Hungarian photographer's image in the running for this year's Oscar of wildlife photography

Bence Máté’s photograph was among those shortlisted as one of the best images in the “Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026” competition. The Hungarian wildlife photographer's image, titled “Flock of Gold,” received a “Highly Commended” distinction in this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, giving him a chance to win the grand prize, which is often referred to as the “Oscar of wildlife photography.”

The photo titled “Flock of Gold” was taken in Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park and depicts a flock of red-billed queleas. According to the BBC’s description, while taking the photo, Máté was watching birds gather at a small pond when tens of thousands of them swept down to drink in the golden late-afternoon light. The movement of so many wings created a rush of air that, he says, could be felt from 30m (98ft) away. Red-billed queleas live in particularly large flocks, a single flock can number as many as two million birds and are considered the most abundant wild bird on Earth, with the adult population estimated at approximately 1.5 billion.

Bence Máté had already won the grand prize of the "Wildlife Photographer of the Year” competition in 2010, when the jury selected his photo titled “A marvel of ants” as the best wildlife photograph of the year. The winners of this year’s competition will be announced on October 13, 2026. Following that, starting on October 16, an exhibition featuring the best entries will open at the Natural History Museum in London, which organises the competition.