The prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition has unveiled its highly anticipated shortlist for the People's Choice Award 2026. A diverse selection of twenty-four breathtaking images has been chosen, offering the global public the opportunity to cast their vote for the photograph that resonates most powerfully with them.
Voting Now Open for the Public's Favourite
From today, photography enthusiasts and nature lovers can participate in the democratic process by voting online for their preferred image. The winning photograph, as chosen by the people, will be officially crowned on the 25th of March 2026. Following the announcement, it will take pride of place as a special feature within the main Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the world-renowned Natural History Museum in London. The exhibition is scheduled to run until the 12th of July, providing ample opportunity for visitors to witness these extraordinary works.
A Glimpse into the Shortlisted Masterpieces
The shortlist showcases an incredible array of wildlife subjects and photographic talent from around the globe. Each image tells a unique story, capturing moments of raw beauty, poignant struggle, and remarkable behaviour.
Bond in Motion by Lalith Ekanayake presents the intense gaze of a lion-tailed macaque and its infant as they race along a forest path, a testament to their resilience in an uncertain world.
Hold Me Tightly by Dvir Barkay offers a tender scene of a brown-throated three-toed sloth cradling its young to shield it from the rain, a moment of pure maternal instinct.
Dark Knight by Prasenjeet Yadav features T12, a rare pseudo-melanistic tiger in India's Similipal reserve. This powerful image symbolises hope and survival, as T12 has defied the odds to father new generations in a population once on the brink.
The Final Portrait by Nima Sarikhani captures a hauntingly beautiful moment with a polar bear cub in Svalbard, a photograph shadowed by the subsequent tragic fate of its mother, highlighting the fragile coexistence between wildlife and human activity.
Family Rest by Christopher Paetkau shows a polar bear and her three cubs resting in the Canadian summer heat, a poignant reminder of the challenges posed by shrinking sea ice on their survival.
Themes of Conservation and Coexistence
Many of the shortlisted works go beyond aesthetic appeal to deliver powerful messages about conservation and the impact of humanity on the natural world.
A Fragile Future by Lance van de Vyver depicts a pangolin pup at a rescue centre, directly referencing the critical threat of trafficking faced by these scaled mammals.
Into the Furnace by Mogens Trolle shows a sun bear taking shelter in a human-made furnace, with the photographer noting it as an example of evolutionary adaptation to habitat disturbance.
Portrait of Extinction by Adam Oswell presents Ugandan rangers with a vast pile of confiscated snares, a stark visual representation of the relentless pressure on wildlife.
Beauty Against the Beast by Alexandre Brisson contrasts elegant flamingos against a harsh industrial backdrop, illustrating the encroachment of human development on protected spaces.
Celebrating Diversity and Behaviour
The collection also celebrates the astonishing diversity and intricate behaviours of species from every corner of the planet.
- Ready to Pounce by Joseph Ferraro: An ambush bug nymph waits with perfect stillness on a flower.
- Along for the Ride by Chris Gug: A juvenile swimming crab hitchhiking on a jellyfish.
- Uniqueness by Daniela Anger: A leucistic otter in Brazil, its pale fur making it more vulnerable without natural camouflage.
- Swirling Superpod by Cecile Gabillon: A spectacular superpod of spinner dolphins herding fish.
- Marvellous Spatuletail by Dustin Chen: A hummingbird displaying its extraordinary tail feathers.
Other notable entries include Flying Rodent by Josef Stefan, Beak-to-Beak by Ponlawat Thaipinnarong, and Solar Waves by Francesco Russo, which documents the intersection of nature and renewable energy infrastructure along the River Severn.
The People's Choice Award offers a unique platform for public engagement with wildlife photography and the critical environmental stories it conveys. Voting represents a chance for individuals worldwide to champion the image that they believe best captures the spirit, beauty, and urgency of the natural world in 2026.
