The winners of the European Wildlife Photographer of the Year (EWPY) competition have been revealed. Hungarian photographer Imre Potyó has been announced as the overall winner for his image of mould structures growing on bat guano.
As part of the annual competition, the German Society for Nature Photography selects the best images and names the overall winner, as well as recipients of the Fritz Pölking Prize and the Rewilding Europe Award – the latter in collaboration with Tecklenborg Verlag and the organisation Rewilding Europe.
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This is the first time in the competition’s 26-year history that the overall winning image has been chosen from the Plants and Fungi category. The image was selected by an international jury from more than 26,000 photos, submitted by both amateur and professional photographers from 46 countries.
Taken during a controlled bat count and without disturbing the animals, the image – titled Hidden Worlds – depicts a pin mould living on bat guano, with hibernating bats in the background.
“This image speaks to a larger truth about the natural world: much of life exists beyond our immediate awareness, in places we seldom visit and among organisms we rarely notice,” says Tom Gilks, one of the competition jurors.
“Even within this single frame, bats, fungi and countless microorganisms form part of a web of relationships that quietly sustains life while remaining largely unseen.”
European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 winning images
