Pictured: Matt Deakin
A breathtaking image of a critically endangered green sawfish swimming alongside a green turtle has won one of Australia’s most prestigious nature photography prizes.
Broome-based professional drone photographer Matt Deakin has been named the 2026 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year for his mesmerising photograph, Ethereal Encounter.
Captured in the waters off the Pilbara in Western Australia, the almost otherworldly image shows the endangered sawfish gliding through the water alongside a green turtle.
The competition, now in its 23rd year and owned and produced by the South Australian Museum, attracted 2,129 entries from 501 photographers across 17 countries.
For Matt, the winning shot was his first-ever entry into the competition. He captured the image using a Hasselblad L2D-20c aerial camera mounted to a DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone, with the dramatic moment unfolding as the light began to fade.
“My drone was about 2.5km away, the light was fading and the battery alert was beeping, and then this sawfish came out of deep water and I just said ‘wow’,” said Matt.
“It swam directly through four or five turtles – most quickly swam away but one stayed. I pushed the drone as long as I could to get the pictures. People keep asking me if it’s AI. That’s not an insult though, because it just doesn’t seem real.”
Matt had previously won a local photography competition with the image before being encouraged to enter something bigger.
“The AGNPOTY is the biggest I knew of, so I entered and thought: ‘I’ll see how I go’. So, it’s all a bit surreal at the moment,” he said.
The win comes with a $10,000 prize and a cruise with Coral Expeditions, while winners across the competition’s 10 open categories each receive $1,500.
The 2026 category winners are Colin Chan from NSW for Just in Time in Animals in Nature; Nathan Watson from WA for Worm Wars in Animal Behaviour; Ben Alldridge from Tasmania for Alchemy in Botanical; Matt Cornish from Queensland for Resilience – A fight for survival in Threatened Species; and South Australian photographer Dave Sanderson for Neglect in Our Impact.
Wayne Sorensen from Queensland took out Landscape with Flicker, while WA photographer Georgina Steytler won Macro for Insect Trails.
Natalie Murray from Queensland was named the Monochrome winner for Flight of Fancy, while WA photographer Lewis Burnett won Portfolio with Our Island Ark.
The Junior category was won by Victorian photographer Aaryan Dhakal for Silent Grace, a moody photograph of a pelican captured at West Lakes in Adelaide. Dhakal also receives a $500 prize.
The competition accepts photographs from across the ANZANG bioregion, encompassing Australia, New Zealand, Antarctica and New Guinea.
This year’s judging panel included specialist landscape and aerial photographer Mieke Boynton, 2025 AGNPOTY winner Ross Gudgeon and multi-award-winning nature photographer Jake Wilton.
South Australian Museum Director Samantha Hamilton said, “This is my first Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year since joining the Museum, and I’m truly impressed by the calibre of work on display. Matt Deakin’s winning image is both beautiful and haunting.
“Last year’s exhibition attracted nearly 25,000 visitors to the Museum and this year’s collection is just as impressive. These photographs have the power to inspire, educate and spark important conversations. I encourage everyone to come and see them firsthand.”
Now, the winning photographs are heading to Adelaide, with an exhibition of the 100 shortlisted images opening at the South Australian Museum on Saturday, August 29th.
The exhibition will run until Sunday, February 14th, 2027, and will be open seven days a week from 10am to 5pm. The People’s Choice Award will be announced in early January.
Adult exhibition tickets cost $16, while concession, senior and student tickets are $14. Children under 12 can enter for free when accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door, with the South Australian Museum noting that special exhibition entry is cashless.
The exhibition will also travel to the Australian Museum in Sydney from September 12th, 2026, to February 14th, 2027.
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