Polar bear sleeping on iceberg wins wildlife photography competition

Photographer Nima Sarikhani wants the image, taken in Norway's Svalbard, to inspire hope about the climate crisis

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  EMBARGOED TO 0001 WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 7 NO SALES, NO ARCHIVE, NO CROPPING, CAN ONLY BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM'S WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION MANDATORY CREDIT: Nima Sarikhani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year THE FOLLOWING MUST APPEAR CLEARLY AND LEGIBLY IN EDITORIAL COPY: Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London. Undated handout photo issued by Natural History Museum of Ice Bed by Nima Sarikhani, UK, of a polar bear in Norway's Svalbard archipelago, which voted as winner for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year People's Choice Award. Issue date: Wednesday February 7, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story ENVIRONMENT Photography. Photo credit should read: Nima Sarikhani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.

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  The Happy Turtle by Tzahi Finkelstein, of a Balkan pond turtle with a dragonfly in Israel's Jezreel Valley, is one of the highly commended images. Tzahi Finkelstein / PA

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  Aurora Jellies by Audun Rikardsen, from Norway, of moon jellyfish in a fjord outside Tromso illuminated by the aurora borealis, was also highly commended. Audun Rikardsen / PA

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  Shared Parenting by Mark Boyd, of lions in Maasai Mara, Kenya, was highly commended. Mark Boyd / PA

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  Starling Murmuration by Daniel Dencescu, taken in Rome, Italy, is another highly commended image. Daniel Dencescu / PA

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  Swallow Over Meadow by Hermann Hirsch and Jan Lessman was shortlisted. Hermann Hirsch / Jan Lessman / PA

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  Bull In A Garbage Dump by Brent Stirton of a scavenging male elephant kicking over rubbish in Tissamaharama, Sri Lanka, was shortlisted. Brent Stirton / PA

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  Curiosity by Gerald Hinde, of lions in South Africa's Greater Kruger National Park, was shortlisted. Gerald Hinde / PA

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  Homecoming by Dvir Barkay, of a pygmy round-eared bat returning to its home in a termite nest in Costa Rica, was shortlisted. Dvir Barkay / PA

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  Opportunity Fox by Matt Maran, of a young red fox in London, was shortlisted. Matt Maran / PA

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  Looking At Me, Looking At You by John E Marriott, of a grizzly bear in the Chilko River, British Columbia, Canada, was shortlisted. John E. Marriott / PA

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  Troublemaker by Stefan Christmann, of an Adelie penguin approaching an emperor penguin and its chick during feeding time in Antarctica's Atka Bay, was shortlisted. Stefan Christmann / PA

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  Snowshoes by Deena Sveinsson, of a snowshoe hare in the Rocky Mountain National Park, US,was shortlisted. Deena Sveinsson / PA

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  Neighbourhood Dispute by Ofer Levy, of a mudskipper fiercely defending its territory from a trespassing crab in Roebuck Bay, Australia, was shortlisted. Ofer Levy / PA

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  The Grassland Geladas by Marco Gaiotti, of Gelada monkeys in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia, was shortlisted. Marco Gaiotti / PA

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  Missed Sip of Milk by Karim Iliya, of a humpback whale calf missing some of its mother's milk off the coast of Rurutu, French Polynesia, was shortlisted. Karim Iliya / PA

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  Hope by Roberto Garcia-Roa, of a rescued chimpanzee looking out of its enclosure at the Chimpanzee Conservation Centre in the Republic of Guinea, was shortlisted. Roberto Garcia-Roa / PA

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  Incoming Cuckoo Wasp by Frank Deschandol, of a cuckoo wasp trying to enter a mason bee's clay burrow near Montpellier, France, was shortlisted. Frank Deschandol / PA

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  A Rare Sight by Axel Gomille, of an Ethiopian wolf in Ethiopia's Bale Mountains National Park, was shortlisted. Axel Gomille / PA

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  Tender Touch by Andy Parkinson, of two courting mountain hares in the Monadhliath Mountains in Scotland, was shortlisted. Andy Parkinson / PA

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  Rubbish Drinks by Claire Waring, of a Celebes crested macaque investigating a plastic bottle at the edge of Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve, Indonesia, was shortlisted. Claire Waring / PA

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  Fashion Victims by Britta Jaschinski, of confiscated coats made from endangered big cat skins in Hamburg, was shortlisted. Britta Jaschinski / PA

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  Autumn Glow by Uge Fuertes Sanz, of bullrushes and quaking aspens by the Cabriel River in the Sierra de Albarracin, Spain, was shortlisted. Uge Fuertes Sanz / PA

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  Duckling Huddle by Charles Davis, of wood ducks in a late spring snowstorm in Smiggin Holes, New South Wales, Australia, was shortlisted. Charles Davis / PA

An image of a young polar bear drifting off to sleep on an iceberg has won the UK's annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.

The shot was captured by British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, a region that has been particularly affected by global warming.

Mr Sarikhani said he wanted the photograph to inspire hope and that there is still time to “fix the mess we have caused” by the human-made climate crisis.

It came top in a public vote that saw a record 75,000 nature and photography enthusiasts choose their favourite picture from shortlist of 25 images.

Dr Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, which runs the annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, said the picture is a visual representation of the impacts of climate change and habitat loss.

After three days searching for polar bears in thick fog off Svalbard, the expedition vessel Mr Sarikhani was travelling on changed course to where there was still some sea ice, and encountered two of the animals.

Just before midnight, a young male climbed on to a small iceberg and used his paws to scrape away the ice to carve out a bed for himself, allowing Mr Sarikhani to capture the moment the bear drifted off to sleep.

Dr Gurr said that Mr Sarikhani's 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.”

Among the 25 pictures, four shots that also proved favourites with voters included the interaction between a pond turtle and a northern banded groundling dragonfly, and a starling murmuration forming the shape of a bird.

Two lionesses grooming a cub and two moon jellyfish illuminated by the aurora borealis in a fjord in Norway were also among the highly commended finalists in the public vote.

The shortlist for the People’s Choice Award was drawn by the Natural History Museum and an international judging panel from almost 50,000 images submitted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

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