A striking image of a toad swimming across a woodland pond has won the British Wildlife Photography Awards 2026. Over 12,000 images, captured by amateur and professional photographers, were submitted in this year’s competition.
This year’s winner was Paul Hobson, who photographed a toad crossing a pond near his house in Sheffield, England.
“Toads use this pond to breed in, and I decided I wanted to try to capture an image looking up from the bottom of the pond,” Hobson says.
He built a glass box to nestle his camera in and triggered the camera using a long shutter release cable.
“I had to wait quite a long time until a toad swam across the surface – most of them would usually swim below it and rest on the glass,” Hobson explains.
The Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 was awarded to Ben Lucas for his image of a mute swan cygnet snoozing on its sibling’s back.
Photographers competed in 11 different categories, all with the aim of showcasing the variety of incredible wildlife found in Britain. From battling birds to burrowing bees, here are just some of the astonishing images.
A Toad Swims Across Its Woodland Pond by Paul Hobson – Black & White category winner and overall winner
"I am lucky to have a pond close to my house that has relatively clear water, especially in late winter and early spring before the algae starts to grow," explains winner Paul Hobson. "Toads use this pond to breed in and I decided I wanted to try to capture an image looking up from the bottom of the pond. To try to do this I built a glass box to house the camera and keep it dry. I worked out the depth the box would be and set the focus so that it would capture a toad, if one swam across the surface." - Paul Hobson/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Nemesis by Mark Parker – Animal Behaviour category winner
Mark Parker's dramatic image captures the moment a sparrowhawk pounces on a starling. "Because the sparrowhawk had never gone to ground before on previous visits to the garden and not knowing how long it would stay, I just wanted to get an image to record the event before then concentrating on my settings," he says. - Mark Parker/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Standing Tall by Alastair Marsh – Animal Portraits category winner
"I’ve been visiting Ardnamurchan in Scotland for 10 years now and it keeps me coming back," says Alastair Marsh. "I visit every year in the hope of seeing pine martens. In the summer of 2024 I had one of my best visits up north with plenty of sightings, tempted by a small amount of peanuts I left out each evening. Every so often this young male would stand up to get a better view above the heather in front of him." - Alastair Marsh/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Slime Moulds and a Water Droplet by Barry Webb – Botanical Britain category winner
Barry Webb found these Lamproderma scintillans (a species of protozoans), which were 1mm-tall, on a tiny fragment of wood on a wet woodchip pile. It's thought that the iridescent surface of these fruiting bodies may act as a water repellent in order to protect the spores within the sporocarp. - Barry Webb/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Glowing Bright by James Lynott – Coast & Marine category winner
James Lynott captured this image of a spiny squat lobster fluorescing during a night dive in Loch Fyne, off the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, in November 2024. - James Lynott/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Dipper Dream by Marc Humphrey – Habitat category winner
"Dippers are creatures of habit, and after spending numerous days observing these entertaining birds I was able to discover many of their favoured rocks," says Marc Humphrey. "I wanted to capture something different, encapsulating the stunning woodland and rushing white water that these birds are so at home in. For this photo I utilised a wide-angle lens, and so as to limit disturbance, I waded into the water, framed up my shot using a tripod, manually focused on the rock and used a remote shutter whilst sat on the riverbank." - Marc Humphrey/British Wildlife Photography Awards
New Life by Julian Terreros-Martin – Hidden Britain category winner
"In 2020, my dad and I decided to build a reflection pool in our back garden as a way to continue photographing the wildlife around our house, which mainly consisted of birds and hedgehogs at night," says Julian Terreros-Martin. "Seeing the details of this developing frog embryo was an incredibly unique and special moment for me, both as a photographer and as a biologist." - Julian Terreros-Martin/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Asleep at the Wheel by Simon Withyman – Urban Wildlife category winner
Simon Withyman discovered a family of foxes living on a trading estate, using his car as a hide. He says: "Over several weeks, I gradually introduced myself and my camera equipment, allowing time for this young mother to become familiar with my presence and learn that I posed no threat. I often saw her resting in some unusual spots, but none more so than on this cushioned seat of an old vehicle." - Simon Withyman/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Beams of Brightness by Mark Richardson – Wild Woods category winner
Mark Richardson took this photograph on a frosty winter’s morning in south-east England. He says, "Using a telephoto lens, I framed the scene with a reasonably close crop to give a sense of energy and atmosphere to the emerging, dramatic light, and to emphasise the golden halo created around the tree in the centre of the image." - Mark Richardson/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Feathery Pillow by Ben Lucas – 15-17 Years category winner and Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026
Ben Lucas took this image of a mute swan in Hornchurch, east London. He says: "This was such an adorable moment to witness. A whole family of mute swans swam up to me as I was quietly sitting on the bank of a beautiful lake. They all lay down for a rest right beside me. The five newly hatched cygnets curled up together in a fluffy grey bundle and I captured this photo as one lay its little head on the back of its sibling." - Ben Lucas/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Cutting Edge by Jamie Smart – 11 and Under category winner
"I adore bees and have spent a lot of time this year studying them and finding out about what I can do to help the wild bees around our garden thrive," explains Jamie Smart. "I designed and made a bee hotel using clay and have watched it flourish. One day, as I was walking past it, I spotted this leaf-cutter bee poking her head out of one of the clay holes and thought it would make a lovely photo, so I ran back inside to grab my camera and hoped that she would still be there when I returned – luckily, she was!" - Jamie Smart/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Acrobatic Hobby by Jack Crockford – 12-14 Years category winner
Jack Crockford says: "This is the Eurasian hobby, a small yet remarkably agile bird of prey. They combine their speed with this agility for a unique trait; catching insects mid-air. In this moment, a mayfly was unlucky as it became the hobby’s next snack." - Jack Crockford/British Wildlife Photography Awards
Sophie is the content creator for discoverwildlife.com and its sister title countryfile.com. She manages the Q+A section of BBC Wildlife and covers the latest natural history TV and film releases.
