14 powerful images from the Environmental Photography Award 2026
14 powerful images from the Environmental Photography Award 2026
Britta Jaschinski's photo of a glowing sea turtle wins top prize in this year's Environmental Photography Award.
On the hunt for smugglers with wildlife forensics — The work that aims to disrupt or even dismantle illegally run wildlife trade chains. On the first glance this may appear to be a underwater photograph of a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). But can you spot the human hand print? The image demonstrates a method for securing forensic evidence that can help to catch poachers and animal traffickers. Special fluorescent powder dyes, photographed under ultraviolet light, reveal hand and fingerprints, blood and other bodily fluids, gunpowder residue, and more. Wildlife forensic expert Dr. Alexandra Thomas from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Louise Gibson from the Wildlife Crime and Forensics Unit of the Zoological Society of London are developing such methods to assist law enforcement. Six of the world's seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened, endangered, or critically endangered due to human persecution, habitat destruction, or marine pollution. London, ZSL Wildlife Lab, 2025
Photo Credit: Britta Jaschinski / Environmental Photography Award 2026
This year’s top honour goes to wildlife photojournalist Britta Jaschinski, whose work is widely recognised for its powerful exploration of the relationship between humans and nature.
Jaschinski's winning image, Handprint on Sea Turtle, highlights the fragility of wildlife but also underscores the growing role of science and forensics in protecting endangered species and combating wildlife crime.
This images shows a wedge-tailed shearwater surrounded by a football-pitch-sized school of lanternfish in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Costa Rica. The deep-water lanternfish had been chased up the water column by yellowfin tuna and spotted dolphins. Now, pinned just beneath the surface, they attracted an army of open ocean predators, from devil rays to dolphins and seabirds. On this occasion, the defensive schooling of the fish would sufficiently confuse the wedge-tailed shearwater that it rose back to the surface without attacking. - Photo Credit: Henley Spiers / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Ocean Category runner-up and Student's Choice - Up is Down, Arnaud Farré
From June to October, large numbers of humpback whales gather along the west coast of Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean, especially in the Bay of Saint-Paul, to breed and give birth. Cap La Houssaye marks the southern limit of the bay and the starting point of the marine nature reserve, consisting of 35 square kilometres of protected reefs. It is an ideal location for whale watching. Drone flights are prohibited inside the marine reserve without prior permission, but this mother and her calf were spotted just 200 metres from the beach, outside the boundary of the reserve. The mother is diving, followed by her calf, just before sunset. Only their flukes (tails) are visible as the pair begins their plunge to the depths, leaving behind a circular ring called a 'fluke print'. This striking, rare scene illustrates the harmony that exists between these marine mammals and the ocean. - Photo Credit: Arnaud Farré / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Ocean Category runner-up - Better than Gold, Shane Gross
A school of bigeye trevally swimming just off the beach at dawn as a storm approaches D'Arros Island, Seychelles. Bigeye trevally are popular as game and food, and face threats from overfishing and habitat destruction. Here, the fish are large, and the population is flourishing because they are protected within the no-take marine park. This photo was taken on assignment for the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF), which advocated for and now manages the marine protected area. - Photo Credit: Shane Gross / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Forests Category winner - Spirits of the Falls, Arnaud Farré
The Iguazú Falls have the distinction of being split between two countries, Argentina and Brazil. They consist of a system of 275 waterfalls spanning nearly three kilometres and are protected by a national park in both countries. On the Argentine side, Iguazú National Park covers 67,000 hectares. It was created in 1934 to protect one of the country’s most beautiful and most visited natural sites, and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. The park is home to more than 450 bird species, including the toco toucan, an iconic bird native to the subtropical forest. It is the largest species in the toucan family and can be identified by its long bright orange bill. These birds feed on fruit and inhabit the upper canopy. - Photo Credit: Arnaud Farré / Environmental Photography Award 2026
While resting, a female puma watches the movements of spider monkeys in the forest canopy of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula. In these rainforests, pumas’ diets include a wide range of animals from the forest understory and, on occasion, primates, captured through acrobatic leaps and agile tree climbing. Although the puma is in the Least Concern category on the global IUCN Red List, Central American populations, including those in Costa Rica, face increasing pressure from habitat loss and fragmentation, declining prey, and conflict with human activity. On the Osa Peninsula, pumas sometimes attack livestock, leading to tensions with ranchers and, in some cases, retaliatory killings. - Photo Credit: Luca Eberle / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Keoladeo National Park in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, is a bird sanctuary that shelters many migratory birds in winter and some native birds during the breeding period. January is a very cold month, often accompanied by mist and fog. Over the 30 years I [Hira Punjabi] have been going to this reserve, I have often observed birds attacking snakes and monitor lizards that prey on their eggs. This time, I was lucky enough to get it on camera: I had been observing the same dry tree for four days when, one morning, a pair of parakeets, accompanied by about 10 other parakeets, attacked several lizards. The attack lasted about an hour. - Photo Credit: Hira Punjabi / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Humanity vs Nature Category runner-up - Conservation vs Tourism, Peter McGee
Feeding wild animals is a contentious issue in marine conservation. In Oslob in the Philippines, endangered whale sharks are fed daily by tourists flocking to see them. The practice generates economic benefits for local communities and provides an incentive to protect endangered whale sharks from lethal fishing and finning practices. While regulations are in place to minimise human contact and feeding times, concerns remain regarding the long-term impact on the sharks’ natural behaviour, migration patterns and overall health.
Changemakers Category runner-up - Curlew Man, Morgan Heim
Wildlife conservation needs to embrace the big stupid ideas, says Matt Trevelyan, who in April 2024 became a viral sensation after deciding to dress up as a human-sized Eurasian curlew and walk across his county in Nidderdale, England, a whopping 53 miles over one weekend. By day, Trevelyan works on curlew conservation for the Nidderdale National Landscape. But if he had his druthers, he'd become a curlew. Trevelyan is a classically trained clown, master puppeteer and Buddhist. This photo was taken as we [Morgan Heim and team] began filming him for a documentary about his efforts to protect Eurasian curlews, which has just seen its close cousin, the slender-billed curlew go extinct. While the problems for wildlife can be dire, the efforts to save them can inspire joy. Conservation deserves to sometimes be a spectacle, says Trevelyan. - Photo Credit: Morgan Heim / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Changemakers Category runner-up - Insects, Architects of a Sustainable Future, Maud Delaflotte
With 80 per cent of biodiversity loss and 30 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions linked to our food systems, insect protein is rapidly gaining attention as a sustainable alternative to traditional sources like fishmeal and soy. Sourced primarily from black soldier fly larvae, it presents strong potential for use in animal nutrition. This photo shows a researcher collecting black soldier fly eggs inside an aviary in France. - Photo Credit: Maud Delaflotte / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Polar Regions Category winner - The Gathering, Vadim Makhorov
The Pacific walrus is the largest species of walrus – males can reach up to four metres in length and weigh as much as 1.5 tons. This photograph shows a walrus haulout on Ratmanov Island, on the maritime border between Russia and the United States. The entire southern coastline of the island is occupied by walruses, most of them males. Females only come ashore during the breeding season. They may appear immobile on land, but are fast and agile in the water. Understanding how they use the coastline helps keep encounters safe for both wildlife and people. - Photo Credit: Vadim Makhorov / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Polar Regions Category runner-up - The Explorers, Panos Laskarakis
This polar bear mother and cub seem like experienced explorers in this mountainous region of the Svalbard archipelago. The steep slope is a challenge for the baby polar bear in the deep snow during the foggy weather. Polar bear cubs walk directly behind their mother to conserve energy, keep warm and travel safely. This behaviour is critical for survival, as they travel long distances, sometimes over 100km, from dens to sea ice. This shot was taken from an icebreaker around 500 metres away using a telephoto lens, in accordance with new, stricter rules governing the filming and observation of animals in Svalbard, to prevent them from being disturbed (the minimum distance from polar bears is 300 to 500 metres, depending on the month). - Photo Credit: Panos Laskarakis / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Polar Regions Category runner-up - Penguin Feast, Lucas Bustamante
The brown skua (or Antarctic skua) and McCormick’s skua, nest in colonies on snow-free, rocky shores in Antarctica during their breeding season. While they feed primarily on fish and krill, they also prey on the eggs and chicks of other seabirds, particularly penguins, when these birds nest on the mainland from October to March. With their sharp, hawk-like beaks and small talons on the tips of their webbed feet, they are formidable predators. In this photo, two brown skuas are fighting over a penguin chick that was snatched while still alive from its colony. - Photo Credit: Lucas Bustamante / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Public Award - Koalas are Dying for You to Slow Down, Doug Gimesy
With koalas often crossing roads to access food, mates or shelter, road trauma is sadly a major threat to this iconic Australian species. Vehicle strikes are not just a conservation issue, they are a huge wildlife welfare issue, resulting in crippling injuries such as fractured jaws, broken limbs, or spinal damage. Whilst a few may be found, rescued and treated, many crawl off into the bush to die, or live on with injuries and in pain. - Photo Credit: Doug Gimesy / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Environmental Photographer 2026 and Changemakers Category winner - Handprint on Sea Turtle, Britta Jaschinski
This image demonstrates a method for securing forensic evidence that can help to catch poachers and animal traffickers. Special fluorescent powder dyes, photographed under ultraviolet light, reveal handprints and fingerprints, blood and other bodily fluids, gunpowder residue, and more. Wildlife forensic expert Alexandra Thomas from Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Louise Gibson from the Wildlife Crime and Forensics Unit of the Zoological Society of London are developing such methods to assist law enforcement. Six of the world's seven sea turtle species are classified as threatened, endangered or critically endangered due to human persecution, habitat destruction and marine pollution. - Photo Credit: Britta Jaschinski / Environmental Photography Award 2026
Picture researcher across BBC Science Focus, BBC Countryfile and BBC Wildlife
Lily is the picture researcher across BBC Science Focus, BBC Countryfile and BBC Wildlife. She holds a degree in Photojournalism, where she specialised in social documentary reportage. Her photographic work has been shortlisted for the BarTur Photo Award’s Unity in Diversity category and exhibited internationally as part of the Urban Photo Awards. Before joining the team, she worked on freelance projects and as a product specialist for leading camera brands.
