Wildlife Photographer of the Year, run and developed by the Natural History Museum, London, launched its global public voting campaign to crown the Nuveen People's Choice Award winner – and your vote really matters.
From more than 60,000 submissions sent by photographers around the world, the award's jury and expert panel created an image selection chosen for their creativity, originality, and technical excellence.
“No matter where you are in the world, it’s time to join the jury and vote in the Nuveen People's Choice Award to select the photograph set for display in our flagship exhibition here at the Natural History Museum," explains Dr Douglas Gurr, Director of the Natural History Museum.
He continues, "Whether showcasing fascinating behaviour or platforming a powerful story, this year's selection of images is truly exceptional, and we can't wait to see which one will be chosen as the public's favorite!"
Here's a non-judgmental first look at the images you can vote for...
Beauty Against the Beast by Alexandre Brisson (Switzerland)
A group of flamingos stands out against a stark industrial backdrop of power lines. After a 10-hour drive, Alexandre arrived at this bird sanctuary in Walvis Bay, Namibia, just as the sun was setting.
The smell from a nearby open-air dump was overwhelming, a sharp contrast to the beauty of the lesser flamingos. He waited for the right moment, hoping to capture them flying between the power lines.
When two of them finally took off, their graceful flight stood out against the backdrop. The image shows how even spaces meant to protect wildlife carry the signs of human expansion.
Family Rest by Christopher Paetkau (Canada)
A mother polar bear and her three cubs pause peacefully in the summer heat.
This type of scene is getting rarer. The sun is high, the land wide and open.
The polar bears rest after their long journey north along the Hudson Bay coast in Canada. Shrinking sea ice is making it harder for polar bears to hunt and find food to survive in summer.
This is a story of endurance and a fleeting moment of hope in a world where survival is anything but certain.
Beak-to-Beak by Ponlawat Thaipinnarong (Thailand)
A sarus crane parent shares an intimate and moving moment with its one-week-old chick. Ponlawat watched the sarus cranes and their chicks in the rice paddies in Huai Chorakhe Mak Non-Hunting Area in Buri Ram, Thailand.
To avoid disturbing the birds, he would lay still for several hours a day while he watched. In the evenings, after the adults had fed their chicks, they rested on their nests. The parent of this one-week-old chick carefully cleaned it. Then, in a moment of intimacy, it made beak-to-beak contact and moved its beak around the chick’s for a while.
Portrait of Extinction by Adam Oswell (Australia)
A mountainous pile of confiscated snares lies behind Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers. This huge pile consists of snares that had been confiscated over a one-year period in Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda.
Adam joined several rangers and community volunteers to build it. They wanted to show the scale and urgency of the snare crisis in Africa. It took a week to build. Snares are an affordable and effective method of catching wildlife. Some communities use them because they’re in need of income and food security, but they’re also used by sophisticated poaching syndicates.
Precious Cargo by Thomas Hunt (UK)
A cellar spider, sometimes known as a daddy long-legs, carries a ball of precious eggs in its mouth. Thomas found this female cellar spider in the top corner of his sister’s room in their home in Southampton, England, UK.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed it was carrying a ball of precious eggs in its mouth. He encouraged it onto a piece of wood to move it into the garage so it could safely raise its young.
The mother spider watches over her eggs for three to four weeks until they all hatch into tiny transparent spiderlings. She then guards them in her web for a short while until they leave.
How to vote
Public voting is now open, giving you the chance to support the image that stands out to you. Voting closes on March 18, 2026, with the winning photograph and four runners-up to be announced on March 25, 2026.
So, it's time to discover this year's shortlisted wildlife photographs and cast your vote for your favorite image.
To view the full image selection and submit your vote online, click here, or vote via digital screens in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London.
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