Helaakoski wins nature photo award with pollinator image

Photographer Reijo Helaakoski has won the 2026 Nature Photograph of the Year competition with an image of a flying wasp and an admiral butterfly, Yle reported.

The photograph, titled “Encounter,” captures the wasp in flight with a blurred admiral butterfly behind it. The jury described it as a rarely seen snapshot of two pollinator species competing in flight in unforgiving nature, praising the image as technically perfect and artistically intriguing.

The Finnish Nature Photographers Association organises the competition. The winning photographs are available on the competition website and in an exhibition that will tour Finland for the next year.