Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026: Young UK photographers shine

A UK boy has won the Natural History Museum's (NHM) Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year prize for 2026. Oscar Whitfield's photo of a dung beetle pushing along a ball of animal poo picked up both the Young Wildlife Photographer award, and the prize in the 11-14 age category. The NHM says that dung beetles have an important role to play in nature, as breaking up and burying poo helps it decompose faster, and prevents larger quantities of methane gas entering the Earth's atmosphere. Amelie Davis, also from the UK was announced as the winner of the of 10 years and under category with a colourful bee photo she took with her dad's phone. This year marks the photography competition's 62nd birthday and over 65,000 talented photographers of all ages from across the globe took part. The winners will be showcased in an exhibition at the museum from Friday 16 October. Read on to check out some of the other winners.