Stunning images snapped by two Albany photographers have won awards in the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition.
Nathan Watson and Georgina Steytler produced champion images in the nation’s most prestigious natural photographic competition, each winning $1500.
Aside from producing the best picture in the animal behaviour section, Watson was also a runner-up in the animals in nature category.
Steytler won the macro section for her image of insect trails.
The annual competition was in its 23rd year, attracting 2129 entries from 501 photographers in 17 countries.
Watson’s winning shot was called Worm Wars and featured a bar-tailed godwit being robbed of its dinner by a seagull.
He said he was delighted with his haul, having won the people’s choice in 2023 and been runner-up last year in the threatened species section.
“The quality of images in this year’s contest was exceptional and it’s a huge honour to achieve these results amongst such talented and accomplished photographers,” he said.
“It’s really humbling to have the judges recognise your work.”
He said he had not realised when he took the shot that it would be a winner.
“When you take an image like that there’s always a sense that it’s maybe special, and I did hold it back for that reason, but you never think that it’s going to win something like this,” he said.
Steytler’s winner Insect Trails was an abstract showing the trails of insects in flight with the judges calling it a “breathtaking piece of abstract art”.
“Utterly unique and beautifully seen by the photographer,” went the award citation.
“The creative use of street lighting is great and the rainbow of colours work well together to tell this story.
“Hectic without being overwhelming, it’s easy to find beauty and peace in this chaos.”
Steytler wrote that the patterns made by the insects was beautiful and usually unseen by humans.
“I took this image under a streetlight using a long lens and slow shutter to capture the flight trails of a myriad of insects,” she wrote.
“The patterns formed by the interweaving trails of insects, big and small, trace a story of their life and show a beauty unseen by the human eye.”
Watson’s runner-up shot was called Hunting In The Glow and showed an elegant silhouette of a great egret as it hunted in the stillness of the rising sun.
Australian Geographic picture editor Lyndal Irons said every year photographers found angles that “we didn’t know we were missing”.
“We believe visual storytelling demands rigour and reverence,” he said.
Judge and photographer Jake Wilton said photography was important in showcasing all aspects of nature.
“At a time when our natural environments face increasing pressures, powerful nature photography has an important role to play – not only in showcasing beauty but also in encouraging appreciation, curiosity and a desire to protect the places and species we share our world with,” he said.
The overall winner was Matt Deakin, a Broome-based drone photographer who took the top gong with his image of a sawfish.
The Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition and exhibition is owned and produced by the South Australian Museum.
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