Off the coast of Tonga, a rare white humpback whale swims closely alongside its mother. Photographer Jono Allen caught the extraordinary moment in a photograph (seen below) that just earned top honors at the World Nature Photography Awards 2026.
“Sharing this moment with Mãhina and her protective mother is a memory that will live with me forever,” Allen said in a statement. “It was undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary days I have ever experienced in the ocean-and perhaps ever will. To be announced WorldNature 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. I feel beyond honoured to receive this award.”
Location: Vava’u, Tonga
World Nature Photographer of the Year
Credit: Jono Allen / World Nature Photography Awards
Thousands of images from 51 countries on six continents entered this year’s competition that celebrate the wonder and fragility of our planet. Prints of the images can be purchased through the WPNA online store. (Click to expand images to full screen.)
Location: Bwindi, Uganda
Gold, Animal Portraits
Credit: Mary Schrader / World Nature Photography Awards Mary Schrader
Location: Mara North Conservancy, Kenya
Bronze, Animal Portraits
Credit: Elizabeth Yicheng / World Nature Photography Awards Elizabeth Yicheng Shen
Location: Near Elephant Island, AntarcticaÂ
Bronze, Animals in their habitat
Credit: Harry Skeggs / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Katmai National Park, Alaska
Gold, Animals in their habitat
Credit: Charlie Wemyss-Dunn / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Rathembhore National Park,India
Silver, Animals in their habitat
Credit: Jonathan Hodgetts / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Mara River in Maasai Mara National Park, Kenya
Silver, Behaviour – Amphibians and reptiles
Credit: Roman Balaz / World Nature Photography Awards svec
Location: Anand, Gujarat, India
Bronze, Behaviour – Birds
Credit: Hemin Patel / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: CastellĂłn de la Plana, Spain
Bronze, Behaviour – Invertebrates
Credit: Eduardo Salvador Cabrera / World Nature Photography Awards adriandinsdale
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Bronze, Behaviour – Mammals
Credit: Paul Goldstein / World Nature Photography Awards PAUl Goldstein
Location: Svalbard, Norway
Silver, Black and white
Credit: Ross Wheeler / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
Gold, People and nature
This is a true wildlife photographer. He obviously understands the importance of camouflage both on himself and his camera gear to blend in with his surroundings. As he prepares to take his photo, he takes a solid stance and carefully places his eye at the viewfinder. He waits patiently as his subject comes into clear view. This is the story of The Wildlife Photographer. After an evening snowfall in the Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, USA, the photographers woke up to a blanket of snow covering the flats. A group of photographers were photographing this bull moose eating his way in our direction. The bland bitter brush bored him and he decided to go on his walkabout in the direction of all the photographers. We quickly moved but, in all the haste, a tripod and camera ended up being left behind. After his curiosity got the best of him, the bull moose decided to check out the camera gear. He licked and played with the camera looking at it as if he was trying to take a photograph. It was then I took this photo. After he knocked the gear over, he got bored and continued on his way. Then camera gear could be safely retrieved, albeit with a bunch of moose drool on it.
Credit: Deena Sveinsson / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Okavango Delta, Botswana
Silver, People and nature
Credit: Bill Klipp / World Nature Photography Awards LRTimelapse 7.1.0 (Windows) – licensed to Bill Klipp, – Private License, no commercial use allowed!
Location: Solio Game Reserve, Kenya
Bronze, Black and white
Credit: Preeti and Prashant Chacko / World Nature Photography Awards Preeti John
Locations: Churchill, Manitoba, Canada
Gold, Urban wildlife
Credit: Robert Gloeckner / World Nature Photography Awards ROBERT
Location: Danube, Budapest
Silver, Behaviour – Invertebrates
Credit: Reka Baranyi / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia
Bronze, Underwater
Credit: Aimee Jan / World Nature Photography Awards Aimee Jan
Location: Junwani Kala, Chattisgarh, India
Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) A remote temple complex in India, enshrining the Tiger Goddess and visited by hundreds of devotees each day, is also visited regularly by wild sloth bears from the surrounding hills for scavenging the left overs by the daytime crowd. I found the bear passing by the static statue of the tiger kind of surreal. Children in India are told bedtime stories of bears and tigers in the forest. I wanted to freeze a frame of this wild bear passing the tiger statue (which accompanies the Tiger Goddess) connecting to the bedtime tales of my childhood.
Bronze, Urban wildlife
Credit: Rajarshi Banerji / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Port Charcot, Antarctica
Silver, Underwater
Credit: Matthew Sharp / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Namib desert, Swakopmund, Namibia
The Namib desert is one of the most extreme environments on earth, with a complete lack of surface water and temperatures exceeding 45C 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 4Ă—4
Gold, Behaviour – Amphibians and reptiles
Credit: Dewald Tromp / World Nature Photography Awards NAGT_PHOTO
Location: Boteti River, Makgadikgadi Pans National Park, Botswana
Gold, Behaviour – Mammals
Credit: Vaidehi Chandrasekar / World Nature Photography Awards VC
Location: Madison, Alabama, USA
Gold, Black and white
Credit: Christopher Baker / World Nature Photography Awards
Location: Norfolk, England
Silver, Behaviour – Birds
Credit: Vince Burton / World Nature Photography Awards Vince Burton
“As the awards continue to grow, so too does the diversity and quality of work submitted from across the globe,” Adrian Dinsdale, co-founder of the World Nature Photographer Awards, said in a statement. “This year’s winning images are a powerful reminder of both the wonder of our planet and the importance of protecting it. We congratulate Jono and all of our category winners on their outstanding achievements.”
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