Ice Bed: Stunning image of a young polar bear drifting to sleep wins Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

The 25 images in the running for this year's Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award received a record number of votes with over 75,000 wildlife photography and nature fans from around the world casting their votes to name British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani this year’s winner.

Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr Douglas Gurr, says: ‘Nima’s breathtaking and poignant image allows us to see the beauty and fragility of our planet. His thought-provoking image is a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat and serves as a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss.’

After three days searching for polar bears through thick fog off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, the expedition vessel Nima was on decided to change course and headed towards where there was still some sea ice. Here they encountered two polar bears. Just before midnight, the young male clambered onto a small iceberg and, using his strong paws, clawed away at it to carve out a bed for himself. Nima captured the dreamlike moment the young bear drifted off to sleep.

Nima says: 'I am so honoured to have won this year's People’s Choice award for WPY, the most prestigious wildlife photography competition. This photograph has stirred strong emotions in many of those who have seen it. Whilst climate change is the biggest challenge we face, I hope that this photograph also inspires hope; there is still time to fix the mess we have caused.'

The four ‘Highly Commended’ finalists that also captivated wildlife lovers across the globe include ‘The Happy Turtle’ by Tzahi Finkelstein, a fascinating interaction between a Balkan pond turtle and a northern banded groundling dragonfly, and ‘Starling Murmuration’ by Daniel Dencescu, which frames the moment a starling murmuration formed the shape of a bird.

Two lionesses groom one of the prides five cubs in Kenya’s Maasai Mara in Mark Boyd’s ‘Shared Parenting’, and Audun Rikardsen’s stunning capture ‘Aurora Jellies’ shows two moon jellyfish illuminated by the aurora borealis in a fjord in Norway.

Nima’s image and the four finalist ‘Highly Commended’ images were selected from a shortlist of 25 images chosen by the Natural History Museum, London, and an international judging panel from almost 50,000 images submitted for the fifty-ninth Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

The five images will be displayed both online and in the accompanying exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, until 30 June 2024.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year shines a light on inspiring and impactful stories from the natural world to create advocates for the planet. The annual competition for amateur and professional photographers of all ages from around the world uses photography’s unique emotive power to connect people with nature. Images entered into the sixtieth competition are currently being judged by an international panel of experts. The winners will be announced at the next annual awards ceremony which takes place in South Kensington in October 2024.

Press pack including images and captions can be found here.

Notes to editors

Exhibition at Natural History Museum, London

• The flagship exhibition is open until Sunday 30 June 2024.
• The exhibition is open Monday – Sunday, 10.00-17.50 (last admission at 16.30), and weekends sell out quickly. 
• Adult tickets from £17.50*, concession tickets £14.00*, and child £10.50*. Off-peak Ault tickets from £15.00, off-peak concession ticket £12.00, and off-peak child ticket £9.00 (*Prices excluding optional Gift Aid donation to the Museum.)
• Book your tickets: www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/exhibitions/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year  
• Get behind the lens of some of the world's best wildlife photographers with a new Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition tour: www.nhm.ac.uk/events/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-tour
• #WPY59

Media contact

For access to high-resolution images or to arrange interviews with photographers, jury members, or Museum spokespeople, please contact the Natural History Museum Press Office.

Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 5106

Mobile: +44 (0) 7799 690151

Email: wildpress@nhm.ac.uk

About Wildlife Photographer of the Year:

Wildlife Photographer of the Year was founded in 1965 by BBC Wildlife Magazine, then called Animals. The Natural History Museum joined forces in 1984 to create the competition as it is known today. The annual competition and touring exhibition are now run and owned by the Natural History Museum, London.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Portfolio 33, edited by Rosamund Kidman Cox and with a foreword by Kathy Moran, is now available, RRP £28.

Touring venues in the UK currently include Aberdeen Art Gallery; Brighton Museum and Art Gallery; Bristol Museum and Art Gallery; The Base, Greenham; Dorset Museum and Art Gallery; Herbert Art Gallery and Museum; Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery; National Museums Scotland, Seaton Tramway; Nature in Art; Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery; Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens; Sewerby Hall and Gardens.

International touring venues currently include Australian National Maritime Museum, Australia Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery and National Wool Museum in Australia; Zwin Natuur Park, Belgium; Royal BC Museum and Royal Ontario Museum in Canada; The Natural History Museum of Denmark, Denmark; Museum d'histoire naturelle de Bourges, France; Staatliches Naturhistorisches Museum in Braunschweig and Westfaelisches Pferdemuseum Munster in Germany; Forte di Bard in Italy; Auckland War Memorial Museum, New Zealand; and Science Centre Singapore.

About the Natural History Museum:

The Natural History Museum is a world-leading science centre and one of the most visited attractions in the UK. A global source of curiosity, inspiration and joy.

Our vision is to build a future in which both people and the planet thrive.

We aim to be a catalyst for change, engaging advocates for the planet in everything that we do. Our 350 scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency in all aspects of life.

Visit, join and support the Natural History Museum today. Protecting the planet. It's in our nature.