The winners of the prestigious Bird Photographer of the Year 2026 competition have officially been unveiled, showcasing an extraordinary collection of avian imagery from across the globe. Standing out among more than 24,000 entries submitted by photographers worldwide, a breathtaking photograph of a northern gannet bursting through the ocean’s surface captured the grand prize in what is widely celebrated as the world’s largest bird photography competition.
British photographer Henley Spiers claimed this year’s top honor and the £3,000 ($4,000) grand prize for his striking, action-packed image captured off the rugged coast of Scotland. Spiers’ winning photograph illustrates the dramatic underwater journey of a northern gannet as it penetrates the sea, surrounded by a shimmering trail of air bubbles and filtered sunlight.
Reflecting on the dualistic nature of the species, Spiers shared deep insights into the behavior and life cycle of the northern gannet. "The handsome northern gannets lead a dualistic existence," Spiers notes. "In the nest, their newborn is carefully nurtured, and a couple’s bond is reinforced by pointing sharp beaks to the sky as they tenderly stroke their white necks together. In flight, hunting mode takes over, and piercing yellow eyes, fringed with blue circles, scour the sea for prey."
Detailing the physics and grace of the bird’s hunting technique, Spiers adds, "When fish are spotted, the gannets fly into the wind and stretch out their wings as brakes, precisely adjusting their position in relation to their quarry. Moments later, with wings tucked in tightly, the gannet shape-shifts into a pointed torpedo, diving into the water at speeds of up to 86km/h."
The competition serves as a global stage for wildlife photographers, spanning multiple distinct categories that test technical skill, artistic vision, and fieldcraft. Photographers competed across eight adult categories: Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, Conservation (Single Image), and Creative Perspectives. In addition to these main groups, the competition features specialized accolades including the Conservation Award, Portfolio Award, and Video Award, alongside three dedicated youth categories designed to encourage the next generation of nature conservationists and photographers.
Among the gold medalists in this year’s showcase is Rahul Sachdev, who secured the top spot in the Black and White category with an evocative horizon shot of a lone ostrich making its way toward the dry lake bed of Amboseli in Kenya. In the Birds in Flight category, Ivan Sjogren earned gold for his intimate, eye-to-eye capture of a short-eared owl coursing low over the salt marshes of British Columbia’s Fraser River Delta.
Bird behavior provided remarkable storytelling opportunities for entrants this year. Donald Chin captured the Gold in the Bird Behaviour category with an image of a camouflaged fledgling tawny frogmouth stretching its wings against bark and shadow during a light rain, appearing to shield its siblings from water droplets. Meanwhile, Kent Stuart earned the Gold in the Conservation (Single Image) category for a poignant photograph documenting a great blue heron in Washington state with a discarded fishing line and an orange-and-yellow bobber dangerously tangled around its beak.
Portraiture also shone brightly in the 2026 competition. Thomas Deliberto claimed Gold in the Best Portrait category with a striking, front-facing capture of a male greater sage-grouse with its tail feathers fanned out in a vibrant courtship display. In the realm of creative storytelling, Asmund Keilen secured Gold in the Creative Perspectives category by photographing a common swift slicing through the air on a blazing summer day, captured via an in-camera multiple exposure reflected in the glossy hood of a blue car. Urban environments provided unique juxtapositions, highlighted by Gianluca Damiani’s Gold-winning image in the Urban Birds category, which captured a real seagull perched directly above a Rome mural depicting a seagull wearing a black balaclava and a gold chain while holding a wallet.
The competition also awarded silver and bronze medals to a remarkable lineup of international talent. Volker Widmann earned silver in the Best Portrait category for an Atlantic puffin on Skomer Island, while Mark Carwardine took silver in Bird Behaviour for a juvenile bald eagle with wings spread wide during a rainstorm in Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest. Alex Pansier captured silver in Birds in Flight with a massive swarm of guillemots in Norway, and Asmund Keilen secured a second silver medal in Birds in the Environment for a golden eagle drifting across the face of a large, orange full moon.
Additional silver honors went to Raoul Slater for a black-and-white study of an Australian little wattlebird, Yann Bigant for a stark conservation image depicting yellow bitterns and other waterbirds laid out for sale in downtown Phnom Penh, Henley Spiers for a creative perspective of a gannet in dark British waters, and Romain Barats for a striking urban bird image of gentoo penguins on Deception Island near the Antarctic Peninsula.
Bronze medalists rounded out the extraordinary exhibition with David Stowe’s portrait of a dancing Western Parotia in West Papua, Bernhard Schubert’s capture of frigatebirds bickering over a fisherman’s catch in Mexico, Patryk Kurc’s image of a secretive bittern flying across Polish reedbeds, and Romain Barats’ underwater view of swimming gentoo penguins in Antarctica. Julian Terreros-Martin was awarded bronze in the Black and White category for a little penguin on a Tasmanian promenade at night, Luca Eberle earned bronze in conservation for documenting a stuffed Egyptian vulture dumped near a roadside landfill in Malta, Julian Lozinski secured bronze in creative perspectives using the intentional camera movement technique on a grebe, and Julian Fernandez Quilez rounded out the category winners with a rock thrush inhabiting an abandoned Spanish house.
Beyond celebrating photographic excellence, the competition maintains a steadfast commitment to wildlife preservation. This year, the organization donated more than £5,000 ($6,700) to its partner charity, Birds on the Brink, which provides critical funding for grassroots bird conservation projects around the globe.
Will Nicholls, Director of Bird Photographer of the Year, emphasized the growing importance of authenticity within the medium in an era dominated by technological shifts. "In a world where AI-generated imagery is becoming increasingly common, this year’s winners are a powerful reminder of the value of authenticity," Nicholls says. "Every image in the competition represents a real moment in the wild, earned through patience, dedication and a genuine connection with nature. People will always value real stories told by real people, and this year’s extraordinary photographs celebrate the beauty, wonder and authenticity of our natural world."
The next cycle of the competition, BPOTY 12, is officially open for entries, inviting photographers of all experience levels to submit their best work documenting the avian world.
