William Yu, Beside You (ANIMAL & NATURE 2026)

In a wild world shaped by constant movement and alertness, these four photographs preserve an unexpectedly gentle pause. A male and female Superb Fairy-wren settle together in the last warm light of the day, gradually closing the space between them until feathers touch and their bodies rest against one another. What holds the eye is not simply their colour or beauty, but the tenderness of the interaction — two tiny wild birds completely at ease in each other’s company, sharing the same branch, the same light, and for a brief moment, almost no distance between them.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.