Dueling Hares and Leaping Toads Top the 2026 British Wildlife Photography Awards

Is there anything more soothing than a sleeping baby swan—known as a cygnet? Or anything more illustrative of the relationship between nature and urban development in the U.K. than the red fox, which are seen in neighborhoods as often as in the wild? For this year’s British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA), photographers from around Great Britain and its islands—including young, budding documentarians—highlight some of the region’s most beloved creatures.

Paul Hobson’s black-and-white image of a leaping, silhouetted toad takes top honors this year, captured at a pond near his home in Sheffield. He snapped the photo from inside the pond, having built a glass box that could settle into the water and protect his camera as the active amphibians bounding over it. The right shot took some patience, too, as toads would often swim over the box and sit on top of it rather than jumping across.

A black-and-white photograph, looking up toward leaf-less trees, with the silhouette of a toad leaping overhead — Paul Hobson, “A Toad Swims Across Its Woodland Pond.” Toad (Bufo bufo), Sheffield, England. Winner of British Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 and Black & White category winner

Additional category winners include Barry Webb’s slime molds, Sarah Darnell’s dramatic feud between two brown hares in Norfolk, Alastair Marsh’s bold portrait of a pine marten amid the heather in Arnamurchan, Scotland, and Jamie Smart’s up-close snap of a leaf-cutter bee peeping out from its nest.

Smart’s bold photo won the 11 and Under category, in which kids get to show their stuff. There are also 12 to 14 Years and 15 to 17 Years categories. “I adore bees and have spent a lot of time this year studying them and finding out about what I can do to help the wild bees around our garden thrive,” Smart says. She built a bee hotel for her back yard and managed to capture the leaf-cutter specimen peeking out from its safe place.

See all the winning images in BWPA’s online gallery, plus a print publication. And if you’d like to submit your own wildlife photos taken in Great Britain, you have until June 7 to enter your own images to next year’s contest.

A sleeping gray cygnet — Ben Lucas, “Feathery Pillow.” Mute swan (Cygnus olor), Hornchurch, England. Winner of Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year and 15 to 17 Years category winner

A portrait of a pine marten with its coat partly brown and partly white — Alastair Marsh, “Standing Tall.” Pine marten (Martes martes), Ardnamurchan, Scotland. Winner of the Animal Portraits category

A close-up photo of a leaf-cutter bee looking out from its nest — Jamie Smart, “Cutting Edge.” Leaf-cutter bee (Megachilidae), Powys, Wales. Winner of the 11 and Under category

A macro photo of slime mould by Barry Webb, with a droplet of water encompassing two of the tiny orbs — Barry Webb, “Slime Moulds and a Water Droplet.” Slime mould (Lamproderma scintillans), South Buckinghamshire, England. Winner of the Botanical Britain category

A black-and-white photo of a red fox walking across a pavement, with a light in the background casting long, dramatic shadows — Chris Wardell, “Emerging in the Light.” Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Bristol, England. Runner-up in the Black & White category

A fluorescent green spiny squat lobster underwater — James Lynott, “Glowing Bright.” Spiny squat lobster (Galathea ligosa), Inverarary, Loch Fyne, Scotland. Winner of the Coast & Marine category

A sparrowhawk attacks a juvenile starling in a green meadow — Mark Parker, “Nemesis.” Sparrowhawk and juvenile starling (Accipiter nisus and Sturnus vulgaris), Royston, Hertfordshire, England. Winner of the Animal Behavior category

A red fox sleeps on the seat of a rideable lawn mower — Simon Withyman, “Asleep at the Wheel.” Red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Gloucestershire, England. Winner of the Urban Wildlife category

A Eurasian hobby bird in flight — Jack Crockford, “Acrobatic Hobby.” Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), Staines Moor, England. Winner of the 12 to 14 Years category

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