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Photographer of the Year 2026

WEEKLY SELECTION 6 - 2026 PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Thursday, 2 April 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

Photographer of the Year — At sunset along the Chobe River, a mother elephant and her calf drink together, their silhouettes etched against reflected sky. Chobe National Park, Botswana. © Corey Raffel

Photographer of the Year — On a sweltering day, a Knysna turaco takes time out for a cool bath – emerald feathers glistening in streaks of sunlight. Port Elizabeth, South Africa. © Alan Millard

Photographer of the Year — After scanning for prey from above, a cheetah descends from its lookout in the otherwise open plains of the Mara. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. © Chris McCrossen

Photographer of the Year — Lake Magadi’s turquoise and emerald waters reveal a harsh world where pelicans glide across a landscape shaped by chemistry. Lake Magadi, Kenya. © Venki Ramasubhramoni

dung beetle — Two dung beetles roll their prize across the road at Loskop. Loskop Nature Reserve, South Africa. © Heinnie Prinsloo

Africa Geographic Travel

Photographer of the Year — Lions and hyenas share a buffalo kill in uneasy stillness on a bloodstained stage. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.
© Suryaveer Singh

Photographer of the Year — With the first rains, Busanga’s floodplains turn to mud – and for hippos, this is paradise. From above, the landscape resolves into shifting forms. Busanga Plains, Kafue National Park, Zambia. © Panos Laskarakis

Serval — A melanistic serval moves through the Aberdare moorlands at 3,200 metres – a rare, shadow-dark form in an already otherworldly landscape. Aberdare National Park, Kenya. © Nicolas Urlacher

Baboons — Baboons settle a dispute – a brief flare of temper in the social churn of the troop. Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia. © Lukas Walter

hyena — At first light, a hyena makes off with a zebra skull – a macabre dessert from a feast already picked clean. Mashatu, Botswana. © Jochen Maes

Africa Geographic Travel

Photographer of the Year — Seen from above, flamingos sweep across Lake Magadi’s mineral canvas. Lake Magadi, Kenya. © Venki Ramasubhramoni

Photographer of the Year — Nocturnal enemies. A leopard issues a warning to an approaching hyena – tension thick in the Okavango dusk. Okavango Delta, Botswana. © Chris Jolley

bateleur — A battle of bateleurs at a waterhole – wings spread, the theatrics of Africa’s most acrobatic eagle on full display. Kruger National Park, South Africa. © Ilna Booyens

Photographer of the Year — Near Nanyukie, ancient granite kopjes rise like islands — natural nurseries where lionesses hide their young. These two cubs briefly appeared along the ridge during a walking safari, their small, curious forms set against the vast scale of their rocky world. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. © Sameer Kumar

Photographer of the Year — As a herd moved steadily across Amboseli’s dry lakebed, a calf stopped to nurse. She fed while walking, careful not to fall behind. Amboseli National Park, Kenya. © Shailza Singhal

Africa Geographic Travel

blue swallow — A rare and fleeting joy – blue swallows gliding effortlessly over Graskop, “What a special moment watching these beautiful birds glide around us for what seemed like hours.” Graskop, South Africa. © Graeme Gullacksen

Photographer of the Year — After rough play with its siblings, a young cub seeks comfort from its mother – a brief return to softness in the dust of Mabuasehube. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana. © Arjan Esschendal

African safari — A morning encounter escalates quickly – wild dogs clash with a lone hyena, only to lose their impala kill when more hyenas arrive and seize the prize. South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. © Darren Donovan

otter — Two African clawless otters pause while foraging, noses lifted – something in the distance proving far more interesting than the photographer. Katrinasrust Farm, South Africa. © Graeme Gullacksen

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