Winners of the Mammal Society’s annual wildlife photography competition have been announced in time for National Mammal Week 2026 (April 20-26) – a national celebration of Britain’s wild mammals and the people who work to monitor, study and protect them.

The Mammal Society runs the competition to celebrate not only the wild mammals that the photographs spotlight, but also the photographers that go the extra mile to capture revealing photos of unusual moments in the animal kingdom without disturbing the animals, affecting their natural behaviour or damaging their habitat.

‘Fox cub watching a pair of butterflies in a shaft of light’ - Phil Winter

The top prize was award to photographer Phil Winter for a beautifully composed portrait of a fox cub enjoying a beam of sunlight in a woodland.

Talented young photographer Anwen, 17, was awarded Young Mammal Photographer of the Year 2026 for her eye-catching photo of a roaring stag bathed in golden light.

Five other photographers were picked out as category winners.

‘Between Moss and Light’ - Cameron Scourfield

Cameron Scourfield’s enchanting photo of an otter dozing on a tree branch won the Portrait Category.

‘A Touching Moment’' - Jason Parry-Wilson

Jason Parry-Wilson won the Mammal Behaviour category with his photo capturing a tender moment of connection between a mother seal and her pup.

Sarah Michelle Wyer won the Mammals in their Landscapes best in category prize with an expertly timed and framed photo of a dolphin leaping from the ocean in a Welsh bay.

The Humorous Mammals best in category prize was won by Steve Lindsay for his photo ‘Red Deer Bad Hair Day’.

The Photojournalism best in category prize was awarded to Ian Wood for a powerful series of photos documenting the national badger cull.

The People’s Choice Award is chosen by public vote and was also earned by a photo of a fox – this time by photographer Rosie Dutton.

14 more photos were selected as ‘Highly Commended’ (added below).

The winners have won prizes provided by generous sponsors, including NHBS, Naturetrek, Wildcare, and the British Wildlife Centre. The photos were judged by zoologist and presenter Billy Heaney, award-winning photographer Ellie Rothney, and young award-winning photographer Jamie Smart (Eagle Eyed Girl).

Many of Britain’s most well-loved and iconic wildlife species are mammals, and yet they are usually out of sight of humans due to their elusive and often nocturnal behaviour. With a quarter of native mammal species in the UK threatened with extinction (Red List of British Mammals, 2020) and many more in decline, this lack of visibility can mean that their plight is out of sight and out of mind for most people. Wildlife photographers can play a vital role in bringing these amazing species into the spotlight.

The elusive and mainly nocturnal habits of our native mammals also means that scientists often lack the data needed to track the health of populations and to understand how mammals are affected by issues such as land use, pollution, invasive species and climate change. However, anyone can help address this lack of data by becoming a citizen scientist and recording mammals. During National Mammal Week (20th -26th April 2026) the Mammal Society is asking people to monitor their local mammals by taking part in the Mammal Discovery Challenge. Following simple guides from the Mammal Society people of all ages can discover the mammals living in or visiting their gardens, allotments, crofts, schoolgrounds, university campuses or workplace grounds. No one is better placed to record mammals than the people who live, work, or study there every day, and the Mammal Society’s free app Mammal Mapper makes it easy for even first-time wildlife surveyors to provide a really useful record for national biodiversity databases.

The Mammal Society will be randomly selecting someone participating in the Mammal Discovery Challenge each day of National Mammal Week to receive a prize of vouchers for wildlife recording equipment from challenge sponsors Wildcare Ltd.

“A huge thank you to everyone who entered, as well as our judges for helping us decide on the winning pieces,” said Matt Larsen-Daw from The Mammal Society. “I hope that these beautiful photographs can inspire people to reconnect with the mammals around them for the Mammal Discovery Challenge from April 20th-26th.”