The BIAZA Photo Competition 2026 Showcased The Best Of Britain and Ireland’s Zoos (25 Pics)

Winner in the Bird category

Species: Vulturine Guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum)

Location: Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

Description: “The photographer took great lengths to take this shot during an early January sunrise experience at Watatunga Wildlife Reserve in Norfolk. Vulturine Guineafowl are known for their distinctive appearance.”

Runner-up in the Invertebrate category

Species: Emerald Cockroach (Ampulex compressa)

Location: Chester Zoo

Description: “Beneath the beautiful metallic exterior of these insects is a secret; that each of these wasps begin life emerging from a cockroach host, after consuming its internal organs.”

Winner of the Mammal category

Species: African Elephant (Loxodonta africana)

Location: Colchester Zoological Society

Description: “Photographer Thomas Harris found Opal the elephant enjoying a mud pile on a soggy day at the Colchester Zoological Society, home to four African elephants. The Society's conservation work includes a Zambian elephant orphanage project and research into vaccines for elephants.”

Finalist in the Mammal category

Species: Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

Location: Shepreth Wildlife Park

Description: “New babies at the park having a little cuddle.”

Finalist in the Bird category

Species: Rainbow Lorikeets (Trichoglossus moluccanus)

Location: Colchester Zoo

Description: “Two rainbow lorikeets in a sweet embrace.”

Winner in the Native species category

Species: Beechwood sickener (Russula nobilis)

Location: West Calder

Description: “Fungi are increasingly becoming part of the conservation picture, as ecologists realize their importance in forest habitats. This photo was taken in West Calder, Scotland.”

Finalist in the Mammal category

Species: Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)

Location: Whipsnade Zoo

Description: “A young red panda peeks out from the greenery, a look of surprise on her face. Only a few months old, and still pretty confused by the world, this little cub seemed as surprised to see me as I was excited to see her. Whipsnade have been very successful with their red panda breeding program, and I am always overjoyed to hear there is another new fluffy face to search for in the bushes.”

Runner-up in the Native species category

Species: Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Location: Margam Country Park

Description: “Representing one of the largest species of deer, this Red Deer met the gaze of photographer Celyn at Margam Country Park, Wales.”

Finalist in the Mammal category

Species: Grévy's zebra (Equus grevyi)

Location: Marwell Zoo

Description: “Amid the energy of the herd moving playfully across the field, two zebras remained closely in step, trotting side by side with a natural sense of connection. As one turned slightly toward the camera, the other gently nuzzled alongside, creating a brief yet striking moment of quiet affection.
A fleeting interaction, but one that beautifully reflects the subtle bonds.”

Winner in the Fish category

Species: Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish (Neochirus brachypterus)

Location: National Marine Aquarium

Description: “A close-up of a fuzzy dwarf lionfish. Photographer Jess captures the eye's mystical quality. Not every individual lionfish has such intricate eye patterning, which makes each individual unique.”

Finalist in the Mammal category

Species: Black and rufous elephant shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi)

Location: Hertfordshire Zoo

Description: “Sengis are full of charisma, you can’t help but fall in love with them, once you see their adorable long snouts sniffing around for a tasty snack! These beautiful animals are only held by two collections in the UK, one of them being Hertfordshire zoo in an amazingly well planted habitat, if you sit by it for a while you may be luckily enough to see them emerge from under the plants!”

Winner of the Reptile/amphibian category

Species: Green Sea
Turtle(Chelonia mydas)

Location: National Marine Aquarium

Description: “Friday the Green Turtle is one among the most charismatic and iconic animals at the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth. He resides in the deepest tank in the UK.”

Runner-up in the Mammal category

Species: Bonobo (Pan paniscus)

Location: Twycross Zoo

Description: “The face of humanity's closest living relative. Bonobos are an Endangered species supported by conservation organizations like Twycross Zoo, the only zoo in the UK which houses all four great apes.”

Winner in the Invertebrate category

Species: Porcelain crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus)

Location: Oceanarium Bournemouth

Description: “When visiting an aquarium, keep an eye out for the tiny creatures! This little porcelain crab at the Oceanarium Bournemouth is often missed as it is found within the stinging tentacles of an anemone, which it is unbothered by.”

Finalist in the Fish category

Species: Clownfish

Location: Fota Wildlife Park

Description: “This took a number of attempts as the Clown Fish swims very fast. I saw my opportunity when the little clown fish briefly paused in the sea anemone, which also added more contrast to the photo!”

Runner-up in the Bird category

Species: Village Weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)

Location: Marwell Zoo

Description: “At Marwell Zoo's walkthrough aviary, visitors can delight in watching the weaver birds build their multi-chambered nests.”

Runner-up in the Reptile/amphibian category

Species: Emerald Tree Skink (Lamprolepis smaragdina)

Location: Hertfordshire Zoo

Description: “Hertfordshire Zoo's Lions of India area, opened in 2025, isn't just home to lions! There, visitors can also find emerald tree skinks which derive from Southeast Asia.”

Finalist in the Bird category

Species: Pink-backed pelican (Pelecanus rufescens)

Location: Folly Farm

Description: “This photo was taken during the golden hour just before park close. As the Pelican was splashing around in the water I managed to capture the way the sunset highlighted the water droplets around them.”

Finalist in the Mammal category

Species: Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus)

Location: Chester Zoo

Description: “A young orangutan clings tightly to its mother, a bond that can last up to eight years—the longest of any land mammal. In the wild, this time is critical, as mothers pass on the complex skills needed to survive in rapidly disappearing rainforest habitats. With deforestation continuing to threaten their future, moments like this are becoming increasingly rare.”

Finalist in the Invertebrate category

Species: Favia moon coral

Location: London Zoo

Description: “One of the many corals that can be seen in London zoos reef tank, this macro shot shows the individual polyps that make up a coral colony, a coral colony can be made up of hundreds to thousands of these tiny polyps. Corals play a vital role in the ocean, despite covering only 0.1% of the ocean floor they provide home to an amazing 25% of marine life.
Today over 80% of the world’s reef is affected by bleaching and over the past 30 years half of our coral reefs have been lost.”

Runner up in the Fish category

Species: Tompot blenny (Parablennius gattorugine)

Location: Sealife Adventure

Description: “Local to British shores, tompot blennies are a small fish with a big personality. This individual has chosen the largest pot in its habitat to call home.”

Runner-up in the Human category

Location: Whipsnade Zoo

Description: “Whipsnade Zoo sits atop a hill, providing a stunning view from the penguin habitat. On this day, the fog had collected so thickly in the valley below, that it made photographer Jo feel like they were lookin out over an ocean.”

Winner in the Human category

Location: Watatunga Wildlife Reserve

Description: “During the early morning rounds, the Watatunga Wildlife team check on the animals at first light - no small task in a reserve that is 170 acres of woodland, grassland, and lakes.”

Finalist in the Mammal category

Species: The Roloway monkey (Cercopithecus roloway)

Location: Chester Zoo

Description: “They appear to pour out of the sunlight in a flurry of activity, black and white bodies and ridiculously long tails transforming the grass into a fleeting platform for frenetic activity. This is a snapshot of the Roloway monkeys as pure motion, one frozen in mid-leap and the others wrapped into the bundle of play, and yet there is more to this than mere vivacity. This is a picture of a species whose liberty is inextricably linked to its forests, the canopy, the leaf cover, the branching pathways, and the security of height.

It is this, perhaps, which lends this scene its quiet depth. The Roloway monkey is one of West Africa’s most threatened primates, forced to the edge by deforestation and hunting. To observe such a creature in play, therefore, is not simply to observe a creature in a state of joy, but to observe what is at stake. Conservation, after all, is not simply a matter of preventing disappearance on paper, but of preserving the living fabric through which such a play, such a leap through light, and such a wildness continue to exist at all.”

Finalist in the Native species category

Species: Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

Description: “In autumn, red deer enter the rut. For a chance to breed, stags must clash antlers with rivals, each fight a test of strength, endurance, and instinct.”