Francisco Negroni Wins Wildlife Photography Award
The photographer captured the photojournalism top prize with a striking image of a deceased puma in Argentina.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Wildlife
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Photographer Francisco Negroni has won the photojournalism category of the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition. His winning photograph, titled Warning Sign, depicts a dead puma tied to a fence in the Santa Cruz province of Argentina.
Why it matters
The award-winning image highlights the complex intersection of local wildlife conservation efforts and illegal poaching activities. The photograph serves as a visual record from a region that officially banned the hunting of pumas in 2025.
The image was captured using a Canon EOS R5 camera with a 70-200mm lens, utilizing a 70mm focal length at 1/640 sec, f/3.2, and ISO 100. This entry marks a notable win in the annual competition produced by the Natural History Museum.
The players
Francisco Negroni
He is the photographer who secured the top prize in the photojournalism category of the 2026 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.
Natural History Museum
This London-based institution is the primary organizer and host for the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and its associated public exhibitions.
The details
Negroni used his camera settings to document the scene in Santa Cruz, where puma hunting was outlawed by provincial authorities the year prior to the capture. The image is now part of an international exhibition hosted in the United Kingdom.
Timeline
Santa Cruz officially banned the hunting of pumas in 2025.
The exhibition of the winning images begins on October 16, 2026.
The exhibition of the winning images concludes on July 11, 2027.
Culture Shift
This win aligns with the broader movement of using photography as an advocacy tool to bring remote conservation issues to a global audience. The recognition of such intense imagery reflects a shift toward more journalistic, issue-focused wildlife photography in international competitions.
For photography enthusiasts and wildlife advocates, the exhibition offers a chance to view the winning image in person at the Natural History Museum until July 2027. Adopting this style of impactful journalism requires a commitment to documenting sensitive environmental realities over time.
The takeaway
This winning image serves as a powerful reminder of how photography can bring attention to regional wildlife protection laws and enforcement challenges. Readers interested in nature photography should focus on documenting both the beauty and the environmental conflicts present in their local ecosystems.
Further reading
Explore more about Wildlife conservation and photography trends on our site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Digital Camera World.
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