From a mud-loving elephant and an intensely patterned lionfish to a tiny crab hiding among anemone tentacles, the BIAZA Photo Competition 2026 offers a wonderfully varied look at the animals, wildlife, and people connected to zoos and aquariums across Britain and Ireland.

Organized by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), this year’s competition received more than 800 entries across seven categories. Fourteen photographs were ultimately selected as winners and runners-up, covering mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, fish, invertebrates, native species, and humans. The competition also expanded its scope this year by adding a new Human category, created to recognize the people working on the front lines of animal care, conservation, and welfare. It follows the introduction of the Native Species category in 2025, which broadened the contest beyond zoo and aquarium residents to include wildlife found in the surrounding natural world.

Scroll down to see all of the 2026 winners and runners-up, and let us know which photograph stood out to you the most.

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#1 “Frosty Vulturine” By Gareth Clifford

Winner in the Bird category Species: Vulturine Guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) Location: Watatunga Wildlife Reserve Description: “The photographer took great lengths to take this shot during an early January sunrise experience at Watatunga Wildlife Reserve in Norfolk. Vulturine Guineafowl are known for their distinctive appearance.”

#2 “Cockroach Wasp” By Jennifer-Louise Read

Runner-up in the Invertebrate category Species: Emerald Cockroach (Ampulex compressa) Location: Chester Zoo Description: “Beneath the beautiful metallic exterior of these insects is a secret; that each of these wasps begin life emerging from a cockroach host, after consuming its internal organs.”

#3 “Still I Rise” By Thomas Harris

Winner of the Mammal category Species: African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) Location: Colchester Zoological Society Description: “Photographer Thomas Harris found Opal the elephant enjoying a mud pile on a soggy day at the Colchester Zoological Society, home to four African elephants. The Society's conservation work includes a Zambian elephant orphanage project and research into vaccines for elephants.”

#4 “Forest Lantern” By Peter Baird

Winner in the Native species category Species: Beechwood sickener (Russula nobilis) Location: West Calder Description: “Fungi are increasingly becoming part of the conservation picture, as ecologists realize their importance in forest habitats. This photo was taken in West Calder, Scotland.”

#5 “Sisterhood” By Lucy Dickens

Finalist in the Mammal category Species: Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) Location: Shepreth Wildlife Park Description: “New babies at the park having a little cuddle.”

#6 “Disguised Love Birds” By Danielle Powney

Finalist in the Bird category Species: Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus) Location: Colchester Zoo Description: “Two rainbow lorikeets in a sweet embrace.”

#7 “Striped Affection” By Shae Crawley

Finalist in the Mammal category Species: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi) Location: Marwell Zoo Description: “Amid the energy of the herd moving playfully across the field, two zebras remained closely in step, trotting side by side with a natural sense of connection. As one turned slightly toward the camera, the other gently nuzzled alongside, creating a brief yet striking moment of quiet affection. A fleeting interaction, but one that beautifully reflects the subtle bonds.”

#8 “Baby Panda Surprise” By Jo Brown

Finalist in the Mammal category Species: Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens) Location: Whipsnade Zoo Description: “A young red panda peeks out from the greenery, a look of surprise on her face. Only a few months old, and still pretty confused by the world, this little cub seemed as surprised to see me as I was excited to see her. Whipsnade have been very successful with their red panda breeding program, and I am always overjoyed to hear there is another new fluffy face to search for in the bushes.”

#9 “The Watcher” By Celyn Stephens

Runner-up in the Native species category Species: Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Location: Margam Country Park Description: “Representing one of the largest species of deer, this Red Deer met the gaze of photographer Celyn at Margam Country Park, Wales.”

#10 “Sniffin' Around” By Amber Rainsford

Finalist in the Mammal category Species: Black and rufous elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi) Location: Hertfordshire Zoo Description: “Sengis are full of charisma, you can’t help but fall in love with them, once you see their adorable long snouts sniffing around for a tasty snack! These beautiful animals are only held by two collections in the UK, one of them being Hertfordshire zoo in an amazingly well planted habitat, if you sit by it for a while you may be luckily enough to see them emerge from under the plants!”

#11 “Eye Of The Lion” By Jessamyn Reddy

Winner in the Fish category Species: Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (Neochirus brachypterus) Location: National Marine Aquarium Description: “A close-up of a fuzzy dwarf lionfish. Photographer Jess captures the eye's mystical quality. Not every individual lionfish has such intricate eye patterning, which makes each individual unique.”

#12 “Our Endangered Brothers” By Fred Wall

Runner-up in the Mammal category Species: Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Location: Twycross Zoo Description: “The face of humanity's closest living relative. Bonobos are an Endangered species supported by conservation organizations like Twycross Zoo, the only zoo in the UK which houses all four great apes.”

#13 “Mid-Nap Breather” By Dylan Lynch

Winner of the Reptile/amphibian category Species: Green Sea Turtle(Chelonia mydas) Location: National Marine Aquarium Description: “Friday the Green Turtle is one among the most charismatic and iconic animals at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. He resides in the deepest tank in the UK.”

#14 “Get Weaving!” By Jonathan Isaacs

Runner-up in the Bird category Species: Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus) Location: Marwell Zoo Description: “At Marwell Zoo's walkthrough aviary, visitors can delight in watching the weaver birds build their multi-chambered nests.”

#15 “Small Crab, Big Anemone” By Ellie Richards

Winner in the Invertebrate category Species: Porcelain crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus) Location: Oceanarium Bournemouth Description: “When visiting an aquarium, keep an eye out for the tiny creatures! This little porcelain crab at the Oceanarium Bournemouth is often missed as it is found within the stinging tentacles of an anemone, which it is unbothered by.”

#16 “Holding On” By Harrison Wright

Finalist in the Mammal category Species: Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) Location: Chester Zoo Description: “A young orangutan clings tightly to its mother, a bond that can last up to eight years—the longest of any land mammal. In the wild, this time is critical, as mothers pass on the complex skills needed to survive in rapidly disappearing rainforest habitats. With deforestation continuing to threaten their future, moments like this are becoming increasingly rare.”

#17 “Clown Fish” By Caoimhe Tyndall

Finalist in the Fish category Species: Clownfish Location: Fota Wildlife Park Description: “This took a number of attempts as the Clown Fish swims very fast. I saw my opportunity when the little clown fish briefly paused in the sea anemone, which also added more contrast to the photo!”

#18 “Flooded” By Jo Brown

Runner-up in the Human category Location: Whipsnade Zoo Description: “Whipsnade Zoo sits atop a hill, providing a stunning view from the penguin habitat. On this day, the fog had collected so thickly in the valley below, that it made photographer Jo feel like they were lookin out over an ocean.”

#19 “The Singing Skink” By Jagz Bharth

Runner-up in the Reptile/amphibian category Species: Emerald Tree Skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina) Location: Hertfordshire Zoo Description: “Hertfordshire Zoo's Lions of India area, opened in 2025, isn't just home to lions! There, visitors can also find emerald tree skinks which derive from Southeast Asia.”

#20 “Sunset Bath” By Peter Bonser-Blak

Finalist in the Bird category Species: Pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) Location: Folly Farm Description: “This photo was taken during the golden hour just before park close. As the Pelican was splashing around in the water I managed to capture the way the sunset highlighted the water droplets around them.”

#21 “A Living Ecosystem” By Amber Rainsford

Finalist in the Invertebrate category Species: Favia moon coral Location: London Zoo Description: “One of the many corals that can be seen in London zoos reef tank, this macro shot shows the individual polyps that make up a coral colony, a coral colony can be made up of hundreds to thousands of these tiny polyps. Corals play a vital role in the ocean, despite covering only 0.1% of the ocean floor they provide home to an amazing 25% of marine life. Today over 80% of the world’s reef is affected by bleaching and over the past 30 years half of our coral reefs have been lost.”

#22 “Tompot's Pot” By Rebekah Weatherhead

Runner up in the Fish category Species: Tompot blenny (Parablennius gattorugine) Location: Sealife Adventure Description: “Local to British shores, tompot blennies are a small fish with a big personality. This individual has chosen the largest pot in its habitat to call home.”

#23 “Early Rounds” By Gareth Clifford

Winner in the Human category Location: Watatunga Wildlife Reserve Description: “During the early morning rounds, the Watatunga Wildlife team check on the animals at first light - no small task in a reserve that is 170 acres of woodland, grassland, and lakes.”

#24 “Roloway Monkeys” By Anna Maria Modl

Finalist in the Mammal category Species: The Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway) Location: Chester Zoo Description: “They appear to pour out of the sunlight in a flurry of activity, black and white bodies and ridiculously long tails transforming the grass into a fleeting platform for frenetic activity. This is a snapshot of the Roloway monkeys as pure motion, one frozen in mid-leap and the others wrapped into the bundle of play, and yet there is more to this than mere vivacity. This is a picture of a species whose liberty is inextricably linked to its forests, the canopy, the leaf cover, the branching pathways, and the security of height. It is this, perhaps, which lends this scene its quiet depth. The Roloway monkey is one of West Africa’s most threatened primates, forced to the edge by deforestation and hunting. To observe such a creature in play, therefore, is not simply to observe a creature in a state of joy, but to observe what is at stake. Conservation, after all, is not simply a matter of preventing disappearance on paper, but of preserving the living fabric through which such a play, such a leap through light, and such a wildness continue to exist at all.”

#25 “Season Of Conflict” By Llanya O'haolain

Finalist in the Native species category Species: Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Description: “In autumn, red deer enter the rut. For a chance to breed, stags must clash antlers with rivals, each fight a test of strength, endurance, and instinct.”

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25 Winning Photos From The Biaza Photo Competition 2026 Celebrating Animal Conservation In Zoos