Exhibition: Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Explore the natural world in all its fragility and diversity at the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, where 100 powerful photographs tell the story of a planet under pressure.

Gaze through the lens of some of the world's best wildlife photographers and marvel at the beauty of our planet.

Displayed alongside insights from Museum scientists and experts, the images will inspire and astound, leaving visitors with a deeper understanding of the issues facing nature and the actions we need to take to protect it.

This year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition was the most competitive yet, attracting over 50,000 entries from photographers in 95 countries. Every entry was judged anonymously on its creativity, originality, and technical excellence by an international panel of industry experts.

Among the newly revealed Highly Commended images is Sergio Marijuán’s young Iberian lynx framed in the doorway of an abandoned hayloft; a species that was once on the brink of extinction is now rising in numbers thanks to ongoing conservation efforts. Other images tell the story of nature under pressure, like the vibrant designs captured by Gheorghe Popa, which are the result of heavy metals from mining seeping into the river.

Apart from their visual beauty, the photographs are a reminder of the importance of the variety of life on Earth, ahead of the first phase of the global UN conference of COP15 on biodiversity.