Critically endangered green sawfish swimming alongside sea turtles wins Australia’s top nature photography award; The photographer captured it when the drone only had 3% battery left.

In the sunny shallows of northern Australia, a rare and ancient creature glided through the water, its long, toothed snout tracing a smooth path alongside a pair of sea turtles. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but it was enough for a drone flying overhead to capture an image that would soon captivate a nation. That photo of a critically endangered green sawfish sharing the frame with sea turtles just won first prize in the Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year 2026 contest. As reported by People, the photo was taken in the final moments of a tense field session, when the battery on the photographer’s drone had dropped to just 3 percent, turning an already difficult encounter into a race against time.A creature from another timeThe green sawfish is one of the most distinctive and endangered animals in Australia’s coastal waters. With a torpedo-shaped body and a rostrum, or snout, that can extend more than a meter and is lined with sharp, tooth-like projections, it looks like a survivor from a much older ocean. These sawfishes use their rostrum to cut through schools of fish, stirring up prey from the seafloor as they patrol shallow bays, estuaries and mangrove-fringed streams.Green sawfish populations, once relatively common in northern Australia and parts of the Indo-Pacific, have plummeted over the last century. They are accidentally caught in fishing nets, their fins are traded, and their coastal habitats have been degraded by development and pollution. The species is now critically endangered, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Sightings are rare and documented encounters in open, clear water are even rarer. The moment in shallow water The winning photograph was taken in the warm turquoise waters of a remote coastal region where seagrass meadows meet sandy plains and mangrove channels. The photographer had been flying a drone along the coast, looking for signs of marine life that could be photographed from above without disturbing the animals. Sea turtles are relatively common in these waters and often appear in aerial images as they surface to breathe or navigate between feeding areas. On this particular flight, the drone had already been in the air for some time, scanning the shallow waters as the afternoon light began to soften. The battery indicator had dropped into the red zone, a warning that there would be little time for anything more than a quick return to the launch point. Then, on the controller’s live stream, an unusual shape appeared next to a pair of turtles. It was long and thin, with a distinctive snout that left no doubt what it was, a green sawfish.Knowing that the battery was almost dead, the photographer made a quick decision to reframe the shot and capture the sawfish alongside the turtles before the drone was forced to land. The resulting image shows the three animals swimming in loose formation, the sawfish’s face clearly visible below the surface and the turtles’ fins tracing slow arcs through the water. The composition is simple but powerful, a snapshot of coexistence in a habitat that few people see from this angle. A race against a dead battery The detail that adds an extra layer of drama to the story is the state of the drone at the time of shooting. With only 3 percent battery remaining, there was no room for error or multiple attempts. If the photographer had hesitated, or if the animals had left the frame a few seconds later, the moment would have been lost. The drone may have been forced to land in the water, putting both the equipment and the ability to recover the images at risk. This limitation shaped the way the photograph was taken. There was no time to chase the animals or adjust the settings much. The photographer had to trust the existing frame, rely on the drone’s auto exposure and focus, and press the capture button at the right instant. The fact that the image came out sharp, well exposed and with a balanced composition is a testament to both preparation and luck.When the drone finally landed, the battery died almost immediately, underscoring how close the encounter came to ending without any usable images. In the world of wildlife photography, these near misses are common. The difference here is that the only painting that worked turned out to be awarded.Why does the image resonate?Photography speaks of several topics at the same time. Visually it is quite striking to see three iconic marine animals occupying the same frame. Sea turtles are already loved by the general public and bring the viewer into the frame. The sawfish is less well known, but is clearly strange and beautiful, bringing the element of wonder and rarity. On another level, the image is a reminder of what is at stake. The green sawfish is so endangered that many Australians will never see one, even while swimming in the same waters it inhabits. Capturing it alive, healthy and moving freely in its natural habitat is in itself a conservation statement of sorts. It says that these animals are still here, that their world has not yet disappeared, but also that their existence is fragile.The knowledge that the photo was taken with the battery almost dead adds a human dimension. It points out how much wildlife documentation depends on being in the right place at the right time, and how easily those moments can be missed. That tension between preparation and chance is something many nature photographers know well and adds emotional weight to the image for those who understand the craft.Recognition in a national competitionThe Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year competition is one of the most prestigious nature imaging platforms in the country. It attracts thousands of entries from professionals and amateurs, covering landscapes, wildlife, underwater scenes and aerial perspectives. Winning the overall award is a significant honor, placing the photographer among a small group of previous winners whose work has helped define how Australians view their natural world.The judges highlighted not only the technical quality of the image of the sawfish and the turtle, but also its narrative power. The judges commented on the rarity of the subject, the clarity of the underwater view and the subtle story of three different species passing through the same area of ​​sea. The backstory of the dying battery added another element of interest, showing the unpredictable nature of field work. For the photographer, the award is recognition of years of learning, traveling and shooting in difficult conditions. It also raises awareness about the green sawfish and the need to protect its habitat. Awards like this can shift public attention, however briefly, to species that would otherwise remain invisible.A call to protect the invisibleImages like this do more than win contests. They become part of the visual record of a place and a time, influencing the way people think about conservation. When a critically endangered animal appears in a quiet, almost ordinary scene, swimming alongside familiar turtles, it becomes harder to imagine that it could disappear. However, that is precisely the reality of the green sawfish. The photograph invites viewers to consider what else might be swimming out of sight in Australia’s coastal waters, and how much of that world depends on healthy seagrass beds, clean estuaries and tranquil coastlines. It also underscores the value of new tools, such as drones, for documenting wildlife in ways that minimize disturbance while also revealing behaviors and associations that are difficult to see from boats or shore. In the end, the image is both a celebration and a warning. Celebrate a rare encounter with a living relic of the ocean, captured in a fleeting moment when battery, light and animals aligned. He warns that such moments are becoming rarer and that without continued protection of coastal habitats and strong measures against bycatch and illegal trade, future generations may only know the green sawfish through photographs like this one.