The shortlist for the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year (AGNPOTY) has been announced. This year's 100 newly elected finalists will now vie to become the overall competition winner, along with scooping a sweet AU$10,000 (approximately $6,900 / £5,200) prize.
Hosted by the South Australian Museum, AGNPOTY is one of the leading nature photography competitions in Oceania. Entrants are invited to showcase natural flora, fauna, land / seascapes or celestial objects within the ANZANG (Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica, and New Guinea) bioregion.
This year’s finalists encompass a huge range of stunning nature shots, including majestic seahorses, water-skipping penguins and tropical mountain peaks.
“The images are incredible, and the messages they deliver about our environment and the natural world are both beautiful and poignant,” said Dr Samantha Hamilton, South Australian Museum director.
The overall competition winner will be chosen from ten categories, among them Animals in Nature, Botanical, Landscape and Threatened Species, and category winners will take home a healthy AU$1,500 prize ($1,000 / £780).
There’s also a junior category, which offers a more modest, yet welcome AU$500 prize (approximately $350 / £260).
Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year is now in its 23rd year, with the shortlist for the 2026 edition being chosen from 2,129 entries taken by 501 photographers in 17 countries.
Winners will be revealed next month, on August 27, and all 100 finalists will be displayed at the 2026 competition exhibition, which opens on 29 August at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide, Australia.
For more information on the competition, visit the official Australian Geographic website.
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