Great photography has a magical way of making us care about the planet, showing us hidden moments in nature that we’d otherwise miss. That’s exactly why I love following the annual OurNature environmental photo award—a powerful competition dedicated to highlighting humanity’s relationship with Earth through visual storytelling.
The 2026 category winners were just announced, and the grand prize winner is absolute jaw-dropping perfection. Norwegian photographer Audun Rikardsen won top honors for his chilling shot, A Seal’s Nightmare. Captured from deep underwater, the photo shows a massive polar bear peering straight down through an Arctic ice breathing hole.
The story behind the shot is just as wild as the image itself! Audun waited eight long hours in the freezing cold before a curiosity-struck bear broke through the ice and stared right into his camera lens. But the real twist? Right after curiosity struck, the bear decided to take a nine-hour nap directly on top of the hole, holding Audun’s camera hostage for almost half a day before he could finally retrieve his winning shot!
Honored at a special ceremony in Budapest, these incredible winning images from this prestigious nature photography award serve as a poetic reminder of what makes wildlife photography so vital today.
“A Seal’s Nightmare” by Audun Rikardsen (Norway). 1st Place, Pure Nature – Water and OurNature – Image of the Year
A polar bear peers through a seal’s breathing hole in the ice, looking straight into the camera positioned below. For years, I had dreamed of photographing a polar bear’s hunting technique from a seal’s perspective. At 83°N, among the dense drift ice, I placed my camera beneath a seal’s breathing hole. After eight hours of waiting, a polar bear appeared, broke through the thin layer of ice covering the hole and looked directly into my camera. It then lay down and slept for nine hours, leaving me unable to retrieve the camera. When I finally saw the image, I knew I had captured the polar bear photograph I had dreamed of for years.
“The Busy Feeder” by Jan Pokluda (Czechia). 1st Place, Pure Nature – Air
A great spotted woodpecker returns to feed its chick in an unusually low nesting cavity in the trunk of an old oak tree. The low position of the nest offered a rare perspective on the intimate moment between parent and chick. I carefully positioned my camera beneath the cavity and observed the birds before continuing. As their feeding behaviour remained unchanged, I used a remote trigger and photographed from a respectful distance. The entire session lasted only about ten minutes, allowing me to capture this natural behaviour with minimal disturbance.
“Hidden In Plain Sight” by Awais Ali Sheikh (Pakistan). 1st Place, Pure Nature – Land
Two snow leopard cubs rest quietly among the rocks of the Himalayas. Perfectly camouflaged in their rugged habitat, they are almost invisible at first glance, their spotted coats blending seamlessly into the surrounding stone. Only after a few moments does the mountain reveal its secret.
“Dinner is Served!” by Audun Rikardsen (Norway). 1st Place, Our Footprints
A humpback whale feeds beside a herring fishing vessel during the polar night, captured in a split image showing the scene both above and below the surface. Each winter, vast schools of Atlantic herring gather in the fjords of Northern Norway, attracting hundreds of humpback whales and orcas. The whales have learned that fishing vessels can provide an easy meal, allowing them to feed on concentrated herring without having to hunt. But this opportunity comes with serious risks: humpback whales can become entangled in fishing nets, causing injuries or drowning, while also damaging fishing equipment.
“Among the Tall Reeds” by Marina Gavrikova (Russian Federation). 1st Place, Young Photographers
A rock bunting flies through tall, dry reeds in the golden backlight of sunrise. In the background, the cold, deep blue tones of a snow-covered mountainside create a striking contrast with the warmly illuminated reeds and the bird’s feathers. Walking along the lake, I noticed a flock of rock buntings feeding among the reeds, constantly moving as they searched for seeds. Before the restless flock moved on, I managed to capture the brief moment when one bird flew through the glowing reeds.
“Midnight Whispers” by Julián Fernandez Quilez (Spain). 2nd Place, Our Footprints
Two common genets prowl at night, moving along the bars of a window in search of food. Behind them, an enormous Moon fills the background, creating an almost surreal setting for the nocturnal scene. The photograph is a single exposure, with no compositing or multiple exposures. The Moon’s unusual size and position are the result of perspective, distance and the optical effect of the lens.
“Eye on the Prize” by Vince Burton (United Kingdom). 2nd Place, Pure Nature – Air
A barn owl dives towards the camera, seen from the perspective of its prey. The image is part of my ongoing project photographing local barn owls at night. My aim was to capture the moment of attack from an unusual viewpoint—looking up at the approaching predator.