Ou r 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 galleries, follow the links to: Gallery 2 , Gallery 3 and Gallery 4
At a waterhole in the height of the dry season, leopard and hyena share space uneasily, thirst outweighing rivalry. While the hyena seemed more confident, the leopard slinked away after a short drink. Mana Pools National Park , Zimbabwe. © Lucy Gemmill Trunk and teeth. A lion feeds on an elephant carcass in Savute, pausing between mouthfuls as starlings dart in to claim the insects stirred by the feast. Savute, Chobe National Park , Botswana. © Hannes Lochner After a slow morning around Northern Farms, the photographer spots a pair of marsh owls hunting low over the grass. “They flew backwards and forwards without fearing us, and successfully made a kill.” Johannesburg, South Africa . © Wayne Parsons Big eyes. A mouse lemur spotted on a night walk before it scurried back into the forest. Mandrare River, Anosy, Madagascar . © Lynn Rosenzweig As morning light burns through the valley mist, the monoliths of Pedras Negras appear to drift like ancient islands in a white sea. Pedras Negras de Pungo Andongo, Angola © Cliff Fawcett 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 “We had reports of a buffalo that had died in some deep mud in a nearby dry riverbed. We found a pride of sub-adult lions around the carcass. Most of the lions were defending the carcass from the nearby vultures. One lion moved to feed on the carcass, and I snapped the shot from above my head. In that moment, his eyes met the camera.” South Luangwa National Park , Zambia. © Darren Donovan 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 The last pool. These hippos gathered in the last pool available at the end of the dry season. But tight quarters bring tension, grunting and dust-ups. Mana Pools National Park , Zimbabwe © Alex Brackx “Last of the Giants.” A great tusker moves across Amboseli. Amboseli National Park , Kenya. © Leighton Lum A gelada male, hair drenched from recent rains, grazes calmly on the high grasslands while keeping watch over playful youngsters, at home on the dramatic cliffs of the Simien Mountains. Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. © Amit Eshel “Just after dawn on Mt Ololokwe, my Samburu guide stood watching as vultures circled in the rising morning thermals.” Samburu National Reserve , Kenya. © Titch Tetley Only weeks old, this white rhino calf must already follow its mother through the water – a tender lesson in trust, vigilance and keeping up. KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa . © Robin Scholte A lone springbok crosses the towering dunes of Sandwich Harbour, a fleeting presence in a landscape defined by scale. Sandwich Harbour, Namibia . © Johan Enslin 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 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 The Getaway. At a Kalahari waterhole, a black-backed jackal lunges for a red-headed finch – but today, the finch is quicker. Central Kalahari Game Reserve , Botswana. © Hannes Lochner Rain-soaked and luminous, a tree frog clings to its perch in the misty hush of the Transkei. Transkei, South Africa © Jean Goldstone High in Bwindi’s canopy, a young black-backed gorilla sits in the early morning, eyes closed, breathing in the cold air. A quiet moment in the forest’s steep, tangled slopes. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda . © Mark Fernley A hyena edges in after a wild dog kill, but the dogs make it clear this meal is not up for negotiation. South Luangwa National Park , Zambia. © Lynn Rosenzweig A pride of lions gathers shoulder to shoulder at a dusty waterhole, their faces briefly lit as they drink together in the night. Shompole Conservancy, Kenya . © Jaren Fernley A forest buffalo emerges from Pongara’s dense coastal wilderness. Pongara National Park, Gabon. © Eduardo del Alamo Barely weaned and already hunting – meerkat pups move quickly from suckling to eating solids. Kalahari, South Africa . © Geo Cloete Stormy Skies. In the Kalahari, two lions mate through hail and rain while a shaft of sunlight breaks the storm and a tawny eagle watches from a camelthorn. Central Kalahari Game Reserve , Botswana. © Hannes Lochner Survival in the Luangwa Valley is written in scars, tracks and bloodied paws. South Luangwa National Park , Zambia. © Natascha van Mullem A spotted hyena materialises from dust and darkness, its raised mane catching the backlight at the waterhole, a faint apparition of reflection below. Shompole Conservancy, Kenya . © Caeser Senguta 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 To comment on this story: Login (or sign up) to our app here - it's a troll-free safe place 🙂.
