Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2026 announces People’s Choice winners

Add Popular Science (opens in a new tab)Adding us as a Preferred Source in Google by using this link indicates that you would like to see more of our content in Google News results. Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. After almost 90,000 votes, Austrian photographer Josef Stefan’s image (seen below) of a lynx batting a rodent like a toy took the top prize of Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People’s Choice Award 2026. “The journey to take this image was more than just another photographic adventure, it was the pursuit of a dream that had been with me for years, encountering the Iberian lynx, one of the rarest and most endangered wild cats in the world,” Stefan said of his win. “In the early 2000s, this species was on the brink of extinction. Today, there are now over 2,000 thanks to consistent conservation efforts. The Iberian lynx is a living symbol of hope, showing what can happen when we take responsibility, act consciously and focus our attention where it’s most needed. Winning this award and being able to platform this message is the highlight of my 30 years as a nature photographer.” The competition also honored four runners-up: Alexandre Brisson for an image of a flamboyance of flamingoes in Namibia, Kohei Nagira for an image of a post-brawl deer, Will Nicholls for a photo of sparring bear cubs, and Christopher Paetkau for capturing a calm moment for a polar bear family. The celebrated images will go on display at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, until the exhibition’s close on July 12, 2026.