Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026: Meet India's Sitaram Raul, who won the prize for his photo of a scorpion in Rajasthan

An Indian wildlife photographer has earned international acclaim for an image that captures an easily overlooked moment in the desert: a scorpion playing in the sand to escape the rising heat.

Sitaram Raul won an Oscar for wildlife photography

Sitaram Dinkar Raul won the Behaviour: Invertebrates category in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 competition organized by the Natural History Museum, London. His photograph, entitled Shifting Sand, was selected from over 65,000 entries submitted from around the world.

Often referred to as the Oscars of wildlife photography, the competition recognizes images that document the natural world through technical skill, originality and compelling storytelling. Raul’s winning entry stands out because it focuses not on a large predator or an iconic mammal, but on the survival of a small desert-dwelling creature.

Who is Sitaram Raul?

Raul is an Indian photographer and artist whose work focuses on wildlife, macro photography and unconventional ways of presenting nature. Based in Badlapur, Maharashtra, he has spent around 14 years developing his photographic practice, experimenting with lighting, composition and perspective to reveal details that might otherwise escape notice.

His recognition in the 2026 competition builds on earlier success. In 2025, his photograph Nature Reclaims its Space, showing bats emerging from a historical monument in Maharashtra, won a Highly Commended award in the Urban Wildlife category in the same competition.

Raul’s approach reflects a broader interest in topics that are often overlooked. Rather than just recording an animal’s appearance, he experiments with light and framing to tell a story about its behavior and surroundings.

The story behind the award-winning photo

According to the Natural History Museum, Raul was exploring the sand dunes at night near the village of Sam in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert when he noticed scorpions searching for prey. As sunrise approached, the creatures began burrowing into the sand to escape the intense heat.

The behavior offered a brief opportunity to capture something unusual. Raul timed his exposure to freeze grains of sand thrown into the air as the scorpion dug its burrow, creating the remarkable effect seen in Shifting Sand.

The photo was taken with a Nikon D750 camera, a 105mm macro lens and a Godox flash. The technical details matter because the object was small, the movement ephemeral and the surrounding landscape difficult to photograph.

According to a report by The Better India on X, Raul originally traveled to Rajasthan to photograph the stars. The unexpected encounter redirected his attention to the scorpion, and capturing the moment required three to four days of observation and repeated attempts. The decisive opportunity lasted only about 90 seconds.

The image also highlights an interesting adaptation. The Natural History Museum notes that the Buthacus Indian scorpion uses its pincers to dig into the sand, while stiff, elongated bristles known as sand ridges help prevent it from burrowing into the dunes.

Raul’s victory puts a spotlight on wildlife that rarely gets the attention of larger animals. In the shifting sands of Rajasthan, the brief act of survival has become an internationally recognized photograph.