Is It a Bird? Is It a Plane? No, It’s a Toad and It Won British Wildlife Photography Awards 2026

The British Wildlife Photography Awards (BWPA) 2026 has unveiled its winners, celebrating the beauty and diversity of Britain’s natural world. This year’s top prize goes to Paul Hobson for his trippy image of a toad swimming across a woodland pond. No, this toad isn’t flying, and there are no digital tricks. Just a glass box, a patient photographer, and a very cooperative toad.

Amateur and professional photographers from all over Great Britain submitted over 12,000 images to this year’s contest, competing for the £3,500 grand prize. The contest recognizes the overall winner, as well as the winners in 11 different categories in the adult competition. They include Animal Behaviour, Animal Portraits, Botanical Britain, Black & White, Coast & Marine, Habitat, Hidden Britain, Urban Wildlife, Wild Woods, with British Seasons and Documentary Series making up the special awards.

There was also a Wildlife in HD Video award and 3 age groups in the youth competition: 11 and Under, 12-14 years, and 15-17 years.

British Wildlife Photography Awards Overall Winner

To get the shot, Paul went to a pond near his house. He explains that it has relatively clear water, “especially in late winter and early spring before the algae starts to grow.”

“Toads use this pond to breed in and I decided I wanted to try to capture an image looking up from the bottom of the pond. To try to do this I built a glass box to house the camera and keep it dry. I had to add ballast to make sure it would sink and used old tripod legs glued to its sides to keep the box level. I worked out the depth the box would be and set the focus so that it would capture a toad, if one swam across the surface. I triggered the camera using an adapted long cable release. I had to wait quite a long time until a toad swam across the surface – most of them would usually swim below it and rest on the glass.”

The winning image also took first place in the Black & White category, which makes it a double win for Paul. And what I find interesting is that this isn’t the first unconventional perspective to win the contest – the BWPA keeps rewarding photographers who go the extra mile, literally and technically, to show us something new.

The Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year

BWPA also recognizes the Young British Wildlife Photographer of the Year among the three Young categories. For 2026, the award went to 17-year-old Ben Lucas for his tender image of a mute swan cygnet resting its head on its sibling’s back.

“This was such an adorable moment to witness. A whole family of mute swans swam up to me as I was quietly sitting on the bank of a beautiful lake. They all lay down for a rest right beside me. The five newly hatched cygnets curled up together in a fluffy grey bundle and I captured this photo as one lay its little head on the back of its sibling. Nature can often be so cruel, but tender moments like this warm my heart!”

“This year’s winners celebrate the wonder, diversity and character of British wildlife in truly exceptional ways,” says Will Nicholls, Director of BWPA. “From familiar species to rarely seen moments, the portfolio showcases the skill and passion of the photographers behind the lens. Together, they offer a joyful celebration of Britain’s natural world, while also reminding us why these places and species are so deserving of our care and protection.”

All awarded images are published by Graffeg Books in a hardback coffee-table book, available here, with a foreword by actor, writer, and director Mackenzie Crook. And if you’d like to enter your own images for the next round, the 2027 competition is already open.

I’ll leave you now to enjoy the 2026 BWPA category winners and runner-ups below and admire the diverse flora and fauna captured in these beautiful photos.

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