The 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition captures remarkable moments from the natural world
A critically endangered sawfish moving through a group of sea turtles, royal penguins brought to a halt by an enormous elephant seal and a Tasmanian devil fighting for survival are among the extraordinary moments captured in the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year (AGNPY), opening Saturday 12 September at the Australian Museum (AM).
The free annual exhibition brings together striking images of wildlife, landscapes and the changing natural environment across Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea, captured by professional, emerging and junior photographers.
Australian Museum Director and CEO, Kim McKay AO, said the AGNPY exhibition gives visitors a front row seat to the beauty, drama and fragility of the natural world.
“The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year captures moments most of us would never otherwise have the opportunity to witness, from extraordinary animal behaviour to landscapes transformed by weather and light,” Kim McKay said.
“Each photograph encourages us to look more closely at the natural world around us. They celebrate beauty and diversity, while also reminding us of the pressures facing many species and environments across our region.”
The exhibition shines a light on the diversity and resilience of the natural world.This year’s winning images capture rare threatened species, dramatic encounters between animals, the impact of human activity on wildlife and unexpected perspectives on some of Australia’s most familiar plants and animals.
NSW photographers are strongly represented in this year’s awards, with Colin Chan taking out the Animals in Nature category for Just in Time, capturing a whimbrel racing an incoming wave with a freshly caught crab at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve. John Harrison, Benjamin Maze, Yan Zhang and 16-year-old Sydney photographer Max Pittorino were also named runners-up across Animal Behaviour, Landscape, Monochrome and Junior categories.
Produced by the South Australian Museum, the exhibition features the best images selected from 2,129 entries by 501 photographers across 17 countries. The exhibition is also on display at the South Australian Museum from Saturday 29 August.
2026 Winner: A Rare Encounter in the Pilbara, WA
Western Australian photographer Matt Deakin has been named the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year for Ethereal Encounter, an aerial photograph of a critically endangered green sawfish moving through a group of green turtles in the shallow waters of the Pilbara.
Captured in the last light of the day, the milky water gives the sawfish an almost ghost-like appearance as it moves through the estuary before disappearing into deeper water.
Judges described the photograph as an exceptional combination of timing, rarity and technical skill.
Exhibition Highlights
This year’s winning images capture extraordinary moments of beauty, survival and adaptation:
· Animals in Nature: Just in Time by Colin Chan (NSW) – A whimbrel races an incoming wave with a crab in its beak at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve, feeding ahead of its long migration north towards the Arctic.
· Animal Behaviour: Worm Wars by Nathan Watson (WA) – A silver gull chases a bar-tailed godwit after it pulls a sandworm from a tidal sandbar.
· Botanical: Alchemy by Ben Alldridge (TAS) – Australia’s only cold-weather deciduous species, the tanglefoot, glows under ultraviolet light beneath the night sky.
· Threatened Species: Resilience – A Fight for Survival by Matt Cornish (QLD) — A Tasmanian devil affected by devil facial tumour disease fights to survive in Tasmania’s Central Plateau.
· Our Impact: Neglect by Dave Sanderson (SA) – A juvenile koala trapped on a construction site provides a confronting reminder of the impact the built environment can have on wildlife.
· Landscape: Flicker by Wayne Sorensen (QLD) – An aerial photograph of a Western Australian sandbank reveals flame-like formations shaped by the movement of tides.
· Macro: Insect Trails by Georgina Steytler (WA) – A long exposure captures colourful trails left by insects circling beneath a streetlight in Kununurra. • Monochrome: Flight of Fantasy by Natalie Murray (QLD) – A slow-shutter image captures the movement of a royal spoonbill in flight.
· Portfolio: Our Island Ark by Lewis Burnett (WA) – A six-image series celebrates Australia’s remarkable wildlife, from tiny honey possums and numbats to platypuses, wallabies and echidnas.
· Junior: Silent Grace by Aaryan Dhakal (VIC) – A striking portrait of an Australian pelican uses light and texture to transform a familiar species into a dramatic study of form.
The 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition is on display at the Australian Museum from 12 September 2026 to 14 February 2027.
Exhibition Details
2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year
Australian Museum, 1 William Street, Sydney
12 September 2026 – 14 February 2027
Free Entry
