"Sunball Rocket" Named Bird Photographer of the Year 2026

Bird Photographer of the Year 2026, one of the world's largest bird photography competitions, has named British photographer Henley Spiers its grand prize winner for "Sunball Rocket," an image captured in the waters off Shetland, Scotland, of a northern gannet bursting through the surface as it hunted fish to feed its chicks.

More than 24,000 images from photographers around the world were entered into the competition. The winning shot earned the £3,000 (roughly $4,000) grand prize alongside the Bird Photographer of the Year title. Beyond recognizing technical and artistic excellence, the competition supports bird conservation and habitat protection through photography.

Spiers described the northern gannet as leading a "dualistic existence" — tender care of its chicks in the nest set against remarkable hunting prowess when diving into the sea — a contrast he set out to capture in a single frame.