Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year

Shortlist announced for the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition

Take a look at the Online Gallery to see shortlisted images

Competition winners will be announced on the evening of Thursday 27 August

The annual Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition calls on photographers from around the world to celebrate the fauna, flora and natural formations of the Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the New Guinea region. Submitted entries capture incredible moments in time, bearing witness to the unique beauty of the world around us.

The competition, owned and produced by the South Australian Museum, results in a stunning collection of images that provoke us to explore and understand the changing nature of our environment and appreciate the wonder that surrounds us while enriching our knowledge of this extraordinary region.

2025 Winner, Ross Gudgeon

A psychedelic inside-out macro view of a cauliflower soft coral has been named winner of the 2025 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year. The image taken by West Australian photographer Ross Gudgeon was captured in the waters of Lembeh Strait, off North Sulawesi, in Indonesia. The coral is named for its characteristic resemblance to a cauliflower, with numerous small, rounded, bump-like polyps that give it a puffy texture. Ross was able to achieve the unique perspective by using a Nauticam EMWL, an underwater version of the probe or insect eye lens. For his achievement, Ross received the overall winner’s prize of $10,000 and a cruise with Coral Expeditions.

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