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 2 of the best Photographer of the Year submissions for this week. To see the other gallery, follow the link: Gallery 1
Samburu night watchmen dance around the fire at Ol Pejeta as stories, laughter and safari dust linger long after sunset. Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya . © Andrew Morgan Little beauties and the young beast. African bullfrog in a sea of butterflies in the heart of the Kalahari. Central Kalahari Game Reserve , Botswana. © Jens Cullmann A tender moment between a cheetah cub and her protector. Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya . © Kevin Rooney After killing a crocodile, this leopard fed on the carcass for days as the smell drew in rival predators from across the riverbank. Lower Zambezi National Park , Zambia. © Sam Hankss Captured during a translocation operation, this elephant bull represents the complex work of managing genetics, populations and space within South Africa’s fenced reserves. Marataba , South Africa. © Wiktoria West A forest canary feeds on a pincushion protea, a small yellow flash of spring in Kirstenbosch. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, South Africa . © Aleksandra Zorawska After catching a young lechwe on the Busanga Plains, this collared lioness fiercely defended her meal from an opportunistic young male. Busanga Plains , Kafue National Park, Zambia. © Lori Dove Framed by dense foliage, this lemur’s upward gaze and bared teeth give it an almost prehistoric presence: a fitting representation of Madagascar’s extraordinary evolutionary isolation. Madagascar . © Beata Whitehead Caked in red mud and moving with heavy purpose, this old buffalo bull looked less like an animal and more like the earth itself. Madikwe Game Reserve , South Africa. © Christy Bennie A tower of giraffes stands alert across the pale Ndutu lakebed, each neck raised like a periscope scanning the horizon. Ndutu, Tanzania . © Deborah Russell “When you possess the aerial abilities of a Verreaux’s eagle, it is of the utmost importance that every feather is perfectly in place.” Langebaan, South Africa . © Geo Cloete A hairy ladybird (Chnootriba natalensis ) in the cool forest light of Karkloof Forest. Karkloof Nature Reserve, South Africa . © Kyle Thomas Over four unforgettable days in the Virungas, the photographer watched this habituated gorilla troop interact gently with their young. “We were privileged to spend time with them over four days observing their movements and interactions, especially with the two babies.” Mgahinga Gorilla National Park , Uganda. © Claire Waring Mist rolls through the gorge as the thunder of Calandula Falls echoes beneath the veil. Calandula Falls, Angola. © Cliff Fawcett 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 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 The late great Craig, one of Africa’s last super tuskers, moves through the Amboseli dust. Amboseli National Park , Kenya. © Alexia Chevron A quiet moment between crowned cranes reveals the intricate gold of their crests and the startling blue of their eyes. Amboseli National Park , Kenya. © Juerg Schmidlin 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 Two pied kingfishers clash over territory as sunrise paints the Chobe sky in shades of orange and gold. Chobe National Park , Botswana. © Patryk Kurc After heavy rains flooded the Central Kalahari, a shallow roadside puddle became a frenzy of butterflies and tiny bullfrogs lunging at anything that moved. Here, a fortunate bullfrog snacks on a less fortunate African plain tiger butterfly. Central Kalahari Game Reserve , Botswana. © Jens Cullmann Survival in the Luangwa Valley is written in scars, tracks and bloodied paws. South Luangwa National Park , Zambia. © Natascha van Mullem 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 When the martial eagle finally launched from its perch, it revealed the scrub hare clutched within its talons. Mara North Conservancy, Kenya . © Kevin Rooney 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 A juvenile pale chanting goshawk receives an unexpectedly fierce response from an agama lizard in the Kalahari dust. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa . © Willie van Schalkwyk Red-tailed tropicbirds wheel gracefully above Nosy Ve, one of the southernmost breeding sites for these elegant seabirds. Nosy Ve, Madagascar . © Jochen Kruip To comment on this story: Login (or sign up) to our app here - it's a troll-free safe place 🙂.
