’s head remains perfectly still: a masterclass in aerial precision. Sigiria Forest, Kenya. © Juerg Schmidlin

Africa Geographic safari — Two male lions command an ancient Serengeti kopje as dusk settles over Namiri Plains. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. © Deborah Russell

Africa Geographic Travel

Africa Geographic safari — A Transvaal dwarf chameleon clings delicately to a branch in the forests of Magoebaskloof. Magoebaskloof, South Africa. © Kyle Thomas

Africa Geographic safari — Race at the Finishing Line. A cheetah reveals the raw speed and precision of Africa’s fastest hunter. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Sudip Das Das

Africa Geographic safari — A confrontation between an African fish eagle and an Egyptian goose unfolds along the Chobe shoreline, ending badly for the goose. Chobe National Park, Botswana. © Thatayaone Jongman

Africa Geographic safari — Driven by bitter winter cold and the urgent need to feed, this aardvark emerged unusually early, enabling a rare sunset sighting of one of Africa’s most elusive mammals. Makgadikgadi Salt Pans, Botswana. © Laura Dyer

Photographer of the year 2026 — “The cupped hand first caught my eye, then the luminous stare of this brown sifaka moving effortlessly through the canopy.” Voimma Community Reserve, Madagascar. © Lynn Rosenzweig

Photographer of the year 2026 — Three lions balance among the branches in Ishasha, a behaviour that has made this corner of Queen Elizabeth NP legendary. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. © Richard Guijt

Photographer of the year 2026 — A member of the capture team holds a leading rope of the giraffe during a translocation operation from Pongola Game Reserve to Somkhanda Game Reserve. Giraffe translocations are among the most physically demanding wildlife capture operations, requiring teams to quickly stabilise the animal after darting. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. © Wiktoria West

Africa Geographic Travel

Photographer of the year 2026 — After raiding a village weaver nest, an African harrier-hawk carries off its prize moments after the attack. Kruger National Park, South Africa. © Willie van Schalkwyk

Photographer of the year 2026 — Deep in South Luangwa, wild dogs bring down a bushbuck at dawn before returning to feed their waiting pups. South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. © Sam Hankss

Photographer of the year 2026 — After hours of searching through dense Delta woodland, a Pel’s fishing owl finally appeared: the elusive “Holy Grail” of the Okavango. Okavango Delta, Botswana. © Thierry Boulaire

Africa Tours — Kibale’s forest rang with chimpanzee calls that morning, and in a brief pause between the chaos, this portrait emerged. Kibale National Park, Uganda. © Darren Donovan

Photographer of the year 2026 — Working together with surprising coordination, two leopard cubs herded an impala directly toward their hidden mother, who launched instantly from cover. South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. © Zenya Lepper

Photographer of the year 2026 — A gelada male surveys the misty escarpments of the Simien Mountains, his golden mane lifted by the highland wind. Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. © Mark Fernley

Photographer of the year 2026 — In the heat of the Central Kalahari afternoon, hundreds of butterflies gathered at a muddy puddle left behind by rare seasonal rains, filling the air with confetti-like flashes of colour. Central Kalahari Game Reserve, Botswana. © Jens Cullmann

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