Elephant photograph wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Federico Veronesi’s black-and-white image The Aftermath took the competition’s overall title.
An image of an elephant carrying its dead calf has won the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. The photograph, taken in Namibia by Italian photographer Federico Veronesi, was selected from more than 65,000 entries.
The winning photograph, titled The Aftermath, shows a female elephant carrying the body of a calf in Namibia’s Huab River Valley. Veronesi was tracking elephants when he noticed drag marks in a dry riverbed and encountered the family group.
The Natural History Museum, which runs the competition, said the image offers an unusual view of elephant behaviour. Elephants have been observed vocalising around dead members of their group, guarding them, inspecting remains and carrying them. Some researchers interpret such behaviour as evidence of a response to death, while others avoid drawing conclusions about whether it represents grief in a human sense.
The photograph was chosen from a record 65,403 entries submitted from 121 countries and territories. The competition’s organisers said that, for the first time in its 62-year history, both the adult and young overall winners were recognised for black-and-white photography.
Oscar Whitfield, a young British photographer living in Zimbabwe, won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title with Labour of Love. His image shows a dung beetle pushing a ball across dusty ground. The adult and young winners were announced alongside category winners covering subjects from urban wildlife and plants to oceans and photojournalism.
The competition was judged anonymously by an international panel working across wildlife photography, filmmaking, conservation and science. The stated criteria included originality, technical quality, ethical practice and creativity. The organisers’ description therefore places the award within both an artistic and a documentary tradition.
The winning images will go on display at the Natural History Museum in London from Friday 16 October. The exhibition will contain 100 photographs and run until 11 July 2027, with the museum presenting the images alongside information about habitats and biodiversity.
The award does not establish a scientific conclusion about elephant emotions. Its significance is cultural and documentary: it gives a widely seen photograph a platform while inviting viewers to consider how wildlife behaviour is observed, interpreted and represented.
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The competition result and supporting details are confirmed by the organiser and an independent wildlife publication. The article carefully distinguishes documented elephant behaviour from the unresolved interpretation of whether it represents grief.
- confirmed The Aftermath by Federico Veronesi won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026. — Confirmed by the Natural History Museum’s press release and gallery. source
- confirmed The photograph was taken in Namibia’s Huab River Valley. — Listed in the museum’s image details. source
- confirmed The competition received 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories. — Given in the Natural History Museum press release. source
- confirmed Oscar Whitfield won the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title. — Confirmed by the organiser and Discover Wildlife. source
- confirmed The exhibition opens on 16 October 2026 and runs until 11 July 2027. — Dates are listed by the Natural History Museum. source
- confirmed Both adult and young overall winners used black-and-white photography for the first time in the competition’s history. — Stated in the organiser’s press release. source
- confirmed The photograph does not establish that elephants experience grief in a human sense. — This is a cautious framing consistent with the source’s competing interpretations; it is not presented as a scientific finding. source
Editor's note
The award, photographer, location, entry figures, exhibition dates and young winner are confirmed by the Natural History Museum and Discover Wildlife. Interpretations of elephant behaviour are presented as disputed possibilities, not as a settled scientific finding.Sources
- Heartbreaking photograph of an elephant and deceased calf wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 — Natural History Museum
- Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 winners revealed — Discover Wildlife
- The Aftermath — Natural History Museum
More on this in other media
- BBC News — „wildlife photography”
- The Guardian — „wildlife photography”
- Sky News — „wildlife photography”