A black-and-white photograph of a female elephant carrying the body of her dead calf through a dry Namibian riverbed has won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. Italian photographer Federico Veronesi took the grand title for The Aftermath, the Natural History Museum in London announced on Oct. 13.

Veronesi was tracking elephants in Namibia's Huab River Valley when he noticed unusual drag marks in the sand. He followed them to a female carrying a calf whose leg was wedged between her tusk and trunk, according to the museum.

The image now leads a competition that drew a record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories. For the first time in the contest's history, both the adult and young grand title winners were recognized for black-and-white images.

A Picture That Raises Hard Questions

The winning image is difficult to look at — and the jury said that is part of its power. "This photograph works on so many levels. Emotionally it's a gut punch, heartbreakingly poignant," said Kathy Moran, chair of the jury.

Moran went further, telling Discover Wildlife that the image is intellectual proof that animals have cognition. That is a judge's interpretation of a single moment, not a scientific finding. The museum itself noted that elephant behavior around death has been seen in both Asian and African elephants, but researchers disagree about whether it reflects an understanding of death or grief.

The image echoes other recent observations of animals staying with their dead young, including a documented humpback whale mother who remained with her stillborn calf. Such behavior is drawing growing scientific attention because it is hard to observe and harder still to interpret.

Natural History Museum Director Doug Gurr tied the winners to a broader message. "Together they remind us that every species plays a role in the complex web of life," he said.

A Dung Beetle Takes the Young Photographer Title

The Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title went to Oscar Whitfield, a young British photographer living in Zimbabwe, for Labour of Love. The black-and-white image shows a dung beetle pushing its ball of dung in Zambezi National Park.

Whitfield, who entered in the 11 to 14 age category, lay flat on the ground to shoot at the beetle's eye level, using a fast shutter speed and high ISO, the museum said. The choice turns a small insect into the hero of the frame.

The younger categories also honored Amelie Davis for Flight of the Bumblebee, showing a common carder bee in southern England, in the 10 and under group. Konrad Gräeter won the 15 to 17 category for Birdsong Painted in Light, a blackbird photographed in his home town of Schriesheim, Germany.

U.S. Photographers and Places Among the Winners

Several winners have U.S. connections, either through the photographer or the place pictured. Seth Forestson, listed by the museum as American, won Urban Wildlife for Urban Jungle, which shows a common water monitor in Bangkok, Thailand.

Alex Visbal won Wetlands: The Bigger Picture for The Great Divide, an image of microbes coloring Utah's Great Salt Lake, a body of water whose shrinking levels have become a major regional environmental concern. Loren Elliott took the Photojournalist Story Award for a portfolio on the coyotes of San Francisco, a species that has become a familiar urban neighbor in many U.S. cities.

Anton Sorokin won Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles with Protective Pose, featuring a California newt. The species carries a potent toxin, and its defensive posture warns predators away.

Other category winners range across the globe. Isak Pretorius won Behaviour: Birds with shoebills in Uganda's Mabamba Swamp, James Lewin won Animals in their Environment with an elephant and zebras in Kenya's Chyulu Hills, and Tony Wu won Under Water with Abbott's moray eels. Francisco Negroni won Photojournalism for Warning Sign, an image of a dead puma in Argentine Patagonia.

Veronesi also won the Behaviour: Mammals category, according to the museum. Aaron Sanders took Animal Portraits with A Watchful Eye, a close look at an octopus, while Alex Lindbloom won Oceans: The Bigger Picture with Night-Time Catch, a whale shark photographed in Papua. Michał Michalski won Natural Artistry with Escape Artistry, which captures goldfinches and bramblings scattering from a sparrowhawk.

Smaller life forms featured strongly too — from fungi to arachnids. Agorastos Papatsanis won Plants and Fungi with a glowing mushroom; Sitaram Raul won Behaviour: Invertebrates with a scorpion in Rajasthan, India, and Kutub Uddin earned the Portfolio Award for a series on slime molds. Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas received the Rising Star Award for a portfolio that includes a robber fly feeding on a flesh fly.

Seeing the Images in Person

The winning images and other selected photographs go on display at the Natural History Museum in London from Friday, Oct. 16, 2026, through Sunday, July 11, 2027. The museum says the exhibition will then tour the U.K. and internationally, with venues to be announced by host institutions.

Adult tickets start at £19, with off-peak tickets at £17, and the museum warns that weekends sell out quickly. A companion book, Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 36, was published Oct. 14.

Photographers hoping to compete next year can enter the 63rd competition from 11:30 a.m. GMT on Monday, Oct. 19, until 11:30 a.m. GMT on Thursday, Dec. 3, according to the museum. Readers can view the full set of winning images on the museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year site.

The exhibition will also use the museum's Biodiversity Intactness Index, a measure of how much of a region's natural biodiversity remains, as context for the places shown in the images. That pairing reflects the competition's growing focus on the pressures facing the species it celebrates.

What Readers Want to Know

Who won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026?

Italian photographer Federico Veronesi won for The Aftermath, showing an elephant carrying her dead calf in Namibia's Huab River Valley.

Who won Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026?

Oscar Whitfield, a young British photographer living in Zimbabwe, won for Labour of Love, an image of a dung beetle.

How many entries did the competition receive?

A record 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories.

Did any winners have U.S. connections?

Yes. American Seth Forestson won Urban Wildlife, and winning images also show Utah's Great Salt Lake, San Francisco's coyotes, and a California newt.

Does the photo prove elephants grieve?

No. The jury chair called it proof of animal cognition, but the museum notes researchers disagree on whether elephant behavior around death reflects grief or an understanding of death.

When and where can I see the exhibition?

At the Natural History Museum in London from Oct. 16, 2026, to July 11, 2027, before it tours the U.K. and internationally.