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 4 of the best Photographer of the Year submissions for this week. To see the other galleries, follow the links to: Gallery 1 , Gallery 2 and Gallery 3
A rare sighting of one of Africa’s most elusive antelopes: a sitatunga resting on a termite mound island in the Okavango. Seen from the air, the Delta’s channels and floodplains reveal the watery world this marsh specialist calls home. Okavango Delta , Botswana. © William Steel 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 Samburu warriors catch long rays of warm sun. Samburu National Reserve , Kenya. © Panos Laskarakis At one of South Luangwa’s famed wild mango trees, a spotted bush snake hunts a tree frog. Sometimes, Luangwa’s drama unfolds in miniature. South Luangwa National Park , Zambia. © Aaron Mwale A dugong glides peacefully above the sandy seabed, trailed by small fish in the clear waters of the Red Sea. Marsa Shagra, Egypt. © Nina Wiesmeyr A jackal fiercely guards its meal as a vulture lunges in, talons aimed at the jackal’s eye in a brutal contest over scraps. Madikwe Game Reserve , South Africa. © Kevin Dooley 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 Four-month-old Ethiopian wolf pups tumble and spar on the Bale Mountains plateau, play-fighting that quietly establishes rank in Africa’s rarest carnivore. Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. © Amit Eshel 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 In fractured rock and shadow, a leopard emerges from a hidden resting spot. Chobe National Park , Botswana © Panos Laskarakis For five hours, Maasai guide James Lenjir accompanied the photographer waiting beside a dry ditch where the leopard Shujaa slept hidden in the grass. When wildebeest finally approached the crossing, the sleeping cat exploded into motion: proof that true bush knowledge incites the best sightings. Maasai Mara National Reserve , Kenya. © Ivan Glaser Beneath a moonless Madagascan sky, sacred baobabs stand silhouetted against the Milky Way while distant firelight glows softly from a nearby village. Kirindy Mitea National Park, Madagascar © Beverly Houwing The last crossing. Fleeing a pursuing lioness, a baboon plunges into a hippo pool in desperation, only to find twenty hippos rising around him before the chase finally ends on shore. Okavango Delta , Botswana © Devon Jenkin In the lingering haze after a chase by a wild dog pack, a lone zebra calls for its herd while a solitary wild dog pauses nearby, both searching for their own. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana © Hannes Lochner A dominant male lion scents the wind from atop a granite kopje, sniffing out the goings on in his vast Serengeti kingdom. Serengeti National Park , Tanzania. © Pierre van der Berg An expert caregiver carries a Temminck’s ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii ) undergoing rehabilitation prior to release after an evening foraging session in South Africa. Pangolins are often carried on their handlers’ backs to reduce stress, conserve energy, and safely move them between foraging sites during rehabilitation monitoring. South Africa . © Wiktoria West Framed through the legs of a cow, a father feeds fresh milk to his son straight from the source: a quiet Setswana blessing of prosperity and continuity. “As a Motswana photographer raised within Setswana culture, I know the rhythm of village life begins at dawn when cattle are milked and fields prepared. I was documenting how climate change is reshaping small-scale farming. We spoke about the growing strain of unpredictable seasons on livelihood, and then this quiet, intimate moment unfolded, when this father lifted his young son onto his lap and guided a stream of fresh milk directly from the cow into the child’s mouth.” Gamononyane, Botswana . © Metlha Ngubevana 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
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 A lone chimpanzee keeps watch, sentinel of the forest, alert to the movements of troop and jungle alike. Kibale National Park , Uganda. © Patrick Maurer Blue crane tango. South Africa’s national birds perform their elaborate courtship dance. Western Cape, South Africa . © Rochelle Jacobs For days, this elephant mother carried her stillborn calf across the harsh landscapes of Damaraland: touching, smelling and refusing to let go. Damaraland , Namibia. © Sam Hankss Two southern giraffes clash in a brutal, bloodied contest beneath the camelthorn trees of the Kgalagadi. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa . © Willie van Schalkwyk A black rhino crosses the vast grasslands of Damaraland, a solitary survivor in one of southern Africa’s harshest landscapes. Damaraland , Namibia. © Johan Enslin Two male lions bring down a warthog beside the Khwai River. Okavango Delta , Botswana. © Jannes Drotsky A day-old mantis, barely 3mm long, shelters among the stamens of a flower – a tiny predator already mastering the art of hiding. Gauteng, South Africa . © Hendrick Louw From above, a pod of hippos circles tightly in the Mara River, their heavy bodies turning the dark water into an elegant, abstract pattern. Maasai Mara National Reserve , Kenya. © William Steel To comment on this story: Login (or sign up) to our app here - it's a troll-free safe place 🙂.
