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WEEKLY SELECTION 2 - 2026 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Thursday, 5 March 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

Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year — The lion known as Scarnose crowns a granite kopje before his evening patrol, overlooking territory he defends daily with vigilance. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. © Chandramouli Vidyasaghar

African safari — Through a neat leaf aperture, a toad peers out – one of Savute’s small residents revealed in the undergrowth. Savute, Chobe National Park, Botswana. © Armand Grobler

Africa Geographic safari — A forest elephant registers its displeasure – smaller, rarer, more temperamental and more secretive than its savannah cousin – in Loango’s coastal wilderness. Loango National Park, Gabon. © Frank Jacobs

Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year — A pack of wild dogs brings down a puku with relentless teamwork. “Even though it was a bit of a gory scene, with the fur on the tongue of one of the dogs, I sat in amazement as we watched.” South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. © Lynn Rosenzweig

A young coalition tests their boundaries, edging into another male’s territory: bold ambition checked by the seasoned strength of an older lion. Mashatu Game Reserve, Botswana. © Abrie du Plessis

Africa Geographic Travel

Photographer of the year 2026 — A silverback holds Bwindi’s forest in his gaze – measured, and unmistakably in command. Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. © Werner Hoetzel

Photographer of the year 2026 — An elephant advances through Mana Pools woodland as cattle egrets patrol at its feet, harvesting insects stirred by each deliberate step. Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. © Subi Sridharan

Africa Geographic safari — A young black rhino, known to linger at this particular waterhole, calmly engages with an older bull – a rare glimpse of mentorship in a species known for volatility. Namibia. © Geo Cloete

Photographer of the year 2026 — At dusk in Samburu, lions emerge from riverine undergrowth to drink, their silhouettes dissolving into the last silver light of evening. Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. © Elizabeth Yicheng Shen

Photographer of the year 2026 — A Cape sugarbird perched on a protea bloom, long tail streaming: an emblem of fynbos spring in the shadow of Table Mountain. Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Cape Town, South Africa. © Aleksandra Zorawska

Africa Geographic Travel

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

In the hush of night, an elephant materialises from dust at a Shompole waterhole – presence announced by breath alone. Shompole Conservancy, Kenya. © Tracy Miller

African safari — Beauty and mortality. A butterfly settles on a lioness’s skull. The lioness was believed to have been killed by hyenas. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana. © Armand Grobler

Africa Geographic Photographer of the Year — A Samburu woman returns to her village, bright beads and cloth luminous against thorn and dust. Samburu, Kenya. © Titch Tetley

Leaping leopard. A leopard launches for safety, heading for the nearest tree, as a pair of lions give chase – a split-second leap that saves her skin. Sabi Sands Game Reserve, Greater Kruger, South Africa. © Janice Katz

Africa Geographic Travel

Masai giraffes cross Shompole’s patterned Earth, their long shadows sketching parallel lines across the ground. Shompole Conservancy, Kenya. © Subi Sridharan

As storm clouds gather over the Central Serengeti, the lion known as Scarnose patrols his kopje – a dominant male holding contested ground beneath a brooding sky. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. © Chandramouli Vidyasaghar

In early backlight, young Cape foxes tumble and explore before retreating from the rising Kalahari heat. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © John Mullineux

At sunrise in the Sahara, a camel herder and his charge pause mid-journey, dwarfed by dunes sculpted in gold. Sahara Desert, Morocco. © Lynn Rosenzweig

Africa Geographic safari — A lone baobab stands etched against an Ongava sunset, just south of Etosha’s salt pans. Etosha National Park, Namibia. © Andrew Morgan

Photographer of the year 2026 — An elusive African wildcat grips a freshly caught gerbil, its tail framing her face. A rare Kalahari sighting usually gone in a blink. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © Charmaine Joubert

Photographer of the year 2026 — Levaillant’s cisticola perched and proclaiming over Dullstroom – a small bird with a remarkably bold song. Dullstroom, South Africa. © Ruan Minnaar

Photographer of the year 2026 — A black-backed jackal pauses mid-prowl, eyes sharp above the Kalahari grasses along the Lower Dune Road. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa. © Hugh Michler

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