Photos

Celebrating nature's beauty: Wildlife Photo of the Year winners unveiled

Kerem Yücel
Ice Bed
Ice Bed: A polar bear carves out a bed from a small iceberg before drifting off to sleep in the far north, in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago.
Nima Sarikhani for Natural Histo, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

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Nima Sarikhani's ethereal capture titled "Ice Bed," has been crowned the winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, a testament to the overwhelming support from over 75,000 nature enthusiasts worldwide. His mesmerizing image transports viewers to Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, where a young polar bear carves a resting place from a small iceberg, encapsulating the fragile beauty of our planet.

Director of the Natural History Museum Douglas Gurr praised Sarikhani's work for its poignant reminder of the interconnectedness between animals and their habitats, highlighting the urgent need to address climate change and habitat loss. Sarikhani himself expressed gratitude for the recognition, hoping his photograph inspires hope amidst environmental challenges.

Among the finalists, Tzahi Finkelstein's "The Happy Turtle" and Daniel Dencescu's "Starling Murmuration" also received high commendation for their captivating narratives. Finkelstein's image captures a heartwarming moment between a Balkan pond turtle and a northern banded groundling dragonfly, while Dencescu's work showcases the breathtaking spectacle of a starling murmuration forming the shape of a bird.

The Happy Turtle:
The Happy Turtle: A Balkan pond turtle shares a moment of peaceful coexistence with a northern banded groundling dragonfly in Israel’s Jezreel Valley.
Tzahi Finkelstein for Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Starling Murmuration
Starling Murmuration: Daniel was mesmerised by the movements of the starlings as they formed colossal organic shapes in the sky.
Daniel Dencescu for Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Mark Boyd's "Shared Parenting" depicts a tender scene of lionesses grooming one of their pride's cubs in Kenya's Maasai Mara, while Audun Rikardsen's "Aurora Jellies" offers a stunning fusion of moon jellyfish illuminated by the aurora borealis in a Norwegian fjord.

Shared Parenting
Shared Parenting: Early in the morning, Mark watched as these lionesses groomed one of the pride’s five cubs in Kenya’s Maasai Mara.
Mark Boyd for Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Aurora Jellies
Aurora Jellies: Moon jellyfish swarm in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Tromsø in northern Norway illuminated by the aurora borealis.
Audun Rikardsen for Natural History Museum, Wildlife Photographer of the Year

These remarkable images, along with Sarikhani's winning photograph, will be showcased online and in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London through June 30, 2024.

The Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition continues to serve as a platform for photographers worldwide to share compelling stories from the natural world, fostering advocacy for environmental conservation. As judging for the 60th competition is underway, anticipation builds for the forthcoming awards ceremony in October, where the next generation of impactful images will be celebrated.

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