A single elephant, alone on a cracked lake-bed, with a wall of cloud rolling in behind him. That is the image that just won The Greatest Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Kenya’s most closely watched wildlife photography competition. The photographer, Pie Aerts, calls it “The Long Wait.” He says he had been picturing this exact scene for three years before it actually happened in front of him.
If you shoot safari photos yourself, or you are choosing a trip partly around photography potential, this result is worth studying. It tells you what wins, where it was taken, and how the judges actually score an entry. Here is the full story, plus the practical planning details behind it.
The Winning Photo: What Actually Happened in Amboseli
Aerts captured “The Long Wait” on the dry lake-bed at Amboseli National Park, in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro. He was sitting on the ground near his vehicle, not shooting from inside it, when a lone bull elephant walked into the open pan as storm clouds built up from the northwest.
The composition works because of scale, not detail. The elephant reads as small against an enormous sky, which is the opposite of the tight, tusk-and-eye close-ups that usually flood safari photography feeds. Aerts has said he had been waiting for this specific combination of subject, light, and weather for three years of return trips to the same stretch of pan.
Amboseli’s flat, treeless lake-bed is part of why this shot works. Few parks in Kenya offer that kind of open, minimal backdrop for a single animal, which is one reason experienced safari photographers keep returning to it even though the wildlife density is lower than in the Maasai Mara.
What the Competition Actually Is
The Greatest Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Kenya is not a general open contest. It is a monthly-entry, Kenya-specific competition built around named partner camps and lodges, with 100 percent of entry fees going to conservation partners rather than covering event costs.
Entries open on the first of each month, from January through October, and close on the last day of that month. A shortlist of 10 images is picked monthly, and the overall winners are announced at the end of the year. The 2026 competition opened for entries on January 1, 2026.
The total prize pool runs to roughly USD 9,500 in cash and prizes, plus 27 safari nights donated across categories including the grand prize, second and third place, Birdlife, Animal Behavior, People’s Choice, and a Guide’s Prize for the guide who helped set up the winning shot. Aerts’s grand prize alone was USD 1,500 plus a 9-night safari for two.
Who Judges It, and What They Actually Look For
Four judges score every entry: Adam Bannister, Piper Mackay, Gurcharan Roopra, and Federico Veronesi. The organizers describe the panel as chosen for “global recognition, local knowledge and unquestionable photographic skills,” which matters because Kenya-specific competitions can otherwise skew toward judges who have never worked the parks themselves.
| Judging factor | What it means in practice | Why “The Long Wait” scored well |
|---|---|---|
| Composition and scale | Does the frame use negative space deliberately, not just fill it | Elephant placed small against a huge sky, not centered and tight |
| Light and atmosphere | Storm light, golden hour, or unusual sky conditions over flat midday sun | Storm clouds building from the northwest gave depth and mood |
| Technical execution | Sharp focus on the subject, correct exposure for a high-contrast scene | Elephant stayed sharp against a bright, shifting sky |
| Story and patience | Evidence the shot required fieldcraft, not a lucky drive-by frame | Aerts had returned to the same pan for three years for this exact scene |
| Originality | Avoids the most-repeated safari shot types (tight face, backlit ears) | Wide, minimal composition breaks from typical elephant portraiture |
Judges are not scoring technical perfection alone. A tack-sharp, well-exposed photo of a common pose will usually lose to a rougher frame that shows patience, timing, or a genuinely different angle on a familiar subject.
Where the Judges Say You Should Go to Shoot Like This
The competition partners with nine named camps and lodges across Kenya, chosen partly because their locations suit strong wildlife photography. They are Angama Amboseli, Pearl Mara, Mackay Africa, Alex Walker’s Serian, Laikipia Wilderness Camp, Elephant Pepper Camp, Kicheche Mara North, Governors’ Camp Mugie, and Lentorre.
That list spans three of Kenya’s strongest photography regions: Amboseli for open plains and Kilimanjaro backdrops, the Maasai Mara for density and predator action, and Laikipia for rarer species and quieter light. Booking through or near a partner property is not required to enter the competition, but it signals where experienced photography guides are already stationed.
Getting to Amboseli: The Practical Numbers
If the winning shot has you thinking about a photography trip built around this stretch of pan, here is what the logistics actually look like.
| Route or fee | Distance / time | Indicative cost |
|---|---|---|
| Nairobi (JKIA) to Amboseli National Park by road | 240 km, 4-5 hours | Ground transfer, varies by operator |
| Nairobi (Wilson Airport) to Amboseli Airport by air | 45 minutes | USD 150-220 one-way, indicative |
| Amboseli National Park entry fee, nonresident adult | Per person per day | USD 60-80, indicative |
| Amboseli National Park size | Park area | 392 km2 |
| Best light window for open-pan shots like “The Long Wait” | Early morning or building storm light, dry season Jun-Oct or Jan-Feb | N/A |
Fees and flight costs are indicative ranges and change with season and operator. Confirm current park fees with Kenya Wildlife Service and current flight pricing with your safari operator before booking.
Photography-Specific Trip Planning Checklist
A few decisions matter more for photography-focused trips than for a standard safari.
- Book a guide who already works with photographers, not just a general game-drive guide. Positioning the vehicle for light and angle is a different skill.
- Ask whether the camp allows ground-level or bean-bag shooting outside the vehicle where park rules permit it, since some of the strongest images, including “The Long Wait,” come from getting low.
- Plan around shoulder-season storm light in Amboseli rather than only dry, clear skies. Dramatic cloud cover often produces stronger images than a flat blue day.
- Bring a longer lens for density-heavy parks like the Mara, but do not neglect a wider lens for open, minimal scenes like Amboseli’s lake-bed.
Explorer Notes
Guides who work Amboseli regularly say the dry lake-bed only performs like this for a few weeks a year, right when the first storm clouds of a transition season start building but before real rain turns the pan to mud. Outside that window, the same spot photographs flat and empty rather than dramatic.
Sitting on the ground for a low angle, as Aerts did, is only possible in specific zones of Amboseli where rangers permit it and where elephant behavior is predictable enough to do it safely. Ask your guide directly before assuming you can replicate the shot; it is not standard practice everywhere in the park.
One detail worth knowing before you enter any Kenya-based photography competition yourself: check whether image processing limits apply. Competitions like this one typically restrict heavy compositing or object removal, so keep your RAW files if you plan to submit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won The Greatest Wildlife Photographer of the Year, Kenya in 2026? Pie Aerts won the grand prize with “The Long Wait,” an image of a lone bull elephant on Amboseli’s dry lake-bed, taken as storm clouds gathered. The prize included USD 1,500 and a 9-night safari for two.
Can amateur photographers enter this competition? The competition is built around monthly entries judged by a four-person panel, and it does not require professional accreditation to submit. Check the current entry terms on the competition’s own site before submitting, since categories and rules can shift year to year.
Where was the winning 2026 photo taken? Amboseli National Park, on the open dry lake-bed near the base of Mount Kilimanjaro, roughly 240 km by road from Nairobi.
What do the judges prioritize most: technical quality or storytelling? Both, but a photo with obvious patience, timing, or an unusual angle on a common subject tends to beat a technically flawless but familiar composition. Composition and light usually separate finalists from the rest of the shortlist.
Do I need to stay at one of the nine partner camps to shoot in the same style? No. The partner list reflects camps with strong photography access and guiding, not a requirement to enter or to shoot well in the same locations.
Touring Insights covers safari photography planning as part of tracking what actually works for travelers heading into Kenya’s parks. If a photography-focused trip is what you are weighing next, our Tour Packages page groups itineraries by region, so you can match camps like the ones above to your own dates and budget.
What to Read Next
- Amboseli Wildlife Photography Guide: Light, Angles, and Timing
- Golden Hour Safari Photography: Kenya’s Best Light Times
- DSLR vs Mirrorless vs Smartphone Safari Photography Guide
