The Academy Photo Awards Nature 2026 marked the competition’s inaugural edition, bringing together more than 800 photographers from around the world who submitted several thousand images. The competition showcased a wide range of nature photography, from intimate wildlife encounters and unusual bird behavior to dramatic storms, night macro photography, aerial views, and remote landscapes.
The overall winner was Xuejun Long from China, a wildlife and nature photographer whose work focuses on animal behavior, landscapes, light, and our connection with the natural world.
The winning photographs can also be explored through the Academy Photo Awards’ online virtual museum, where visitors can take a virtual tour of the Nature 2026 exhibition and see the award-winning images in a gallery setting.
