The Natural History Museum in London has unveiled a preview of some of the winning images from the 62nd annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. This year's contest, which received a record 65,403 entries, celebrates the diversity and resilience of the natural world.
The selection offers a glimpse into the 100 images that will be featured in the full exhibition, judged by an international panel of experts in photography, filmmaking, science, and conservation. The photographs were evaluated anonymously based on creativity, originality, technical skill, and storytelling.
Among the previewed images is Audun Rikardsen's striking photograph of an inquisitive polar bear peering into a seal's breathing hole in the Arctic sea ice. Another compelling shot by Ernest Porter captures an oxpecker meticulously cleaning its bill against the skin of a rhino in South Africa. Loren Elliott photographed a black bear taking a dip in a pool in Monrovia, California, while Jens Cullman's image shows an African bullfrog lunging for an African babul butterfly in Botswana.
Further highlights include Vegard Byrkjeland Aasen's image of an adult orca supporting a calf in the frigid waters of a Norwegian fjord. The competition also features a unique perspective from twins Andrea and Maceo Grammatico, who captured a mosquito drinking a viper's blood from a snake's point of view. Jack Crockford's photograph presents the silhouette of a swift against a plane approaching Heathrow Airport, and Dewald Tromp's "Eye of the Storm" depicts a chameleon battling a sandstorm in the Namib Desert. Gil Wizen's work showcases a katydid expertly camouflaged in Ecuador.
Other notable images include Sora Miyazawa's depiction of an Eastern Japanese toad navigating Tokyo's streets after rainfall, and Andrew Parkinson's "Wings of Darkness," showing a black vulture perched on the carcass of a yacaré caiman in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands. Allegra Hutton captured a young leopard in pursuit of a squirrel up a tree in Botswana. 
Kathy Moran, chair of the jury, expressed her continued amazement at the quality of entries, stating that each year the submissions become stronger. The full collection of 100 winning photographs will be on display at the Natural History Museum from October 16, 2026, to July 11, 2027. The museum hopes these images will foster a deeper appreciation and commitment to the natural world.