The humpback calf featured in the 2026 World Nature Photography Awards’ grand prize-winning photo is a rare sight: Only 1 in 40,000 humpbacks are born with its all-white coloring, caused by a lack of pigmentation. Australian photographer Jono Allen captured the calf as she glided through the sea with her mother off the coast of the Vava‘u islands in Tonga.
Appropriately named Mãhina, which means “moon” in Tongan, the calf not only makes for a stunning shot but also symbolizes humpback conservation success following centuries of whaling that nearly rendered the species extinct. “Mãhina is a living reminder of what is possible when conservation works — a species once on the brink, now rebounding,” Allen explained in the caption.
Capturing the image, which also took gold in the Underwater category, was “a memory that will live with me forever,” he said in a press release. “It was undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary days I have ever experienced in the ocean — and perhaps ever will. To be announced World Nature Photographer of the Year through capturing this unique mother and calf bond has made what was already a truly life-changing encounter even more profound and humbling.”
Allen’s photo was among thousands of submissions from 51 countries across six continents. The winning images highlight “both the wonder of our planet and the importance of protecting it,” according to the competition’s co-founder, Adrian Dinsdale.
Scroll through the remaining 13 category winners below, along with portions of their descriptions written by their photographers. And if you’re particularly taken with any of the images, click here to check out which ones are available for purchase.
Animal Portraits | “Shared Wonder,” Mary Schrader (US)
Beneath the lush canopy of Bwindi, I observed a young female gorilla gently nestled against the protective bulk of a silverback. The atmosphere was serene, filled with gentle sounds of the forest, until a sudden burst of delicate color broke through the calm. An unexpected visitor, a vibrant butterfly, appeared out of nowhere, fluttering gently through the air. Captivated, the young gorilla’s eyes widened, and in that moment, a beautiful interaction unfolded as a silent, shared wonder between two vastly different beings.
Behavior – Mammals | “Water Ballet,” Vaidehi Chandrasekar (Singapore)
As the sun dipped low over the dry Makgadikgadi landscape in Botswana, a lone giraffe stepped to the water’s edge. Towering and graceful, it bent its long legs, lowering its neck for a drink. Then came a moment of magic. Having taken its fill, the giraffe lifted its head — and with a gentle swish, expelled a stream of water in an arc that shimmered in the golden light. The droplets danced in the air, forming a near-perfect circle before falling back to the earth.
Behavior – Amphibians and Reptiles | “Stoicism in a Sandstorm,” Dewald Tromp (South Africa)
The Namib desert is one of the most extreme environments on earth, with a complete lack of surface water and temperatures exceeding 113 degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime. Despite this, life is abundant of you know where to look. Sandstorms are frequent, with wind blowing down from inland mountains that stir up fine sediment and particles. A Namaqua chameleon has to endure the sting of pebbles blowing against its skin while we were lucky enough to escape to the relative comfort of our 4×4.
Behavior – Invertebrates | “Home on the Leaves,” Minghui Yuan (China)
In the tropical rainforest of Xishuangbanna, I found a moss moth larva creating a protective net nest on newly grown tender leaves of plants. Moss moth larvae bite off their toxic hair like structures and use their sticky saliva to build their own houses. It uses its own poisonous fur as building material, which can resist attacks from parasitic wasps and ants. In the net nest, the moss moth larvae form some very thin and difficult to see silk, hanging themselves in the air as if they were lying in a hammock.
Behavior – Birds | “Arrival,” Fenqiang Liu (US)
Each spring, great egrets gather at Kraft Azalea Garden in Central Florida to nest high in the trees. Photographing from below, I look for moments when backlight reveals the elegance and structure of their wings in flight. I captured this image on an early April morning, as an egret passed between me and the sun just before landing.
People and Nature | “The Wildlife Photographer,” Deena Sveinsson (US)
A group of us photographers were photographing the bull moose eating his way in our direction. He would eat for about 10 minutes and then take a few steps only to start eating again. At some point, the bland bitter brush bored him and he decided to go on his walkabout. But he decided to do his walkabout in the direction of all the photographers. We quickly moved away to give the moose his space but, in all the haste, a tripod and camera ended up being left behind. At first the bull moose ignored the gear and started to thrash his antlers on the bitter brush. After his curiosity got the best of him, the bull moose decided to check out the camera gear.
Plants and Fungi | “Elder in Flame,” Duncan Wood (Scotland)
Golden autumn colors explode in this intimate portrait of an incredible, lichen-laden elder birch in full seasonal display — bold, brilliant, and full of character, like a woodland peacock. Taken in Glen Affric, this image captures a fleeting moment of drama and beauty from one of Scotland’s most vibrant autumn landscapes.
Nature Art | “Ghost of the Reef,” Simon Biddie (United Kingdom)
These small reef fish are also known as “cryptobenthic” fish — crypto as they hide in crevices, or use camouflage. As part of the food chain, they are important in supporting larger fish found in these reefs. Of these class of fish, the gobies are thought to be the most important. This photograph of a ghost goby shows how adept at hiding these small fish can be.
Planet Earth’s Landscapes and Environments | “The Eye of the Dragon,” Miki Spitzer (Israel)
This is a drone photo of a natural geothermal pool in central Iceland at Hveravellir. In the photo, you can see the pool, which I think looks like a dragon’s eye.
Nature Photojournalism | “Chimp Paradise 30,” Alain Schroeder (Belgium)
Kayla, a 37-year-old, 134-pound female, in the procedure room and her stomach shaved for an ultrasound. Socks have been placed on her extremities, and a fur hat with flaps on her head to avoid hypothermia. Founded in 1997, Save the Chimps is the largest privately funded chimpanzee sanctuary in the world. Its mission is to provide a safe haven to captive chimps that have been exploited by humans for research, testing, and entertainment.
Black and White | “Sunbathing,” Christopher Baker (US)
An adult pond slider turtle perched atop a stump bathing in the early morning sun. I lay on the ground to get a low angle perspective of the scene and converted to black and white to enhance the textures of the turtle’s shell and skin, as well as the stump.
Animals in Their Habitat | “Splash,” Charlie Wemyss-Dunn (United Kingdom)
A hungry brown bear launches headlong into a creek in Alaska’s Katmai National Park to try to catch one of the many sockeye salmon spawning in large numbers during their seasonal migration. Each August, large concentrations of brown bears gather along the rivers and creeks in Katmai, waiting for the annual arrival of salmon from the coast. I observed this scene after a two-hour walk from our camp from atop a cliff.
Urban Wildlife | “Trash Trail Temptations,” Robert Gloeckner (US)
In this striking image, a polar bear in Churchill, Manitoba, investigates a heap of discarded electronics and household items — part of a growing and very human-made trash trail that’s reshaping how wildlife interacts with civilization.
RELATED: The 2026 Close-up Photographer of the Year Contest Zooms In on Nature’s Wonder: See the Winners
Share to:
