- Animals
Here are the 24 images shortlisted for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award 2026.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
In "Never-Ending Struggle," Kohei Nagira captured a sika deer carrying the severed head of a rival male. This deer won a fight over a female but didn't manage to untangle his antlers from his opponent's. A local fisherman says this deer dragged its rival's body for several days before finally tearing off its head.
(Image credit: Kohei Nagira / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
- Copy link
- X
Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.
Become a Member in Seconds
Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.
Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
Want to add more newsletters?
Delivered Daily
Daily Newsletter
Sign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.
Signup +
Once a week
Life's Little Mysteries
Feed your curiosity with an exclusive mystery every week, solved with science and delivered direct to your inbox before it's seen anywhere else.
Signup +
Once a week
How It Works
Sign up to our free science & technology newsletter for your weekly fix of fascinating articles, quick quizzes, amazing images, and more
Signup +
Delivered daily
Space.com Newsletter
Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!
Signup +
Once a month
Watch This Space
Sign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.
Signup +
Once a week
Night Sky This Week
Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!
Signup +Join the club
Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.
Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletterStunning images showing a deer carrying a rival's rotting head and a lynx playing with its food are among the shortlisted entries for an annual wildlife photography competition's people's choice award.
The Wildlife Photographer of the Year Nuveen People's Choice Award 2026 is hosted by the Natural History Museum in London. Anyone anywhere in the world can now vote for their favorite photograph online.
You may like-
Grim photo captures polar bear mom and cubs resting in mud in summer heat
-
Best beginner cameras for wildlife photography 2026: Nature photography for newbies
-
Best lenses for wildlife photography 2026 — crisp, detailed wildlife shots
In "Flying Rodent," Josef Stefan captured a young lynx playfully throwing a rodent into the air.(Image credit: Josef Stefan / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Swirling Superpod," Cecile Gabillon captured a huge group of spinner dolphins herding lanternfish toward the surface of the Pacific Ocean. (Image credit: Cecile Gabillon / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Above and Below," Charles Davis captured a brushtail possum joey and its mother mirroring each other while climbing a branch.(Image credit: Charles Davis / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Hold Me Tightly," Dvir Barkay captured a brown-throated three-toed sloth mother cradling her young in her arms to shelter it from the rain.(Image credit: Dvir Barkay / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Along for the Ride," Chris Gug captured a juvenile swimming crab hitching a ride on a jellyfish in the Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, Indonesia.(Image credit: Chris Gug / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Dark Knight, Prasenjeet Yadav captured a rare tiger with wide, dark stripes wandering a tiger reserve in India.(Image credit: Prasenjeet Yadav / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Into the Furnace," Mogens Trolle captured a sun bear sheltering from the rain in a furnace as a butterfly settled on its snout.(Image credit: Mogens Trolle / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Ready to Pounce," Joseph Ferraro captured an ambush bug nymph remaining motionless in a flower, waiting for prey to wander within reach.(Image credit: Joseph Ferraro / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Precious Cargo," Thomas Hunt captured a cellar spider, sometimes known as a daddy long-legs, carrying a ball of precious eggs in its mouth.(Image credit: Thomas Hunt / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Beak-to-Beak," Ponlawat Thaipinnarong captured a sarus crane parent sharing an intimate and moving moment with its one-week-old chick.(Image credit: Ponlawat Thaipinnarong / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "A Fragile Future," Lance van de Vyver captured a pangolin pup nestling into the warmth of a blanket at a rescue centre in South Africa.(Image credit: Lance van de Vyver / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "The Final Portait," Nima Sarikhani captured a polar bear cub accompanying its mother on an unsuccessful hunting trip.(Image credit: Nima Sarikhani / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "A Fleeting Moment," Lior Berman captured a rufous-vented ground cuckoo plucking up a cicada in the rainforest in Costa Rica.(Image credit: Lior Berman / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Portrait of Extinction," Adam Oswell captured Uganda Wildlife Authority rangers standing before a mountainous pile of confiscated snares.(Image credit: Adam Oswell / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Beauty Against the Beast," Alexandre Brisson captured a group of flamingos against a stark industrial backdrop of power lines.(Image credit: Alexandre Brisson / Wildlife Photography of the Year)
In "Couple's Camouflage," Artur Tomaszek captured a tiny male sitting on the abdomen of a well-camouflaged female broad-headed bark spider.(Image credit: Artur Tomaszek / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Uniqueness," Daniela Anger captured a leucistic otter feeding on a catfish in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.(Image credit: Daniela Anger / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Marvellous Spatuletail," Dustin Chen captured a male marvellous spatuletail hummingbird showing off its long tail while it feeds on flowers.(Image credit: Dustin Chen / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Bond in Motion," Lalith Ekanayake captured a lion-tailed macaque carrying its infant in the Western Ghats, India.(Image credit: Lalith Ekanayake / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Solar Waves," Francesco Russo captured rows of solar panels stretching across the landscape like ripples on a water’s surface.(Image credit: Francesco Russo / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "A Leap into Adulthood," Peter Lindel captured three young kestrels preparing to leap from their nest to a nearby beam.(Image credit: Peter Lindel / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
In "Dancing in the Headlights," Will Nicholls captured a pair of young bear cubs play-fighting in the middle of a road.(Image credit: Will Nicholls / Wildlife Photographer of the Year)
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter nowContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Sascha PareSocial Links NavigationStaff writer Sascha is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southampton in England and a master’s degree in science communication from Imperial College London. Her work has appeared in The Guardian and the health website Zoe. Besides writing, she enjoys playing tennis, bread-making and browsing second-hand shops for hidden gems.
View MoreYou must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
Logout Read more
Best beginner cameras for wildlife photography 2026: Nature photography for newbies
Best lenses for wildlife photography 2026 — crisp, detailed wildlife shots
Best space photos of 2025
Best cameras for wildlife photography 2026: Shoot nature like a pro
Great news for wildlife photographers, the "powerhouse" Canon EOS R5 II is cheaper for Black Friday
Crew-11 emergency return, Mars Sample Return cancellation, shrinking river deltas, and an ancient wolf mystery.
Latest in Animals
Extraordinary photo captures first appearance of Siberian peregrine falcon in Australia's arid center
Spotted lanternflies are invading the US. They may have gotten their evolutionary superpowers in China's cities.
Kanzi the bonobo could play pretend — a trait thought unique to humans
Saltwater crocodiles crossed the Indian Ocean to reach the Seychelles — before humans arrived and wiped them out
Grim photo captures polar bear mom and cubs resting in mud in summer heat
'System in flux': Scientists reveal what happened when wolves and cougars returned to Yellowstone
Latest in News
Scientist accidentally stumbles across bizarre ancient ‘wrinkle structures’ in Morocco that shouldn't be there
The 'mono' virus raises the risk of MS and cancer in some. 22 genes hint at why.
Every major galaxy is speeding away from us, except one — and we finally know why
Star-killing black hole is one of the most energetic objects in the universe
7,500-year-old deer skull headdress discovered in Germany indicates hunter-gatherers shared sacred items and ideas with region's first farmers
Martian meteorite that fell to Earth is full of ancient water, new scans reveal
LATEST ARTICLES- 1Extraordinary photo captures first appearance of Siberian peregrine falcon in Australia's arid center
- 2Scientist accidentally stumbles across bizarre ancient ‘wrinkle structures’ in Morocco that shouldn't be there
- 3Psychedelic drug ayahuasca could treat PTSD, early studies hint. But exactly how it works isn't clear.
- 4Psychedelics may rewire the brain to treat PTSD. Scientists are finally beginning to understand how.
- 5Bandera Volcano Ice Cave: The weird lava tube in New Mexico whose temperature is always below freezing
