
From ambling badgers to stoats in snow, discover the winner and runners-up of this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award
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With more than 76,000 wildlife photography and nature fans from around the world casting their vote in the latest Wildlife Photographer of the Year People’s Choice Award, 25 nominated images were whittled down to just five.
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Here we present these five images – the winner, and four others that were ‘highly commended’. These images will be displayed both online and on the interactive voting screens in the flagship exhibition at the Natural History Museum, London, on until 29 June 2025.
Winner – No Access by Ian Wood (UK)

An ambling Eurasian badger, illuminated by a streetlight, appears to glance up at badger graffiti on a quiet road in England, UK. Residents of St Leonards-on-Sea had been leaving food scraps on the pavement for foxes, but Ian noticed that badgers from a nearby sett were also coming to forage.
After seeing a badger walking along the pavement by this wall late one night, Ian decided to photograph it. He set up a small hide on the edge of the road to take this picture.
‘Ian’s flawlessly timed image offers a unique glimpse of nature’s interaction with the human world, underscoring the importance of understanding urban wildlife,’ said Director of the Natural History Museum, Dr Douglas Gurr.
‘His exceptional photograph serves as a powerful reminder that local nature and wildlife, often just outside our homes, can inspire and captivate us.’
Highly commended – Earth and Sky by Francisco Negroni (Chile)

A double lenticular cloud is illuminated at nightfall by the lava emitted from the Villarrica volcano, Chile. Villarica is in the town of Pucón in the south of Chile and is one of the country’s most active volcanoes, last erupting in 2015.
Francisco takes regular trips to Villarrica to monitor its activity. On this visit, he stayed nearby for 10 nights. He says every trip is ‘quite an adventure – never knowing what the volcano might surprise you with’. Some nights are calm, others furious as in this photograph, where the brightness of the crater illuminates the night sky
Highly commended – Edge of Night by Jess Findlay (Canada)

A ghostly barn owl exits the hayloft window of a derelict barn to hunt in fields outside Vancouver, Canada.
Jess quietly watched the owl for several nights to understand its habits. He set up an invisible beam that would trigger a flash when the owl flew out of the barn. Simultaneously, a slow shutter speed gathered ambient light cast on the clouds and barn. On the tenth night, all the moving parts came together as the owl left to begin its hunt.
Highly commended – Whiteout by Michel d’Oultremont (Belgium)

A stoat sits up and observes its territory as it blends perfectly into a snowy landscape in Belgium.
Michel had been looking for stoats in the snow for many years – the magic of snowfall fascinates him every winter. He wanted to take a photograph that showed how the stoats blend in with the whiteness of the landscape. He’d seen a few in Switzerland but never in his native Belgium. Then, finally his dream came true. He lay in the snow with a white camouflage net covering all but his lens, and this curious stoat came out of its snowy hole.
Highly commended – Spiked by David Northall (UK)

A bloodied yet determined honey badger returns to finish off a Cape porcupine, which earlier had tried to defend itself. Found throughout Botswana, honey badgers are famously ferocious. They often chase animals many times their own size.
This honey badger got an unpleasant surprise when it attacked the normally nocturnal Cape porcupine. The badger grabbed the porcupine’s right leg, and in defence, the porcupine repeatedly backed into its attacker, piercing it with many quills. During a lull in the attack, the porcupine managed to shuffle away, its leg badly damaged. After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. It finished off the porcupine under a bush close to the original attack then dragged it into its underground den.