Colours of Nature win in RSB Photography Competition 2026

The winners of the Royal Society of Biology's Photography Competition 2026 have been announced.

The two categories were: Photographer of the Year (open exclusively to RSB members age 19 or over), which received over 300 entries, and Young Photographer of the Year (open to anyone age 18 or under), which garnered over 1,200 entries.

The winner of the former receives £1,000 prize money, with the latter receiving £500. The winners were decided by a public vote of shortlisted images.

This year's theme was 'Colours of Nature'.

Photographer of the Year

The winner of the RSB Photographer of the Year 2026 is Hannah Campaigne from Wantage, UK with 'A hum amongst fuchsias'.

About the image: A hummingbird preparing to feast on the sweet nectar of fuchsia flowers in Costa Rica. On fitting the theme of the competition, Hannah stated that the vibrant colours of the fuchsia are a stark contrast to the deep iridescence of the hummingbird.

Location taken: San Gerardo de Dota, San José Province, Costa Rica

Equipment and settings used: Canon EOS 77D, EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM, f/6.3, 1/500 sec, ISO-5000

On winning RSB Photographer of the Year 2026, Hannah said: "I was so excited when I found out that I had been shortlisted for the RSB's prestigious Photographer of the Year competition, and am absolutely over the moon to have won, especially after seeing the other stunning images. I have always loved wildlife photography for its fleeting and special moments so when I took a trip to Costa Rica with my family, I knew that there could be some very exciting wildlife shots to capture. I stayed with this hummingbird for quite some time, patiently watching it flit between the flowers, in and out of view, so I felt very rewarded when it decided to hover next to the fuchsia right in front of me, seemingly posing for the camera! A huge thanks to RSB for shortlisting me and for the public support in the vote!"

Young Photographer of the Year

The winner of the RSB Young Photographer of the Year 2026 is Anton Poon from Buckinghamshire, UK with 'Caught'.

About the image: A side-portrait of a Pycnonotus jocosus (red-whiskered bulbul) with an insect in its beak, in front of a leaf. In Anton's words, the photograph fits the theme as the insect in the red-whiskered bulbul’s beak blends in perfectly with the green and yellow background made from leaves. However, the bulbul itself stands out in its environment with its bright red whiskers – an interesting colour in nature.

Location taken: Icon Park, Lohas Park, Hong Kong

Equipment and settings used: Canon EOS R7, Canon RF 200-800 f/6.3-9 IS USM, 800mm f/9 1/640 sec ISO 3200 EXP 0

On winning RSB Young Photographer of the Year 2026, Anton said: "I am extremely honoured to win the Young Photographer of the Year award this year with my photo! When I took it, I was in Hong Kong and just testing out my new lens in a park that I knew had birds in. In such an urban city, these small spaces of green are great to see and much of the wildlife gathers there. I saw the red-whiskered bulbul flying around its nest, and as it stopped, I caught the moment with the grasshopper in its beak, catching it to feed its young. It was a great moment but I sat on the image for a while because I didn’t know what I wanted to say with it. Eventually, I figured that I wanted to keep the focus on the bird and the catch, especially showing off the spectacular colours you see in nature and how it contrasts sometimes with the environment (like the bulbul) or blends in (like the grasshopper.)"

Biology Week Awards Ceremony

The winners are invited to the Biology Week Awards Ceremony in October at the House of Commons in London where their images will be on display and they will receive their awards.

Highly Commended – Photographer of the Year

Title: 'Kingfisher with lunch'
Photographer: Peter Batt
Location: Warnham Nature Reserve, West Sussex, England

Shortlist – Photographer of the Year

Title: 'Elephant hawk-moth (Deilephila elpenorin) in garden'
Photographer: Peter Batt
Location: Horsham, England

Title: 'Silvery langur/latung (Trachiypihecus cristatus)
Photographer: Stephen Coates
Location: Panaga, Brunei, Borneo

Shortlist – Young Photographer of the Year

Title: 'Razorbill with red campion'
Photographer: Jack Brackley
Location: RSPB Bempton Cliffs, Yorkshire, England

Title: 'Climbing'
Photographer: Anton Poon
Location: Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire, England

Title: 'Snail trail'
Photographer: Nathan Santos
Location: The Drum, Edinburgh, Scotland

Title: 'The hidden gem'
Photographer: Nathan Santos
Location: The Drum, Edinburgh, Scotland

Title: 'Pausing linnet'
Photographer: Flynn Thaitanunde-Lobb
Location: Southampton, England