A black-and-white image of a mother elephant carrying her dead calf has won Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026, one of the most prestigious photo competitions on the planet. The shot, titled The Aftermath, was taken by Italian photographer Federico Veronesi in Namibia's Huab River Valley, and it beat out a staggering 65,403 entries from 121 countries and territories.

The Natural History Museum in London announced the winners ahead of the 62nd edition of its famous exhibition, and this year marks a first: both the adult and young overall winners were recognised for black-and-white work. Jury chair Kathy Moran didn't hold back in her praise, calling Veronesi's image emotionally devastating while also pointing to something deeper — evidence that elephants understand loss. It's a reminder of how much cognition and feeling exist in the animal world, and why conservation-focused photography still has the power to shift perspectives.

The young category produced its own standout. British photographer Oscar Whitfield took the Young Wildlife Photographer of the Year title with Labour of Love, a high-speed capture of a dung beetle straining to push its ball along — a technical feat that required a fast shutter and high light sensitivity to freeze all that effortful motion.

So what does this mean for travellers? The full collection of winners, runners-up and highlights goes on display at the Natural History Museum from Friday 16 October 2026, running through to 11 July 2027. Tickets are on sale now, and if past editions are anything to go by, weekends sell out fast. The exhibition is one of London's most reliable annual draws, pairing well with the museum's free permanent galleries in South Kensington — and the surrounding museum quarter, including the V&A and the Science Museum, makes it easy to build a whole day around it.

If you can't make it to the capital, you're not out of luck. After the London run, the exhibition tours globally, so there's a decent chance it lands at a museum near you in 2027. But seeing the images full-size in the museum's atmospheric gallery space, surrounded by the building's dinosaur skeletons and Victorian architecture, is the version worth planning a trip around.

For anyone who shoots wildlife — or just loves looking at it — the exhibition is a masterclass in patience, ethics and storytelling, from intimate animal behaviour to stark statements about habitat loss. Even if you never lift a camera on holiday, it's an hour or two that will change how you look at the natural world next time you're on safari, on a reef, or simply in your own back garden.

Condé Nast Traveller UK has the full gallery of winning and shortlisted images.