Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award Winner revealed | CNN

Napping polar bear image wins top wildlife photography prize

By Hafsa Khalil, CNN
2 minute read
Published 5:06 AM EST, Wed February 7, 2024
Ice bed: A polar bear naps on an ice bed carved into a small iceberg in the far north, off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. Winner of the People's Choice Award.
Ice bed: A polar bear naps on an ice bed carved into a small iceberg in the far north, off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago. Winner of the People's Choice Award.
Nima Sarikhani/Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Shared Parenting: In Kenya's Maasai Mara, a pair of lionesses groom one of the pride's five cubs.
Shared Parenting: In Kenya's Maasai Mara, a pair of lionesses groom one of the pride's five cubs.
Mark Boyd/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Aurora Jellies: It's common for moon jellyfish to gather in their hundreds under the aurora borealis. This picture was taken in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Tromsø in northern Norway.
Aurora Jellies: It's common for moon jellyfish to gather in their hundreds under the aurora borealis. This picture was taken in the cool autumnal waters of a fjord outside Tromsø in northern Norway.
Audun Rikardsen/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
The Happy Turtle: A Balkan pond turtle with a northern banded groundling dragonfly perched on its nose in a moment of coexistence in Israel's Jezreel Valley.
The Happy Turtle: A Balkan pond turtle with a northern banded groundling dragonfly perched on its nose in a moment of coexistence in Israel's Jezreel Valley.
Tzahi Finkelstein/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Starling Murmuration: A mesmerizing mass of starlings swirl into the shape of a huge bird on their way to communal roosts in the skies above Rome, in Italy.
Starling Murmuration: A mesmerizing mass of starlings swirl into the shape of a huge bird on their way to communal roosts in the skies above Rome, in Italy.
Daniel Dencescu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award

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London CNN  — 

An image of a napping polar bear curled up on an iceberg has captured the hearts of voters to become the winner of this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award.

British amateur photographer Nima Sarikhani called it an honor to win the award for the dreamy scene “Ice Bed,” captured off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago, saying that the image “stirred strong emotions,” such as hope, in those who saw 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,” Sarikhani added in a press release.

Organizers said more than 75,000 people voted in the competition — a record number.

“Ice Bed” was chosen from a shortlist of 25 images, which was previously narrowed down from around 50,000 entries. The Wildlife Photographer of the Year is developed and produced by the Natural History Museum, London.

Douglas Gurr, director of the Natural History Museum, described the winning shot as “poignant” and “breathtaking.”

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The “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,” Gurr said in the release.

As well as the winner, there were four highly commended finalists. All five images will be exhibited at the Natural History Museum in London until June 30.

Scroll through the gallery above to see the winner and highly commended images.