Nima Sarikani’s emotive image of a polar bear sleeping in a makeshift bed carved into a small iceberg has won the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year award.
The competition is the longest-running and most lauded nature photography contest and exhibition and is run by the Natural History Museum of London.
The picture, titled Ice Bed, was crowned the winner of the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year people's choice award, after being whittled down to a shortlist of 25 from almost 50,000 entries from around the world.
A record number of more than 75,000 people cast their votes to name Sarikani this year's winner.
Sarikani managed to capture the image off Norway’s Svalbard archipelago after spending three days "desperately searching" for the animals through thick fog.
It was only when the expedition vessel decided to change course that they managed to follow two male polar bears for eight hours.
Sarikani says of the image: “Just before midnight, the younger male clambered onto a small iceberg and, using his strong paws, clawed away at it to carve out a bed for himself before drifting off to sleep.”
The organizers said that the picture is "a stark reminder of the integral bond between an animal and its habitat... a visual representation of the detrimental impacts of climate warming and habitat loss."
To see the finalists Sarikani was up against, click on the link below :
The #WPYPeoplesChoice Award vote closes at 14:00 GMT tomorrow, 31 January! ?
— Wildlife Photographer of the Year (@NHM_WPY) January 30, 2024
Take a look at all 25 images in the running and vote for your winner: https://t.co/DMxNHKvB3U pic.twitter.com/BGifmmJvhh
